A Christmas Tradition: Enjoying Great Wines

Merry Christmas from JamesSuckling.com! This festive season, raise a glass with your loved ones and enjoy some handpicked holiday wines from our tasting crew. Each of our tasters, including James, has their own favorite yuletide bottle (or two or three), and in sharing our Christmas wine picks we hope that you, too, can savor the finest offerings of the season, both in bottle and spirit!

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JAMES SUCKLING, EDITOR/CHAIRMAN

W. & J. Graham’s Vintage Port 2000

James said he picked this wine because he has a Christmas tradition of drinking vintage Port to celebrate the occasion. There’s nothing better on a cold day, according to James, so since he's currently in Italy, where it’s wet and near freezing, he's bringing a couple of half bottles of 2000 Graham's up from his cellar. This is a wine James rated 100 points upon its initial release (while he was still working for The Wine Spectator), but he will decant another one soon so you can look forward to his updated review!

JIM GORDON, EXECUTIVE EDITOR

Krug Champagne Collection 1976, Masseto Toscana 1992 and Dolce Napa Valley Late Harvest Wine 2017

These three wines will be part of Jim's holiday dinner, with the Krug Champagne Collection 1976 the starter. With all this age on it, Jim said, the Krug will be soft and rich and quite likely honeyed in flavor – a bottle worth focusing on before sitting down to dinner. Next, the Masseto Toscana 1992 will be served with the main course of osso buco. This merlot should be a fully mature wine by now. but Jim reccoments that it stand it up for several days for the sediment to fall to the bottom before decanting it at the beginning of the evening. Jim will end the evening with a Dolce Napa Valley Late Harvest 2017. It's his favorite sweet wine from California, produced with the help of “noble rot” (botrytis) as in Sauternes and with the same grape varieties – semillon and sauvignon blanc. Sweet wines like this are perfect at the end of a holiday meal, with a bite or two of something less sweet, like biscotti.

CLAIRE NESBITT, ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Neudorf Chardonnay Nelson Moutere Home Block 2023

Claire said she turned to the Neudorf Chardonnay if only because she "wanted to try something different this Christmas." This deliciously creamy and elegant New Zealand chardonnay tastes like a top Burgundy but at a fraction of the price, Claire said. It’s concentrated but fresh and cool, with an immensely long and persistent finish.

KEVIN DAVY, TASTING MANAGER

Frank Cornelissen Nerello Mascalese Siclia Magma Barbabecchi 2017

Kevin said it's a tradition for him and his family to drink a bottle of this Frank Cornelissen offering every Christmas, revisiting a "complex and authentic" wine from the volcanic soils of Etna, Italy. For Kevin, this wine "brings good memories and some warmth" to the cooler holiday season.

RYAN MONTGOMERY, ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Alejandro Bulgheroni Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard Lithology 2018, Giaconda Chardonnay Beechworth Estate Vineyard 2022, and Bass Phillip Pinot Noir Gippsland Estate 2021

Ryan chose the first wine, from a renowned Napa Valley vineyard, "because it drinks very well now that it is six years old." He thinks it's a great Christmas dinner wine that's perfect for any special occasion. The Giaconda Chardonnay, Ryan said, "is an essential staple for all festive celebrations for all wine lovers" – an extra special and unique wine meant to be shared with loved ones over great conversation or a meal. Finally, the Bass Phillip pinot noir can be paired with so many different holiday meals or can be enjoyed on its own, delivering a pure and emotive expression of pinot.