Winemakers in Oregon’s Willamette Valley are celebrating two exceptional but quite different recent vintages as they roll out their 2023 and 2024 pinot noirs and chardonnays, but both years are so good that winemakers are splitting hairs over which is better.  

After tasting slightly more than 200 wines, visiting nine wineries and speaking with a dozen or so winemakers in Canada’s Okanagan Valley, it became clear that the region’s wines are coming into their own, with many riesling, chardonnay, pinot noir and syrah now brushing up against excellence.

Our third dedicated tasting report on Santa Barbara wines in two-and-a-half years is focused on the 2024 vintage, which although small in quantity also produced some high-quality wines with extra flavor and texture compared with the more abundant 2023 crop. But it’s a toss-up to say which vintage is superior.

The 2023 and 2024 vintages of Chablis tell two very different, almost opposite stories. While 2023 brought generous yields and wines marked by suppleness and easy charm, 2024 was defined by extreme adversity that decimated production – yet it delivered wines of striking tension, crystalline minerality and laser-sharp acidity.

A recent vertical tasting of Calera pinot noir to celebrate the winery’s 50th anniversary proved that the wines have passed the test of time in a remarkable way.