July 2023 Tasting Report: Warming Up in Tuscany, Bubbles Galore and Legendary Rieslings

The month of July was huge at JamesSuckling.com. We tasted a record 4,016 wines from 10 countries, with five perfect scores, as we head toward tasting more than 35,000 wines for the year. France accounted for about 1,100 wines; Australia, nearly 800; Spain, 460; and Germany, 210.

But much of the heavy lifting came in Tuscany, where James and Associate Editor Andrii Stetskuk tasted 619 of the region’s wines, out of 1,050 in total from Italy during the month. Bibi Graetz, the renowned Tuscan winemaker, came on strong to start July with his dynamic reds from 2021, the Testamatta and Colore. These are both intense and vibrant offerings, James found, reflecting Graetz’s quest to make more drinkable and fresh wines as he adjusts his viticulture practices to protect his crop during hot, dry and intensely sunny spells in the growing season.

Marchesi Antinori is another producer focused on moving away from the heavy wines of Italy’s past by dialing back on extraction and maceration and aiming even more for harmony and elegance. The new release of their sangiovese and cabernet blend, Tignanello, sets the tone for drinkability with its balance, James said, adding that the same could be said about the second wine of Masseto, the 2021 Massetino – a pure merlot that “is so beautiful to taste now” even though it will be better after four years of bottle age.

The Suvereto-based Tuscan winery Montepeloso also excelled with its 2021 reds, particularly the Gabbro, Eneo and Nardo, which all came across with crunchy energy on the palate. And yet another great Tuscan wine to check out is the island red from Gorgona, a project of the Frescobaldi wine family and the Gorgona Penal Institute on Gorgona Island, just off the Tuscan coast. Their sangiovese and vermentino nero blend red from 2020 shows depth and finesse as well as complexity.

Other Tuscan wines not to miss include Petrolo and the new release of their awesome barrel-fermented trebbiano, which is made like a grand cru Burgundy, while Fontodi has a late-released Flaccianello della Pieve from 2019 that is structured and persistent.

Out of Campania, meanwhile, were two single-vineyard Taurasis under the Feudi di San Gregorio label, the Feudistudi Rosamilia and Feudistudi Candriano, which also underline the move away from “old school” wines toward drinkability and freshness. James found the two offerings to be crunchier and more refined with an emphasis on energetic yet medium-bodied fruit instead of overextraction and tannins.

James also tasted a small vertical of the pure cabernet franc Ventagio – the 2018, 2019 and 2020 – from the Bolgheri estate of Argentiera, and he thinks the wine may become the new benchmark for the grape in Tuscany, if not Italy at large.

Also check out the annual report James wrote in July on Barolo and Barbaresco, focused on Barolo's 2019 vintage and Barbaresco's 2020.

BUBBLES RISING

In France, Senior Editor Stuart Pigott and Associate Editor Claire Nesbitt were laser-focused on Champagne and Burgundy. We gave perfect scores to two Champagnes – the Laurent-Perrier Champagne Grand Siècle Grande Cuvée N.26 NV and the equally awesome Louis Roederer Champagne Cristal Vinothèque Rosé 2002, which you can read about in our annual report on Champagne, but what impressed Stuart and Claire even more about the region was the stylistic diversity they found there.

This was highlighted in the Marguet Champagne La Grand Ruelle 2018, a pure pinot noir with “an incredible balance of mineral energy and transparent substance,” while another extraordinary wine from the same producer was the pure chardonnay Marguet Champagne Ley Beurys 2018, which Stuart found “almost blindingly fresh and dangerously chalky.” At the other end of the spectrum was the Deutz Champagne Amour de Deutz Brut Rosé 2013 – “proof that rosé prestige cuvee Champagne doesn’t need to be rich and opulent,” Stuart said.

Two vintages of Champagne Taittinger’s prestige cuvée, the Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs, were also near the top of our ratings for the month. The 2013, which will be released in September, is nervy and driven, with chalky minerality and a long, tight finish, while the 2002 demonstrates incredible freshness from a powerful and concentrated vintage and complexity after 10 years on lees and another 10 years in the bottle.

Another fantastic blanc de blancs they found is the Salon Champagne Brut Blanc de Blancs 2013, which expresses beautiful mineral and sourdough character alongside ripe yellow and even orange fruit notes.  And for a bolder vintage blanc de blancs from Reims, try the Lanson Champagne Clos Lanson Extra Brut 2008, which comes from a warm, one-hectare walled plot of chardonnay in Reims just above their cellars, where the soils are exceptionally chalky. It’s powerful and full-bodied, with intriguing spice and white tobacco notes, and will be released on La Place de Bordeaux in October.

From Burgundy, Stuart and Claire were heavy into their tastings of the 2021 vintage, which was pleasantly surprising despite the erratic weather patterns, and the wines will appeal to those Burgundy fans who found the exceptionally ripe and fruit-driven 2020s way too much for their taste. The 2021 whites are especially appealing for their brighter acidity. Two of the highest-rated wines – both chardonnays – are from the same grand cru site. The Louis Latour Montrachet Grand Cru 2021 is complex and smoky with notes of burnt sage, smoked almonds and sourdough, while the Joseph Drouhin Montrachet Grand Cru Marquis de Laguiche 2021 is powerful and concentrated with focus and tension.

A few reds from Burgundy also stood out, including the Domaine Georges Comte de Vogüé Musigny Grand Cru Vieilles Vignes 2021, which Stuart proclaimed to be a “sleeping giant,” with great concentration, stony minerality and drive at the finish. More powerful and expansive is the Louis Latour Chambertin Grand Cru Cuvée Héritiers Latour 2021, in which the richness is beautifully supported by the velvety tannins.

Finally, from France’s Languedoc region, the Vin de France Les Célis 2021 is a pure, ethereal, rock-infused wine with a very aromatic and complex nose. Its palate is charming, enveloping and velvety, and it develops toward an ultra-long finish. Our report on Languedoc will soon be posted on our website.

READ MORE ROEDERER CRISTAL: THE INSIDE STORY, VERTICALLY AND HORIZONTALLY

LEGENDARY RIESLINGS

In addition to his tasting trips to Champagne and Burgundy, Stuart rated his usual cargo of Germany wines, including a couple of Markus Molitor’s already legendary dry wines from the 2020 and 2019 vintages. From the latter, Stuart found a “perfect dry wine” – and another one of our five perfectly rated bottes during the month ­– in the enormously concentrated and beautifully proportioned Markus Molitor Riesling Mosel Bernkasteler Doctor Auslese *** (White Cap) 2019. From 2020, the Markus Molitor Riesling Mosel Erdener Prälat Auslese *** (White Caps) “confirms that terroir is not fantasy in this producer’s extensive range.”

Markus Molitor’s range of 2021s also impressed, with several wines among the stars of this challenging vintage, like the concentrated and youthful Markus Molitor Riesling Mosel Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Auslese *** (White Cap) 2021.

Germany’s newest vintage, 2022, was full of delightful surprises, Stuart said – especially considering that his first look at 2022s brought the negative results of the extreme summer drought in a few wines that he found to have gritty tannins and oddly jarring aromas.

The top producers in the Rheingau, however, including Spreitzer, Donnhoff, Schloss Johannisberg, Emrich-Schonleber, Kruger-Rumpf, made some elegant, vibrant and precise wines during the year, despite the hot and dry July and August they experienced. Among them were a few white wines, with the super-refined Dönnhoff Riesling Nahe Dellchen GG 2022 and much more structured and compact Dönnhoff Riesling Nahe Hermannshöhle GG 2022 “speaking volumes for what was possible,” Stuart said.

Equally as exciting were the 2022 rieslings from Schloss Johannisberg, with the extremely complex, impeccably balanced Schloss Johannisberg Riesling Rheingau Grünlack Spätlese 2022 proving that riesling Spatlese with unfermented grape sweetness can also shine in this vintage.

The first tastings of Pfalz’s 2022 vintage also brought some surprises, Stuart said. Right at the top of the list were two GG (or “GC” in this case) rieslings from Dr. Burklin Wolf, a legendary wine estate. The “breathtakingly graceful and filigree” Dr. Bürklin-Wolf Riesling Pfalz Kirchenstück GC 2022 and the mind-bendingly concentrated and mineral Dr. Bürklin-Wolf Riesling Pfalz Pechstein GC 2022 were the two other wines we gave perfect scores to in July.

A couple Pfalz weissburgunders, or pinot blancs, also showed well, including the extremely concentrated and creamy but uplifting Ökonomierat Rebholz Weissburgunder Pfalz Mandelberg GG 2022 and the no less intense Dr. Wehrheim Weissburgunder Pfalz Mandelberg GG 2022, with its deep chalky minerality.

In our Hong Kong office, we made some exciting discoveries from Spain. These included wines from Rioja and Ribera del Duero, as well as a few serious cava wines.

The Frenchman Olivier Riviere, who applies a Burgundy approach in making terroir-sensitive wines from old vineyards at altitudes ranging from 300 to 1,000 meters – not only gave us the crunchy and pristine garnacha-based red Ganko 2020, but also the old-vine tempranillo-dominated Losares 2020 and graciano-based Pozo Alto 2020.

Among the sparkling wines we liked were a unique, traditional-method riesling fizz from Cantabria, the Bodegas Sel d’Aiz Spain Maldita la Horra Brut Nature 2017 – a rare and fun yet serious offering that is intense, ripe and tropical. And Freixenet’s flagship cavas, the Can Sala Cava Paraje Calificado Brut Nature 2013 and Can Sala Cava Gran Reserva Brut Nature 2005, impressed with their concentration and persistency but showed very little of their age.

DOWN IN THE VALLEYS

Finally, Ned Goodwin MW tasted wines from Barossa Valley, Yarra Valley, Victoria and Adelaide Hills during the month. In Barossa, he noted a shift to lighter and fresher wine styles but lamented the paucity of grenache and mataro – varieties as well suited to the region as they are to other warmer Australian zones. However, he lauded the superior tannin management being practiced by Barossa’s better producers.

The quality of tannins demonstrated by the Hayes Family Shiraz Barossa Valley Block 15, from the wonderful 2021 vintage, along with wines from Sami-Odi and Utopos in general, is exceptional, Ned said. Old-vine grenache is coming on strong, as well, as evidenced by Cirillo Wine Estate’s 1850 grenache 2017, while Cirillo’s less expensive Vincent grenache 2021 “offers superlative value.”

Ned was also impressed with the Yarra Valley’s Mount Mary winery and its red Quintet, a cabernet-dominated Bordeaux blend. He tasted a 10-year vertical with Mount Mary winemaker Sam Middleton, including the yet-to-be released 2021, alongside a couple of bottles of Mount Mary’s Triolet – the 2021 and 2012, which were both “superb.”

Ned suggested that if any of the Quintets deserved a rating of 100 in its current state, it would be the legendary 2015: “The nose is one of a beguiling beauty, from mulch, tea leaf and camphor, melding with the ineffable whiff of the nether nether that marks all great wine.”

In Victoria, Ned found a bounty of scintillating chardonnay, increasingly good nebbiolo and some immensely complex and characterful pinot noir. One of those chards is the Eastern Peake Two Mile Hill Chardonnay 2021, which Ned said was among the most exciting wines he has tasted this year and which “strikes a pose reminiscent of Ganevat, reeling off chamomile, cheesecloth and curry powder riffs, set amid dried straw and stone fruit allusions.” Its Intrinsic Chardonnay 2021 sibling is just as good, if richer, Ned said, but equally of a sleek and mineral disposition. Eastern Peake’s Intrinsic Pinot Noir 2021, meanwhile, “is a gravely roll across a mid-weighted palate flecked with griotte and bergamot,” and should be good for cellaring in the long term.

In South Australia’s cooler-climate Adelaide Hills, Ned uncovered two promising single-vineyard cuvees from Murdoch Hill – the Landau Oakbank Adelaide Hills Syrah 2022 and Orion Oakbank Syrah 2022. The Landau 2021 was among the top-scoring wines last year and the 2022 version is no different, he said.

Ned is currently tasting a wide array of Australian wines from his home base in Sydney, James continues to sample the best of Italy with Senior Editor Zekun Shuai in Tuscany, while Stuart is deep in the Mosel region of Germany and Claire is holding down the fort at our tasting office in Hong Kong. They will all bring you the best of what the wine world has to offer in August and into the fall, so stay tuned to JamesSuckling.com for all the latest.

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– Vince Morkri, Managing Editor