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EXPLORE THE ESSENCE OF FRANCE! Join us at the Great Wines World New York 2025, where 63 esteemed French wineries will showcase their distinctive selections. Experience the elegance and diversity of French winemaking from regions like Burgundy, Champagne, Bordeaux, Provence, Languedoc-Roussillon, Rhone Valley, and Alsace. Discover 12 champagne houses with vintage champagnes as old as 2008, 35 Bordeaux châteaux featuring the excellent 2022 vintage and fantastic quality 2020s, and 5 Burgundy domaines, each with its own unique story and tradition. Whether you're a wine lover, curious enthusiast, or trade member, this is an unmissable opportunity to taste and connect. Plus, explore an impressive array of wines from around the world. Secure your tickets today! https://lnkd.in/gCpmbi-X #jamessuckling #greatwinesworldnewyork2025 #manhattan #nycevents #gwwusa2025

MEET 111 ITALIAN WINERIES! Get ready to explore the rich heritage of Italian winemaking at the Great Wines World New York 2025, taking place on June 11 & 12 at The Glasshouse. With 111 renowned Italian wineries showcasing their finest, this is your chance to experience the true essence of Italy—all under one roof. Each winery has a unique story and tradition. Whether you're a wine lover, curious enthusiast, or trade member, this is an unmissable chance to taste and connect. Don't stop at Italy—discover wines from around the world, each offering something unique. Secure your tickets now for an unforgettable journey through global wine regions: https://lnkd.in/gCpmbi-X #jamessuckling #greatwinesworldnewyork2025 #manhattan #nycevents #gwwusa2025

"Vine to Wine" is a new column at JamesSuckling.com focused on winemaking and viticulture around the world. This week's column is by Adam Lee, a veteran California winemaker and pinot noir specialist who runs the Clarice Wine Company. He takes a look at how producers in the West Coast of the U.S. are increasingly embracing a “back to the future” approach in reviving heritage clones when planting vineyards. Read more in our new column here: https://lnkd.in/gAR-SGss

The 2022 vintage is what’s currently on offer for cabernet sauvignon and other Bordeaux varieties grown in Napa Valley, and our tastings over the past week continue to prove that most winemakers did yeoman’s work in crafting very good to excellent wines despite the blistering heat dome in early September of that year. Read about this and more in our latest Weekly Tasting Report: https://lnkd.in/g7jtaRtC

Last night, James Suckling and Estate Manager Lorenzo Pasquini of Chateau d'Yquem hosted a special dinner at James Suckling Wine Central celebrating the iconic Sauternes, known for their numerous 100-point ratings. Guests enjoyed a vertical tasting of legendary vintages straight from the chateau’s cellar, featuring the two latest releases (the 100-point 2021 and 2022) alongside the legendary 100-point 2001 vintage plus one of the greatest wines ever produced at Yquem: 1945 (100 points). The evening also featured two surprise bottles of the 1967 – one generously shared by a guest and another that James had coincidentally in his cellar. A specially crafted seven-course menu by Chef Albert Leung was served to complement the wines.

Join us for the Great Wines World New York 2025! 🍷 Mark your calendars for a two-day wine tasting on June 11–12 at The Glasshouse. Explore a curated selection of highly sought-after wines poured directly by the winemakers and owners behind the labels. With 800+ wines from 380 renowned wineries across 55 regions, this event welcomes wine lovers of all levels—whether you’re a seasoned connoisseur or new to wine. Get your tickets at a special price—only available until March 30! Don’t miss out—just one week left! Get tickets here: https://lnkd.in/gCpmbi-X #JamesSuckling #JamesSucklingEvent #NewYork #GreatWinesWorld #NewYorkEvent #WineTasting #WineEvent #greatwinesworldnewyork2025 #GWWUSA2025

WEEKLY TASTING REPORT: Oregon’s ‘Miracle’ 2022, a Wild Antoine and an Amarone Balancing Act (Part V) The Ca' Rugate Amarone della Valpolicella Cima Caponiera Riserva 2018 offers a transparent, fragrant expression, with aromas of red cherries, red currants, roses, black pepper and spices. The palate is full-bodied yet crunchy and exceptionally balanced, with firm, slightly dusty tannins leading to long, refreshing acidity and a polished finish. The Bussola Amarone della Valpolicella Classico 2019 stands out for its old-school, evolved style, with a nose rich in earth, dried prunes, bay leaves and coffee grounds. Smooth and round on the palate, it features a full body, a touch of sweetness and ripe, velvety tannins, all balanced by long, refreshing acidity and a highly savory profile. Meanwhile, the Campolongo di Torbe 2016 was the standout Amarone from Masi, while Brigaldara’s Amarone della Valpolicella Riserva 2016 reaffirmed the exceptional quality of this vintage. The takeaway? While Amarone remains deeply rooted in its bold, extracted identity, the best examples manage to balance power with precision, delivering wines of remarkable depth and complexity. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/gBm77n83 #Wine #WineLovers #WineTasting #Vino

WEEKLY TASTING REPORT: Oregon’s ‘Miracle’ 2022, a Wild Antoine and an Amarone Balancing Act (Part IV) Dunie’s experimentation continues, and the Sea Horse Winery Israel White Labyrinth 2023 is his first white Chateauneuf-du-Pape-inspired wine. This cuvee of 80 percent grenache blanc and 20 percent roussanne is at once rich and tensile, with fine tannins and a compact, salty finish. The white peach, summer meadow and pepper aromas make it another wine that might be considered eccentric in the Israeli context but is actually unique in any context! Balancing Power with Precision A recent tasting by Senior Editor Aldo Fiordelli of the latest Amarone della Valpolicella vintages did not reveal the shift one might have expected – at least not from the Classico zone. This corvina-based wine, blended with native varieties such as corvinone, rondinella, molinara and oseleta, remains as concentrated, powerful, and extract-rich as ever, thanks to the traditional appassimento drying method. Over the years, Amarone has largely adhered to a dense, full-bodied, toasty profile, somewhat drifting away from the fresher, more mineral-driven character once typical of the Classico subzone – the small valleys of Marano, Fumane and Negrar – closer to Verona and Lake Garda. Eastern Valpolicella, by contrast, has long been known for its richer, toastier, and sometimes off-dry expressions, a style that has fueled its commercial success. Today, however, one might expect greater balance and a return to tradition, particularly from higher-altitude, limestone-rich vineyards in the Classico area. With increasingly warm vintages, shorter appassimento periods seem like a logical evolution. Yet, even when finesse and equilibrium are lacking, a glass of Amarone usually makes up for it in sheer exuberance, offering intense aromatics, palate-coating richness, and multifaceted complexity. The weakest examples tend to suffer from an overpowering, almost charred black pepper note – a hallmark of corvina taken to excess. But there is good news: 2018, a vintage that underperformed elsewhere, has shown remarkable results here. Among the top bottles from 2018 is the Corte Sant'Alda Amarone della Valpolicella Mithas, a super deep and complex wine with aromas of prunes, plums, and black cherries, seamlessly layered with earthy nuances, salted chocolate and a hint of fresh black pepper. It’s a full-bodied offering with velvety tannins, firm yet ripe graphite notes, crisp acidity, and is slightly lifted yet well-balanced. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/gBm77n83 #Wine #WineLovers #WineTasting #Vino

WEEKLY TASTING REPORT: Oregon’s ‘Miracle’ 2022, a Wild Antoine and an Amarone Balancing Act (Part III) Sea Horse's Wild Antoine Senior Editor Stuart Pigott met up with Ze’ev Dunie from Sea Horse Winery in Israel for a tasting of Dunie's wines at Weingut Kaufmann in Hattenheim, Germany. Both Sea Horse and Kaufmann belong to the Twin Wineries project that links German and Israeli wineries in a mutual support network. For Dunie, the connection is logical because his father grew up in Berlin. Stuart first visited Dunie in his low-tech winery in October 2014 and was struck by the way the wines from the former CNN video editor and film director were totally different in style from everything else in Israel. Back then they were always daring, sometimes also beautiful, but sometimes a bit eccentric, too. That eccentricity started with Dunie’s choice of varieties he planted in 2000 at his three-hectare estate vineyard in Bar Giyora, just southwest of Jerusalem: syrah, grenache, mourvedre, zinfandel, petite sirah and chenin blanc. This came at a time when cabernet sauvignon and merlot were the standard choices. The hilltop vineyard is organically cultivated with a unique training system. Grapes from other varieties are primarily sourced in the Galilee region to the north, though some roussanne comes from the Negev Desert to the south. From the beginning, one of Dunie’s obsessions was a wine called Antoine (named after the French writer Antoine de Saint-Exupery), inspired by the rich, spicy and structured reds of Chateauneuf-du-Pape in the southern Rhone Valley. It started life in 2003 as GSM (grenache, syrah and mourvedre) blend, but beginning with the 2013 vintage it took a big step forward when counoise and cinsault grapes were added. The Sea Horse Winery Wild Antoine 2022 takes this adventure to a new level thanks to its super-fine tannins, richness and kaleidoscopic aromatic spectrum that ranges from red cherry to candied orange peel and allspice. It is amazingly graceful at the almost endless finish. This was the first vintage Dunie wild-fermented, hence the change of name from Antoine Tête de Cuvée, which was used up until 2021. Almost as amazing and no less original is the Sea Horse Winery Lennon 2019, a cuvee of 80 percent zinfandel, 10 percent mourvedre and 10 percent petite sirah. It is very powerful and structured on the full-bodied palate and has amazing energy. Dunie’s vineyard is almost 700 meters above sea level, so typically more than 4 degrees Celsius cooler than Tel Aviv on the coast. The wine is, of course, named after the singer John Lennon. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/gBm77n83 #Wine #WineLovers #WineTasting #Vino

WEEKLY TASTING REPORT: Oregon’s ‘Miracle’ 2022, a Wild Antoine and an Amarone Balancing Act (Part II) In fact, the balance between vibrant acidity, tempting flavors and substantive textures in a wide range of wines was our most impressive takeaway. It’s nothing new, since Willamette Valley pinot noir makers in particular have prided themselves on an elegant style of wine since Jim began professionally tasting them 40 years ago. But along the way, producers like Beaux Frères, Domaine Serene Vineyards & Winery and others went for more richness, ripeness and the use of more new oak barrels in aging. Mikey Etzel, the son of Beaux Freres founding winemaker Mike Etzel, confirmed that the winery preferred small yields, peak ripeness and 100 percent new French oak barrels from Francois Freres at the beginning 30 years ago, but has significantly dialed back these measures. Etzel poured an aged wine from their cellar, the Beaux Freres Pinot Noir Ribbon Ridge Beaux Freres Vineyard 2015, showing that the more elegant approach of today dates back at least that far. It offers great complexity, focus and freshness, has aged gracefully and potentially has a long way to go. And the 2023 version of that same wine echoes the quality and elegance of the 2015. “Long term, ’22 is better in quality, and gives more acidity and less overripeness,” Beaux Freres winemaker Damien Lapuyade said when asked to compare the 2022 and 2023 vintages. The latter, he said, “is better in the short term, generous and open in expression, and will find its sweet spot in two-three years, where ’22 will take five years to hit its sweet spot.” Antica Terra owner-winemaker Maggie Harrison and assistant winemaker Mimi Adams poured their current range at a new, contemporary-style barrel cellar and hospitality center in Amity, Oregon, which retains the natural, organic vibe that seems to be central to their winemaking philosophy. In an unusual blending procedure each year, they decide which barrels of chardonnay and pinot noir belong together in their distinctive bottlings carrying Latinesque names. They say no rules apply. They don’t mind richness or complex oak character, and they start from scratch each year. The Antica Terra Chardonnay Willamette Valley Abeona 2022 is a great example, with lavish marzipan, poached pear, toasted almond and honey flavors. We also made a point of tasting with winemakers who were not well-known to us but whose wines had stood out in previous tastings, and again this year. We highly recommend relative newcomers like Hazelfern, White Walnut and Ayoub, along with stalwarts such as Ponzi, The Eyrie Vineyards, Domaine Drouhin Oregon, Cristom, Bergstrom, Evening Land and others whose wines are covered in the tasting notes in this report. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/gBm77n83 #Wine #WineLovers #WineTasting #Vino