Chablis Wine Not is a restaurant, bar à vin, bistro and meeting point for Chablis winemakers. It is also a wine lover's dream, with numerous off-piste vinous gems awaiting discovery.

Chablis found itself directly in the firing line during the inclement 2024 season, but a significant shortfall in quantity does not mean the wines lack potential. Meanwhile, the 2023s are even more promising than they were 12 months ago. Within the scope of all things Burgundy, much of Chablis offers good value. You just need to know where to look.

Constantly evolving while always staying true to its Rhône roots, Tablas Creek’s Esprit de Tablas remains one of the most ageworthy, dynamic red blends in the United States, Since 2000, the Esprit de Tablas (formerly Esprit de Beaucastel) has aimed to mirror Château de Beaucastel’s Châteauneuf-du-Pape through a Paso Robles lens, honoring the pioneering partnership between the Hass and Perrin families.

The 1997 Riesling Abtsberg Auslese Nr. 57 is the real deal. So pure and harmonious, this Riesling seems to shimmer through to the crystalline finish.

From humble beginnings in the early 1990s, Ted and Heidi Lemon quietly built one of the most impressive wineries in the United States. Along the way they influenced countless younger winemakers and spearheaded the development of what are now vibrant winegrowing communities in the West Sonoma Coast and Anderson Valley. This report combines tasting notes and impressions from two recent tastings of mostly older vintages, wines that capture all the beauty and pedigree of some of the best sites in both appellations.

Connoisseurs may look down their noses at Blue Nun, myself included, yet it played a crucial role in democratising wine. An homage to the extraordinary late Peter Sichel, this is the story of a unique 62-year-old bottle of Blue Nun and how the brand is intertwined with culture. It might not entice you to drink Blue Nun, but you will be entertained…

Time marches to its own beat at Castell’in Villa, where proprietor Princess Coralia Pignatelli della Leonessa releases her wines only when she thinks they are ready. These current library releases are fabulous choices for readers who want to taste wines with some age from this reference-point property.

Plates is one of my finest meals in recent months. Beyond satiating the senses, it made me reflect on food. Some of the dishes are indelibly printed on my memory. I find myself reliving them, mouthful by mouthful. And you know what? Plates is vegan.

After an extraordinary vintage in 2021, producers in Chianti Classico faced two much more stressful growing seasons in 2022 and 2023. Those who were able to cope with those challenges turned out beautiful wines, but there is no getting past the simple fact that quality is inconsistent across the board. Even so, there is plenty to explore in this year’s new releases, ranging from wines from estates that handled the whims of Mother Nature to newer small projects and those that have made important strides in improving quality.

Fortified wine has long been a passion of mine. This short article rounds up recent releases from Quinta do Noval, Symington and Taylor Fladgate Port Houses, as well as recent Madeira bottlings from Blandy’s.

Stick me on a desert island with a choice of one Rhône wine, and I would choose Cornas. I love this appellation, especially when a mature bottle crops up.

Nestled into a narrow, 18-mile stretch to the south of Monterey Bay, the Santa Lucia Highlands is one of the most consistent and consistently under-the-radar winegrowing regions in the United States. A long, even-tempered growing season in 2023 blessed winemakers with the opportunity to ascend to astonishing heights. And ascend they did.

Sicily continues to impress with a surge of dynamic new projects and the emergence of spectacular, previously unexplored terroirs across the island’s mountainous interior, all while offering wines of unbeatable value.

1952 was a significant vintage: it marked the return of the Romanée-Conti cuvée after the monopole’s ungrafted vines were pulled out following the 1945 harvest. It was a complete privilege to drink this extraordinarily rare piece of history.

It’s hard to get to the top, but it’s even harder to stay there. Sixteen years after it opened in 2009, Marea remains one of New York City’s most vital food and wine destinations. Judging by packed rooms on several recent visits, that’s a view shared by many. Food, wine and service are as exceptional as they have ever been, something that was evident on the three recent dinners that inform this article.

Paso Robles is carving out its place as a premier wine region, proving its adaptability in the face of recent vintages. While the 2022 growing season presented unique challenges that are reflected in the wines, the exceptionally promising 2023s highlight Paso’s flexibility and diversity.

The wines of the Duero region—a diverse area shaped by a harsh climate—have earned a reputation as some of Spain’s finest. Journeying through the 600-plus wines reviewed in this report, I tour the region and share my interpretation of Ribera del Duero, the beating heart of Castilla y León.

A recent bottle of the 2000 Cornas was a pertinent reminder of how Noël Verset’s wines can bring such joy.

Chile is renowned for its Cabernet Sauvignon from Maipo, but many other grapes and terroirs broaden the country’s stylistic range. Among them, the southern region of Maule presents a unique mosaic of vineyards. In this report, I review nearly 700 wines from across the country with a focus on Maule, highlighting new discoveries and revisiting key trends.

This was an invaluable overview of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti’s Richebourg—an opportunity to really examine a single cuvée, to observe how it interacts with the heterogeneity of growing seasons that leads to differing results in the bottle. It was also a timely reminder that despite this domaine’s lofty reputation, no bottle is beyond criticism.

My annual "Century of..." article revisits vintages on their decennial anniversaries. This year, we dive into Fives.

The 1990 Hennebelle is a pertinent reminder of the glories of Bordeaux, how a modest quarter-century-old Haut-Médoc could deliver such pleasure.

Located just a few blocks from Capitol Hill, L’Ardente offers unpretentious, straight-down-the-line Italian fare that has earned a reputation for quality. The atmosphere is lively and the sommelier team is impressive.

Frost, hail, heat and high water—nature threw everything at winegrowers in Lower Austria in 2024. A warm March led to some of the earliest budbursts ever, making vines vulnerable to late spring frosts in April. Heat and drought posed a challenge in summer, while torrential rains in mid-September caused widespread flooding. Some estates had dramatically lower yields, some were lucky to escape relatively unscathed, but all were worried about what the rain would do to their fruit. Quality is thus more mixed in 2024, yet there are highlights and coups de coeur nonetheless.

Australian Chardonnay is now well and truly in the premier league. The best wines show genuine sophistication thanks to intuitive, thoughtful winemaking and the investment in locating and developing optimal sites. This is not confined to a single place—each region, from Tasmania and Adelaide Hills to Margaret River and Victoria’s cool-climate pockets, brings its own take on the modern style, driven by clones, climate and terroir. The only question now is how high Australian Chardonnay will go and whether it will claim its place as a genuine international leader.