In the six months from January through June 2021, the team at JamesSuckling.com tasted and rated more than 12,000 wines, which puts them on track to hit their goal of 25,000 by the end of the year.
These results come after a strategic gear change – led from the front by Chairman and Editor James Suckling, who was recently awarded the French National Order of Merit by French President Emmanuel Macron – to taste and publish 500 to 600 wines each week. The tasting team also includes Contributing Editor Nick Stock in Australia, Senior Editor Stuart Pigott in Germany, Associate Editor Claire Nesbitt in Hong Kong, Associate Editor Zekun Shuai in China and Tastings Editor Jo Cooke in Italy.
“We don’t think anyone else is publishing as many wine ratings as we are at the moment,” James said. “The pandemic has meant everyone has had to rethink how they work, and we took the opportunity to ramp up our editorial coverage and ratings of the world’s top wines. We’re aiming to rate 25,000 wines this year, which is what we did in 2019 before COVID hit. That would be a great achievement.”
100-POINT WONDER: Francesco Ricasoli talks about some of his best single-vineyard Chianti Classicos yet, including the Gran Selezione Ceniprimo 2018.
POMEROL FOR THE AGES: Winemaker/viticulturalist Omri Ram of Chateau Lafleur talks about one of the perfect wines from the Bordeaux 2018 vintage.
The number of special reports has also increased significantly, with up to 10 reports published each week, split between weekly and monthly reports of all wines tasted, video interviews and tastings with winemakers, regional analyses, value wine recommendations, podcasts and more. All content published on JamesSuckling.com is free to read or view, while tasting notes and scores are available to Premium Members of the site.
The following is the points breakdown of wines rated from January 1 to June 30, 2021:
Total wines rated: 12,226
100 points: 19 wines
95-99 points : 1,349 wines
90-94 points: 9,472 wines
85-89 points: 1,347 wines
80-84 points: 28 wines
70-79 points: 11 wines
The year started strong, with January dominated by tastings of Bordeaux 2018 wines, which James described as a “golden” vintage, with wines that were very “Bordeaux-like,” with defined character and great balance. The best bottles included Chateau Lafleur Pomerol, Chateau Margaux Margaux, Chateau Mouton Rothschild Pauillac and Chateau Trotanoy Pomerol – all of which scored 100 points. Read more about the Bordeaux 2018s here.
February was when U.S. wines shone, with one particularly interesting hybrid stealing some of the limelight – the first release of Australian icon Penfolds’ California wines and global blends. Penfolds’ chief winemaker, Peter Gago, told James in a Tasting Interview: “We love the fruit [of California]. We love the microclimates. We love the vineyards and we want to dabble with that.” Read more here.
In March a surprise 100-point 2019 riesling from the little-known winery of Gunther Steinmetz was Stuart Pigott’s highlight, while South American wines also started to make appearances in the top ratings lists. The great vineyard work done by the likes of Susana Balbo, Zuccardi, Clos Apalta, Trapiche, Bemberg Estate, Bodega Rolland, Vina Cobos and Catena Zapata among others, paid off with ratings of 95 points and up. Read more here.
Our attention was drawn back to Bordeaux in April for en primeur tastings of the 2020 wines, which proved to be the third excellent vintage in a row for the region. “Ninety percent of the wines I have reviewed show an outstanding quality level from first growths to petit chateaux, even from simple appellations such as Bordeaux or Bordeaux Superior,” James said. Wines from Champagne, Beaujolais, Argentina, Germany, Chile, Barolo and Alto Adige also rated well. Read more about the Bordeaux 2020 wines here.
The 2020 Bordeaux tastings continued into May, but this month also saw several hundred Italian wines rated, among which was a 100-point Chianti Classico – the first time this region has received the top score. “Incredible,” was how James described the pure sangiovese Barone Ricasoli Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Ceniprimo 2018, likening it to a great Barolo, Brunello or even a Burgundy. Read more here.
And in June it was back to American shores for the highlight reel, with Continuum Sage Mountain Vineyard 2018 and Grace Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Vineyards 2018 from Napa Valley scoring 100 points each and winning plaudits for their “purity” and “manicured tannins.” Oregon, Alsace and Australia also came through well, with 99-point wines from Cristom, Domaine Weinbach, Seppeltsfield and Torbreck. Read more here.
Stay tuned for more weekly reports on all wines tasted (500-600 every week). And don’t forget you can get instant access to all these tasting notes and scores with a Premium Membership.
– James Durston
Below are all the wines that scored 98 to 100 points during January to June tastings. You can sort the wines by country, vintage, score and alphabetically by winery name. You can also search for specific wines in the search bar.
