Sonoma’s Shining Chards, a Super Tuscan Summer and Germany’s Riesling Riches

Our July tastings extended from the rolling hills of Sonoma County in California to the lush riverine valley of the Rheingau in Germany to the cloyingly picturesque region of Chianti Classico in Italy, and they all had one thing in common: they delivered a handful of perfect-scoring wines and some eminently fresh and drinkable offerings that are part and parcel of the diverse range that the JamesSuckling.com tasting team covers on a weekly basis.

Look no further for evidence than a couple of supremely modern chardonnays from Kistler Vineyards in Sonoma. Kistler’s style has evolved slowly and subtly over the four decades since Executive Editor Jim Gordon (and James Suckling) began tasting their wines. Their 2023 chardonnays display how well-tuned into contemporary tastes they are, with the Kistler Chardonnay Russian River Valley Laguna Ridge Vineyard 2023 particularly racy, vivid and linear, driving fast from the first whiff of flint and crisp fruit to the lingering finish.

Equally impressive is the Kistler Chardonnay Russian River Valley Cuvée Cathleen 2023, which is a bit more powerful, exuding aromas of toast, grilled pears and brown butter that lead to incredibly concentrated, deep and delicious fruit flavors surrounded by vivid citrus acidity.

Kistler had plenty of other of its 2023 chardonnays at the top of our ratings in July, including the rich and powerful Kistler Chardonnay Sonoma County Sonoma Valley Durell Vineyard 2023 and the pure and ripe Kistler Chardonnay Sonoma County Sonoma Mountain McCrea Vineyard 2023.

Jim also tasted the third 100-pointer of the month from Sonoma, the Paul Hobbs Pinot Noir Russian River Valley Katherine Lindsay Estate Cuvée Agustina 2023, which he said is “wonderfully floral, deep and layered; a complex, singular wine that beautifully pairs richness and freshness.” And there were plenty of other high-scoring Sonoma pinots that we tasted in July from Kistler, DuMol, Morlet Family and Merry Edwards, to name a few standouts.

In New York, Senior Editor Stuart Pigott visited a string of leading producers in the Finger Lakes region, or FLX as it is now commonly known, to get a first impression of the 2024 vintage, which in the words of Julia Hoyle, the winemaker at Hosmer on Cayuga Lake, was “a hands-down amazing” year. Her dry Hosmer Riesling Cayuga Lake Limited Release 2024 is concentrated, juicy and joyfully vibrant, and is a great starting point for 2024’s bounty, but it’s the astonishing wines of the second vintage from the Apollo’s Praise winery that takes 2024 over the top.

At the pinnacle of their dry wines stands the Apollo’s Praise Riesling Seneca Lake Lahoma Vineyard The Knoll 2024, which has “mind-blowing concentration and mineral energy,” according to Stuart, while their entry-level Apollo’s Praise Riesling Seneca Lake Lahoma Vineyard 2024 “is a stunner with all the charm and depth of this great vintage.”

2024 is also a vintage in which a number of FLX winemakers have made the leap to world-class quality from the merely excellent. This was most true at Hillick & Hobbs (Yes, another Paul Hobbs venture), whose main bottling, the Hillick & Hobbs Riesling Seneca Lake Estate Vineyard Dry 2024, has a wealth of stone fruit plus notes of cassis, sea salt and tarragon on the seamless and silky medium-bodied palate.

Their two single-parcel plot bottlings are also terrific – the super-mineral and very graceful Hillick & Hobbs Riesling Seneca Lake Estate Vineyard Lower Terrace Dry 2024 and the more compact and cooler Hillick & Hobbs Riesling Seneca Lake Estate Vineyard North Ravine Dry 2024, both of which “crank up the elegance and excitement to a breathtaking level,” according to Stuart.

Another great New York riesling came out of Weis Vineyards, where the Weis Vineyards Riesling Finger Lakes Noble Select 2024 marries densely-packed dried papaya and mango flavors to great brilliance on the very concentrated palate.

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Putting the Ama into Italy

From Italy, the Castello di Ama, Bibi Graetz and Petrolo wineries were the source of a handful of our 98- and 99-point bottles in July, with James and Marie experiencing firsthand the superb quality of Ama’s single-vineyard Chianti Classicos from the hot and dry 2022 vintage during their visit there with co-owner Marco Pallanti. The standout for James was the structured yet plush Gran Selezione Vigneto Bellavista 2022, while just behind it was the Castello di Ama Chianti Classico Gran Selezione San Lorenzo 2022, which showcases intense minerality and vibrancy (and is entirely affordable at $60 a bottle).

Bibi Graetz’s flagship Testamatta 2023, meanwhile, stood out for its linear precision, polished tannins and subtle complexity, while one of his single-varietal wines from the Podere dell’Olmo estate, the crunch and vivid Bibi Graetz Cabernet Franc Toscana Balocchi di Colore No. 7 Podere dell'Olmo 2022, was our top-scoring cabernet franc for the month.

And Senior Editor Aldo Fiordelli encountered a remarkable Tuscan trebbiolo during his July tastings in the Petrolo Trebbiano Bòggina B 2023, which he said is “vibrant and mineral, full of grapefruit and buttery notes … that enhance the linear character of the grape rather than being overwhelmed by its delicacy.”

One other Tuscan wine worthy of mention that we tasted in July was the Montevertine winery flagship bottling of Le Pergole Torte 2022, while in Valpolicella, Dal Forno’s Valpolicella Superiore Monte Lodoletta 2019 was a standout with its depth, structure and richness. Zenato’s Zenato Amarone della Valpolicella Archivio Storico 2013 also impressed with its depth and evolution, and their dense and spicy Zenato Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Sergio Zenato Riserva 2019 is “a wine poised for both immediate appeal and long-term intrigue,” according to Aldo.

Germany's Riesling Riches

Germany gave us its usual panoply of extraordinary dry rieslings in July, starting with a “perfect expression” of the variety in the Robert Weil Riesling Rheingau Monte Vacano Trocken 2023, which Stuart said, “hits you in one great wave, a cornucopia of wet-stone, salty and herbal flavors cascading over you.” This was our fourth 100-point wine from the month, but the goodness that we found in Rheingau rieslings didn’t end there.

Because of late release dates for some wines, a number of Rheingau wineries shone with top bottlings from earlier vintages, notably the legendary Schloss Johannisberg. There, Stuart found the breathtaking Schloss Johannisberg Riesling Rheingau Silberlack GG 2023, to be “a great masterpiece of flint and mirabelle plum with enormous power and precision.”

From Germany’s sterling 2024 vintage, meanwhile, the dangerously refreshing August Kesseler Riesling Rheingau Lorchhausen Seligmacher Kabinett Gold Cap 2024 “welcomes you to the special heaven reserved for passion fruit, mangosteen and white tropical flower,” while the Georg Breuer winery in Rudesheim scored big with their Georg Breuer Riesling Rheingau Berg Schlossberg 2024 and gigantically mineral Georg Breuer Riesling Rheingau Berg Rottland 2024.

Robert Weil's dry single-vineyard rieslings from the 2024 vintage are also an impressive group, according to Stuart, but in the range of very limited-production dessert wines he found a singular shining star: the Robert Weil Riesling Rheingau Kiedrich Turmberg Auslese 2024, which is “packed with white and yellow peach aromas, and also has extraordinary elegance and finesse.”

The Power of Penfolds

Perennial Australian powerhouse Penfolds has just introduced its latest releases, which Associate Editor Ryan Montgomery tasted with Penfolds winemaker Peter Gago in Napa, California, with their Australian classic, the Penfolds Shiraz South Australia Bin 95 Grange 2021, delivering once again, showing a full body with a seamless texture and tannins that melt into a powerful, silky mouthfeel.

Sitting just below the Grange, in Ryan’s view, is the Penfolds Cabernet Sauvignon South Australia Bin 707 2023, which impresses with its brightness and purity, partly due to the cooler 2023 vintage conditions, and the Penfolds Cabernet Shiraz Bin 389 2023 has the same focus and elegance, with the 2023 release – the 60th consecutive vintage of this wine – expressing a silky, savory, black-fruited finish with plenty of polish.

Gago also continues to fine-tune his chardonnays, as he showed in the mineral-driven and flirtatious Penfolds Chardonnay Adelaide Hills Reserve Bin A 2024 and textured and powerful Penfolds Chardonnay Australia Yattarna 2023.

Another excellent 2023 Australian chard came from Giaconda. Their Giaconda Chardonnay Beechworth Estate Vineyard 2023 comes from a dry-grown site that is managed with a low-intervention philosophy, emphasizing soil health and natural balance. The wine is a gem, reflecting its site with purity, offering power, minerality and texture that are nearly perfectly balanced. Giaconda is also pushing boundaries with other varieties, including their release of the Giaconda Nebbiolo Beechworth 2022, which is a small-production wine from the same estate vineyard, planted at elevation with traditional clonal material.

Ribera del Duero Balance

Standout tannic red wines from the semi-arid Ribera del Duero region in Castilla y Leon highlighted our Spanish tastings in July, with producers showcasing wines that emphasize polish and precision. A prime example of balance and finesse could be seen in the Dominio de Calogía Ribera del Duero S Cuvée 2021 – an opulent yet fresh and finely structured wine that draws fruit from 70-year-old vines – while the small-batch Yotuel Finca San Miguel 2018, from Bodegas y Viñedos Gallego Zapatero, is a more full-bodied wine that shows muscular depth and layered complexity, with firm tannins and a vertical structure that suggests significant aging potential.

And a wine that is more approachable in its youth is the Magna Vides Ribera del Duero Bancales del Sardal Magna Vides 2023, which is made from centenary vines near La Aguilera in Burgos. It features bright red fruit, floral and mineral citrus notes, and a juicy, textured palate.

Finally, from Uruguay and the wine region of Garzon came the Familia Deicas Albarińo Maldonado Cru d’Exception 2023. Despite its exceptional acidity, this wine's palate is balanced by generous fruit and a creamy, harmonious texture derived from oak aging. And right behind it, the meticulously-cared-for Familia Deicas Uruguay Barrel Select Lote No. 114 2019 is one of Uruguay’s iconic blends – a Bordeaux-style wine, aged underground at the estate and composed of about half tannat, with the balance mostly cabernet sauvignon and smaller proportions of merlot, petit verdot, cabernet franc and marselan.

– Vince Morkri, Editor-in-Chief

The list of wines below is comprised of bottles tasted and rated by the JamesSuckling.com tasting team. They include many latest releases not yet available on the market, but which will be available soon. 

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