April was a record-breaking month at JamesSuckling.com: 3,492 wines tasted, and it just feels like we’re picking up steam. At this rate, we’ll easily surpass our goal of rating 30,000 wines by the end of the year. That’s a number unlikely to be matched by any other wine media organization.
Much of our tastings focused on the Napa area, where James was temporarily stationed at his house in St. Helena during the month while roaming up and down the California coast and north into Oregon and Washington. But along with all our West Coast and rest-of-America ratings (more than 1,750), we also had ratings from so many different countries that it was hard to keep track: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Chile, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland and Uruguay.
But what does James see happening on the American West Coast? Enthusiasm and passion combined with more experienced winemakers getting it done in vineyards that have come of age, whether in Napa Valley, Paso Robles, Santa Rita Hills, Monterey, Sonoma County Russian River, West Sonoma Coast, Oregon or Washington
“I see so many more young people working in wineries with an incredible dedication to quality in the bottle,” James said. “It’s inspiring to listen to what they say about their jobs, vineyards and wineries, as well as understanding the great energy and focus they have.”
The result is wines like those that Will Harlan is making in Napa – dynamic young wines like the Harlan Estate Napa Valley 2019, which has “an almost abstract personality in the bottle, with tension driven by fine tannins and bright acids.”
But it’s not just the reds – James also ran into a perfect chardonnay while visiting Kistler Vineyards in Sonoma County, saying it had the same quality level as the best grand crus of Burgundy, except with its own unique character.
Another classic Napa wine we rated during April was the Opus One Napa Valley 2019, which James tasted with Opus One winemaker Michael Silacci along with vintages dating back to the late 1970s. He called the 2019 “a classic wine with the purity and beauty of the best of the vintage.”
And he found that the latest releases resemble older ones, like from 1979 and 1980, in nature and pedigree. “There’s an almost essence of To Kalon character to the wine with the ripeness and generosity yet firmness and form,” James said. Not unusual, considering Opus is still partly made from the To Kolan vineyard, which is arguably Napa Valley’s most famous.
Another pedigreed wine James came across in Napa during April was the Beaulieu Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Georges de Latour Private Reserve 2019. This one holds a special place in his heart because it was one of the favorite wines of James late father, John, who gifted the young James a bottle of the 1962 BV Private Reserve when he joined the American wine magazine The Wine Spectator in December 1981. The “incredible” 2019, James said, is “a clear refitting and upgrade from the slightly big and overdone bottlings of the recent past.”
And out of Coombsville, which James calls the “Pauillac” of Napa Valley because the cabernet sauvignons from here have a distinctly blue-fruited character with blackcurrants and graphite as well as lead pencil undertones, came the Etude Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Coombsville 2019. It highlights everything James loves about the appellation.
Oregon and Washington also figured prominently in our tastings during the month. James and Associate Editor Nathan Slone traveled to both states to sample the wares. In Oregon, they came across some of the best pinot noirs and chardonnays not just in America, but the world. The chards especially impressed, and some producers, like Chris Hermann of 00 Wines, whose handmade chardonnay is of amazing quality, predicts that the state “will be best known for chardonnay at the highest level” within the next 10 years.
And Frenchman Christophe Baron met James and Nathan in Walla Walla, Washington, to kick-start their tasting tour of that state, which Nathan covered in his special report. Baron makes compelling wines in Washington, including from his steep vineyards of Hors Categorie, which are planted in syrah in the traditional Hermitage way. But all his wines have richness combined with relatively low alcohol and bright acidities, making them incredibly drinkable when young, although they also age beautifully. Our top wine from Washington, the Hors Categorie Syrah Walla Walla Valley 2019, is concentrated and dense but remains supremely elegant and focused.
But there were other varietals to get excited about in Washington, including some striking grenache offerings: K Vintners Grenache Walla Walla Valley The Boy 2019 and Baron’s Horsepower Grenache Walla Walla Valley Fiddleneck Vineyard 2019 are both fantastic examples of what Washington is capable of producing.
We also went deep into Argentine wines, and Associate Editor Claire Nesbitt compiled her findings in this report. Chacra was a name of note, and it remains one of our favorite producers. Their Chacra Chardonnay Patagonia 2021, made in collaboration with Burgundy’s Jean-Marc Roulot, is taut and precise, decidedly old world in style, and has plenty of tension and aging potential, while their Pinot Noir Patagonia Treinta y Dos 2020 impressed us with its focus, structure and minerality after the 2018 version was named our 2020 Wine of the Year.
We also had a few reviews of the legendary Cheval des Andes and some amazing single-vineyard wines from Terrazas de los Andes. Check out the tasting notes below.
Malbec, though, remains Argentina’s greatest asset, and it wasn’t surprising that our one perfect-scoring Argentine wine was the Viña Cobos Malbec Mendoza Cobos 2019, which James, who tasted the wine with Vina Cobos founder Paul Hobbs, called “an archetypal malbec from Argentina.”
Out of Chile came even more notable bottles, including Sven Bruchfeld’s dry-farmed syrah Secano from the hot 2020 vintage, which is testimony to how syrah has evolved into one of the most exciting grapes in Chile. The Baron Philippe de Rothschild Chile Valle de Maipo Baronesa P. 2020 also impressed, and it may be the best Baronesa P. ever.
Over in Italy, Brunello di Montalcinos popped up on the radar in the form of Biondi-Santi’s latest releases. Their bottlings are defined by their pure, uncompromising austerity, although in an understated way. The Biondi-Santi Brunello di Montalcino Riserva 2015 is special in its own way, even though it needs some time to bloom to tease out all its complexity.
We also dipped into 2019 Barbarescos for the first time, and it’s an excellent vintage, if the Bruno Giacosa Falletto Barbaresco Asili 2019 is anything to go by. This wine has plenty of body and ripe tannins as well as terroir-specific character and structure.
Another Tuscan wine, the legendary Tenuta San Guido Bolgheri-Sassicaia Sassicaia 2019, illustrates how French blends from Italy can be as great and unique as the best wine made from indigenous grapes such as sangiovese, and if you’re looking for a world-class Tuscan merlot, the iconic Masseto Toscana 2019 sets a gold standard for the grape.
And here’s your perfect Barolo: the Paolo Scavino Barolo Rocche dell’Annunziata Riserva 2016. It’s of great quality now but will age for decades ahead. It’s a wonderful pick for your wine list, and also puts a silk bow on our April tastings. What a plump and delectable month…
– Vince Morkri, Managing Editor
