2023: A Wild Rollercoaster Ride

BY ANTONIO GALLONI | DECEMBER 20, 2023

Two thousand twenty-three has been a wild rollercoaster ride. The year started with our colleague Josh Raynolds battling a serious illness. Each week we hoped for a bit of positive news, even the slightest improvement, but that was not to be. Josh passed away on March 24. It was by far the hardest thing I have had to deal with in our ten years of history. More than the intense travel, the thousands of wines I taste each year and the relentless pressure of deadlines, the finality of death is so profoundly sad. One of my favorite memories of Josh was watching him and David Schildknecht converse over dinner in the early days of Vinous. I was blown away by Josh’s deep knowledge of almost every subject and struck by his immense joie de vivre. That’s exactly how I will remember him. We renamed our Young Wine Writers Fellowship in Josh’s honor as a way to honor his legacy.

Josh Raynolds: 1962-2023.

For the first two weeks or so, the messages we received regarding Josh’s passing were condolences. But soon after, the reality set in that readers wanted to know when we planned to publish the next articles for Josh’s regions. It was a stark reminder that the world waits for no one. Eric, Joaquín and Nicolas Greinacher, the newest member of our team, stepped in admirably under difficult conditions and picked up Josh’s regions. In 2023, we also meaningfully expanded coverage in many regions. Anne has brought renewed vitality to Germany and Alsace. Eric has increased our coverage in many regions, while Joaquín, Rebecca and Angus have brought even deeper regional focus in their areas of specialization. Neal continues to be the most prolific critic and writer I have ever met. I don’t know how he does it all. In May, we celebrated our tenth anniversary, and although we were all so busy, I don’t think anyone stopped much to notice.

While 2023 started off in the worst of ways, we will finish the year on a much more positive note, with our strongest team ever and a number of projects in the works. I would like to thank you, our readers, for giving us the opportunity to do what we love most: bringing you in-depth coverage of the world’s most exciting regions, estates, winemakers and wines. Now, onto the fun stuff.

Helen Keplinger (right) with Grace Family Vineyards proprietor Kate Green.

Winemaker of the Year – Helen Keplinger, Napa Valley, California

It’s been quite the ascent for Helen Keplinger over the last decade or so. Keplinger was exposed to wine as a child and later pursued an Enology degree at UC Davis. That was followed by stints working alongside some of California's most highly esteemed winemakers and jobs in Australia and then Spain. I met her about a dozen years ago, give or take, and have followed her wines since then.

The early days weren’t always so easy. Keplinger’s short tenure at Bryant coincided with the challenging 2011 vintage and a difficult time for Don Bryant personally. The Rhône-inspired wines she makes under the Keplinger label that she owns with her husband, D.J. Warner, were often quite good, but they were also variable at times. Over the last few years, though, everything seems to have really clicked, and the wines have rocketed into the stratosphere. 

Today, Keplinger continues to make her own wines and also consults for a small roster of clients. The wines have been superb for a few years now, but I was especially struck by what I tasted this year across all the various projects. The wines were so breathtaking I tasted them again in my office a few weeks later just to be sure. As often happens with great wines when they are taken out of physical context, a more clinical setting actually allows them to shine even more brightly. My initial impressions were confirmed, and then some. Her 2021s are quite simply sensational across the board.

“Il Professore” Rino Fontana, the world's leading authority on the great, traditionally-made wines of Piedmont.