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?

After covering Burgundy with James and Associate Editor Ryan Montgomery in June, Senior Editor Stuart Pigott feels that the successful pinot noir (spatburgunder) wines of the 2023 vintage in Germany are very similar to the 2023 vintage red wines of Burgundy, but with a touch more acidity. That’s a good thing in ripe vintages like this.

The JamesSuckling.com tasting team rated 565 wines over the past week, with James himself meeting up with one of Napa Valley’s most colorful yet private owners and winemakers, Jayson Woodbridge of Hundred Acre Wines, and scoring no fewer than four wines 100 points.

The JamesSuckling.com tasting team rated 676 wines over the past week, finding exceptional quality in a number of bottlings from Australia, the United States and France.