November 2024 Tasting Report: California’s Treasure Trove, Magnificent Mosel Rieslings and Inspired Australian Chards

The JamesSuckling.com tasting team rated 2,744 wines in November, with the three perfect scorers during the month all coming from Germany but with additional heaps of goodness to be found from California, Australia, Italy, China and more. Senior Editor Stuart Pigott was tasting his last bottles of Germany’s 2023 vintage before his annual report on the country, and found a few shining riesling stars from the Mosel region.

The Immich-Batterieberg Riesling Mosel Zeppwingert Reserve 2023 is one of them – “an incredibly concentrated dry riesling with all the depth and mystery we expect for from ancient ungrafted vines,” Stuart said, although the wine may be difficult to get because only 300 bottles were made. There are also only a couple of hundred bottles of the perfect Joh. Jos. Prüm Riesling Mosel Graacher Himmelreich Auslese Long Gold Cap (Auction Wine) 2023, which is “astonishingly succulent and silky with an almost supernatural freshness and focus,” while our third 100-pointer, the Markus Molitor Riesling Mosel Erdener Prälat *** (White Cap) 2023 features “an enveloping aroma of mango plus overwhelming concentration, the whole illuminated by a fabulously elegant acidity.”

And two rieslings from the Kabinett and Spatlese categories also deserve some attention, Stuart said. The Egon Müller-Scharzhof Riesling Mosel Scharzhofberger Kabinett 2023 “is a Saar masterpiece of sleek and silver elegance,” while the Zilliken Riesling Mosel Rausch Spätlese 2023 shows a power that is “deftly underplayed on the very refined and elegant palate.

CALIFORNIA'S BOUNTY

Executive Editor Jim Gordon was in California for most of the month for extensive tastings in Santa Barbara wine country, Napa and Anderson Valley. Nervy and racy pinot noirs and chardonnays were the order of the day from the Santa Rita Hills in Santa Barbara County, with sibling wineries Domaine de la Cote and Sandhi – both run by Sashi Moorman and Rajat Parr – leading the way with their “edgy and brilliant” Domaine de la Cote Pinot Noir Santa Rita Hills Sous le Chene 2023 and its aromas of rosemary, sage and pure black cherries, while blackcurrants, ethereal minerals and complex savory elements dance on its palate.

The Hilt Estate's Pinot Noir Santa Rita Hills Radian Vineyard 2022 was another top scorer, with Jim finding it “rocky and minerally in character, with light, chewy tannins embracing crisp cranberry, red cherry and raspberry flavors.”

For an inviting Santa Barbara County chardonnay, Jim recommended the  Cambria Chardonnay Santa Maria Valley Katherine’s Vineyard 2022, with its “toasty, flinty and nervy nose before a ripe, buttery palate delivers warm richness and length.”

Jim also tried a number of syrahs from Stolpman Vineyard in the Santa Ynez Valley, with a stellar example being the evolved Stolpman Syrah Ballard Canyon The Great Places August James Stolpman 2022, which “embraces a drastic contrast between turned-earth aromas and gamey beef crudo flavors on the one hand and an elegant, smooth and sleek texture on the other.”

In Napa, cabernet sauvignons were out in full force, topped by the stunning Arrow & Branch Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard 2022, the elegant Spottswoode Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley St. Helena Estate 2022 and Cliff Lede’s Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Stags Leap District Poetry 2022.

And in the cool-climate Anderson Valley, Jim found a surplus of good and well-balanced wines, primarily the Burgundian varieties of pinot noir and chardonnay but with a sprinkling of Alsace-style, floral whites and plenty of sparkling wines.

The perfumed and precise Kosta Browne Pinot Noir Anderson Valley Cerise Vineyard 2021 is not your  father’s Kosta Browne, the darling of the first decade of the 2000s with its inky dark color and 16 percent alcohol, but a great wine from a great vineyard that showcases the winery's current approach to leaner, fresher wines, Jim said. And Domaine Anderson’s dazzling white Domaine Anderson Chardonnay Anderson Valley Dach Vineyard 2021 doubles down on a crunchy, acid-driven, mouth-watering style with minimal oakiness and multiple layers of flavor.

Many producers based outside Anderson Valley also source grapes here, like Sonoma pinot noir legend Williams Selyem, whose beautifully concentrated and graceful Williams Selyem Pinot Noir Anderson Valley Ferrington Vineyard 2022 comes from a rather large property in the slightly warmer, inland town of Boonville.

Meanwhile, Stuart met up in London with winemaker Kelby Russell of the Apollo’s Praise winery in the Finger Lakes region of New York to taste the latest creations of Russell and his wife, Julia Hoyle, and found true innovation in their  Apollo’s Praise Riesling Seneca Lake Lahoma Vineyards The Knoll 2023, which Stuart said “marries the power of the legendary Clos Ste. Hune dry riesling from Alsace with great flinty minerality, and is incredibly precise.”

Another standout wine he tasted was the Apollo’s Praise Chardonnay Seneca Lake Lahoma Vineyards 2023, which was made entirely by Hoyle, who is also the winemaker for the Hosmer Winery on Cayuga Lake. “It’s one of the first handful of wines to realize the Finger Lakes’ chardonnay potential, with haunting vanilla and smokey oak woven into the creamy richness,” Stuart said.

INSPIRED AUSTRALIAN CHARDS

Associate Editor Ryan Montgomery was in Australia for most of November, checking out the chardonnays and cabernet sauvignons from the remote Margaret River region, the chill wines of Tasmania as well as the latest offerings from the Adelaide Hills and Barossa Valley.

Vanya Cullen showcases how Margaret River can be farmed both biodynamically and dry-grown with her Cullen Chardonnay Margaret River Kevin John Fruit Day Legacy Series 2021, which is a deeply fruit-driven wine with complex aromas of preserved lemon, lanolin, beeswax, ocean spray and gunsmoke.

Leeuwin Estate, meanwhile, has embarked on a more refined yet powerful style of chardonnay in Margaret River, Ryan said, highlighted by their Leeuwin Estate Chardonnay Margaret River Art Series 2021, which "boasts all the hallmarks of one of the finest New World chardonnays."

For an exceptional cabernet sauvignon, Vasse Felix, the founding winery of Margaret River, honors the legacy of the man who first planted their vineyards, Dr. Tom Cullity, with the Vasse Felix Cabernet Sauvignon Malbec Margaret River Tom Cullity 2020. This wine features a beautifully complex and aromatic nose and a seamless, long finish, and it stands as one of Australia’s finest Bordeaux-inspired wines.

Ryan tasted offerings from Tasmania’s 2021, 2022 and 2023 vintages, which were all influenced to varying degrees by La Niña weather pattern, with one producer in the Coal River Valley, Pooley Wines, taking full advantage of the cooler conditions. Their meticulous vineyard management and minimal intervention in the winery produced wines that reflect the purity and character of Tasmania, like the Pooley Riesling Tasmania Margaret Pooley Tribute 2022, which features bold and striking aromas of flint, lemon peel, gunsmoke and crushed river stones.

Another Coal River Valley winery, Tolpuddle, brings a level of finesse and meticulous care to its pinot noirs and chardonnays, which is most evident in their Tolpuddle Chardonnay Tasmania 2023, which showcases refined and polished aromas of flint, stone fruits, lemon curd, and beeswax.

Meanwhile, Stefano Lubiana Wines, established in 1990 by fifth-generation winemaker Stefano Lubiana and his wife, Monique, is one of Tasmania’s pioneering family-owned wineries. Located in the Derwent Valley, just outside Hobart, the vineyard was founded with a vision to produce premium cool-climate wines while committing itself to biodynamic practices, achieving full certification in 2013. This dedication comes through clearly in the Stefano Lubiana Pinot Noir Tasmania La Roccia 2022, which offers pure and lifted aromas of dark cherry, forest floor, and wild raspberries, complemented by tightly wound acidity and finely integrated tannins, culminating in a nearly perfect Australian pinot noir with an Old World charm.

Other top-scoring wines came from the Adelaide Hills, including the Shaw + Smith Chardonnay Adelaide Hills M3 2023, which is wonderfully constructed, showing polish with precise acidity and generous mouthfeel, and the Barossa Valley, which gave us such wines as the intriguingly perfumed and complex Sami-Odi Shiraz Barossa Valley Hoffmann Dallwitz 2023 intensively layered Chris Ringland Shiraz Barossa Valley Dry Grown Barossa Ranges 2015.

And one of the top wines Ryan liked from the Yarra Valley was the Bordeaux-inspired Yarra Yering Cabernet Sauvignon Yarra Valley Carrodus 2022, which is made from old-vine plantings and has classical cabernet sauvignon aromas of blackcurrants, tobacco leaves, cedar, and graphite.

PIEVE'S DEBUT AND A NEW SUPER TUSCAN

In Italy, Senior Editor Aldo Fiordelli attended a special tasting of the new wines bearing the "Pieve" classification, and found the fresh and deep Boscarelli Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Costa Grande 2021 to be “austere but not without elegance,” while he said the Le Bertille Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Pieve San Biagio 2021 “is poised to represent a true gem of Vino Nobile di Montepulciano because of its layered red fruit notes, minerality and finely tuned tannins.

Aldo also tasted a new Super Tuscan called Mytho, a pure sangiovese made using a unique process akin to a “pinching,” or a cut that isn’t quite a cut before harvest. This technique slows the sap flow in the vine, delaying ripening without concentrating the grapes or creating the effects of appassimento. The result: “creamy tannins and pristine fruit integrity,” according to Aldo.

In Montalcino, the 2020 Brunellos are starting to hit the market, and at Il Marroneto, Iacopo Mori’s fresh and mineral Madonna delle Grazie 2020 is showing “a certain austerity both on the nose and palate, hinting at the great depth and complexity, while at the nearby Salicutti winery, its perfumed Piaggione offering comes with aromas of violets, black cherries and a touch of leather, plus a restrained yet intoxicating balsamic core.

We also tasted a few amazing bottles from France during the month. Stuart described the Famille Hugel Riesling Alsace Schoelhammer Vendange Tardive 2015 as “like descending into an expansive landscape of yellow fruit, dried herbs and spices,” while the Domaine Valentin Zusslin Riesling Alsace Grand Cru Pfingtsberg 2019, he said, “is a giant of minerality that’s just beginning to awaken.”

And Stuart said that anyone who thinks that Alsace pinot noir is a pale-colored and light-bodied red wine should try the Domaine Valentin Zusslin Pinot Noir Alsace Bollenberg Luft 2019, which he found “ extremely powerful and concentrated, with rooty, wet-earth and forest-berry complexity.

A couple other French pinots to savor are the “hauntingly beautiful’ Muré Pinot Noir Alsace Vorbourg Clos Saint Landelin 2022 and the Mélanie Pfister Pinot Noir Alsace Rahn 2022 , which has “a sensational balance of superfine tannins, great concentration and an extraordinary freshness.

And the 2022 releases from Domaine Prieure Roch impressed Associate Editor Claire Nesbitt, who tasted them in Hong Kong. Clare particularly liked the Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Suchots 2022, which she said “has zesty, elegant and perfumed aromas of orange peel, tea leaves and wild berries, matched by a wonderfully cool, fresh and fine-grained palate.”

INTO THE SPANISH MOUNTAINS

In Spain, Senior Editor Jacobo García Andrade tasted  the offerings of Telmo Rodriguez’s Molino Real Mountain Wines project, whose mosctatel-based sweet wines are crafted in the mountainous and remote region of Axarquia.

The Compañia de Vinos Telmo Rodriguez Malaga Molino Real 2020 is sweet yet tender, featuring an enveloping satiny texture that remains well-defined and delineated, while the elusive Compañia de Vinos Telmo Rodriguez Malaga Old Mountain 2012, of which only a single barrel is produced each year, is much more intriguing aromatically, showcasing subtle oxidation aromas alongside honey and the wild floral character of moscatel.

Jacobo also ventured about 600 kilometers to the north of Malaga to visit Domaine Dexaïe, where he found the austere Domaine Dexaïe Cebreros Rex La Camilleja 2021 showing “a strict and sculptural profile that promises to age gracefully over time, while the 2022 verion is more accessible and seductive, displaying floral notes and a more open character.

Meanwhile, Senior Editor Zekun Shuai tapped into the ethereal Palacios Remondo Rioja Quiñón de Valmira 2022 in our Hong Kong office, finding  serious complexity, expressiveness and great drinkability all in one sterling and “effortless” garnacha-based red, while he found the Sei Solo Ribera del Duero 2021 to be “classy and refined” with a striking, high-pitched balance, showcasing the power of old-vine tempranillo from the limestone-rich soils of Ribera del Duero.

Zekun also rated some powerful chardonnays from Yunnan’s high-altitude vineyards in the Xiao Ling Chardonnay Shangri-La 霄岭霞多丽 2022 and the captivating Mu Xin Chardonnay Shangri-La木杺霞多丽干白 2022, which he said “both belong in the first echelon of Chinese whites,” with the latter “showing a Burgundian flair with a heightened feel thanks to its greater intensity, higher acidity and slightly higher alcohol.”

– Vince Morkri, Managing Editor

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