The 2022 vintage in Napa Valley has drawn mixed reactions from winemakers and critics alike, but it’s not all doom and gloom – there are plenty of 2022 gems from Napa’s mountain vineyards that show balance, freshness and site expression.

The JamesSuckling.com tasting team rated 456 wines from six countries over the past week, with our top highlights showing up in California, Portugal and Australia. The pair of perfect-scoring cabernet sauvignons Executive Editor Jim Gordon uncovered in Napa Valley begin a new chapter in the history of what is possibly the region’s most famous vineyard site.

The JamesSuckling.com tasting team rated 363 wines over the past week from nine countries, with Courtney Humiston leading the way in Sonoma, California, where the seasonal harvest was underway and where she met with top winemakers on crush pads and vineyards to share their newest releases.

The JamesSuckling.com tasting team rated 569 wines from 10 countries over the past week, starting with the whopper of a wine we reeled in from Sonoma Coast, California. James described the Sounds Chardonnay Sonoma Coast Fort Ross-Seaview The Goldener 2023 as if it were something just plucked fresh out of the Pacific surf, bursting in umami, seaweed and oyster shell flavors.

James was in New Zealand the past week with tasters Kevin Davy and Andrii Stetsiuk working through about 700 wines, mostly from 2024. They were deeply impressed by the beauty of the vintage, but were they ready to call it New Zealand’s best year ever?