Wine Spectator must be reviewing your videos as so many of your recommendations made this year's top-10! Congratulations!! Curious how you would compare the styles of another your recommendations Clos Apalta/Le Petit Clos and Don Melchor...
@@mickeylee2624 Thank you! Very much appreciated! Great question! There are a number of distinctions although I enjoy both. Don Melchor has more Cabernet Sauvignon (90% or more many vintages) and is more of a classic Bordeaux style. Clos Apalta has much more Carmanere in it and is a bit more new world in style. They are also from different regions with different climatic influences.
Thanks, @@AttorneySomm! In that case, while I know that comparisons aren't the best, is there a top Bordeaux Chateau you would find comparable in style to DM?
@ No Sena is from a more northern area that is much cooler and is also Cab S dominant. Montes is a better comp for Clos Apalta as it is also in Colchagua.
Have a case of the 2018 Don Melchor on order. Now I need to grab some 2021's too:) Always love your videos! Looking forward to your full list review when it drops in a few days!
Thanks very much! Don Melchor is such a fantastic producer! Glad that it is receiving some well-deserved recognition. Glad you enjoyed the video! Cheers!
Great video Mr. Jackson! I really enjoyed the more indepth review of the wines. My take away from this list is I own or have tasted all of the wines, through not the specific vintages. All are readily available and easy to obtain in my local area. Costco has the Chimney Rock for $80, the Don Melchor for $100, and the BV for $130.
My local bottle shop had many of those in stock. I just bought a case with lots of your specific recommendations. I told them about your channel, and that's how I found them.
Williams Selyem sells 95% of their production via the mailing list and most retail prices are double what they are priced on the mailing list. I bought the east side road neighbors Pinot upon release this year and I paid $72
I was shocked when my local Costco was selling Tignanello last year. I snagged one 2020 vintage for $115. I finally opened it this year in August to celebrate my WSET Level 2 Diploma, which I passed with Distinction. It was a beautiful wine. I go to my Costco once a week in hopes they will have it again.
Tignanello is one wine I never really understand the hype. Tasted 5 different vintages from old to new. It just tasted like a good $30 chianti riserva.
@@rvp976 Thanks for weighing in. I liked it a lot more when it sold for $80 a bottle. I would like to do a comparison between Tignanello, Fontodi and perhaps some top Chianti Classico like the Ama San Lorenzo and try them blind.
My local costco currently has Chateau Haut Brion and Chateau Margaux at very good prices. I've also seen Quinntessa for sale for less than retail. Pretty wild. So unpredictable.
funny, i just drank that Chimney Rock at a wine tasting last night... personally, I was shocked to hear it was ranked #5, last night - I didn't think it was differentiated at all... in fact, I have some Bordeaux that cost $30 that I like better... but I guess everybody has different tastes... the Tignenello, on the other hand, is one of my favorites, and yes, I used to buy it for $100 a bottle too! Not buying it at current prices, though
@@AttorneySomm agree - I'm not a fan of Caymus anymore. That's another one that has doubled in price over the years, and like you said, $25 Bordeaux is better!
My favourite so far this year is the Rara Avis by Raul Perez. It's made from a rare grape, Prieto Picudo, of which I never tasted before. Very interesting wine and for me one fo Raul Perez's top wines of this vintage. From this list by WS I would definately want to try this vintage of the tignanello but it's getting too expensive (even in europe).
Thank you! Raul Perez is definitely one of my favorite winemakers! I’m not familiar with that particular wine, but I will have to try it! Agree re Tignanello pricing. Solaia is even worse. A shame. .
Ok, not trying to be a downer but IMO this list by WS is very bland. Outside of the Melchor , I just don’t see anything very interesting on the list where I would need to seek it out ASAP. Kind of a weird vibe with this years list. I like Sucklings and VinePair’s a lot more
@@kid_a6859 Thanks for your input! I definitely thought James Suckling did an excellent job! I’m waiting to form any broad conclusions until I see the full list.
I do remember you featuring Drouhin Oregon Roserock and G.D. Vajra Barolo previously-remarkable, indeed, that they are on this list as well. Looks like your choices and recommendations aren’t just inspiring your subscribers but also influencing WS.😁 Would you have included those wines in your top 10 list as well? Must say that I greatly appreciate this video with your insights and opinions on the top 10 of WS. However, I don’t find their list particularly diverse or impressive. I’d rather wait for your own Top 10 Wines of 2024 video!
Thanks very much, Margaux! Great question! I'm not sure as don't really do a top wine list for current releases. Rather, I feature them periodically throughout the year and then reserve my top 25 list (two videos) for the absolute best wines I've had throughout the year, which do not generally include new releases. Appreciate your support and comments re: the list.
Always enjoy your videos & appreciate/value your opinion! I must say that this list is extremely weak…3 Napa Cabernets really??🤦🏻♂️ I do enjoy Don Melchor and think is an excellent wine surely best one of the list. No Bordeaux, Spain or Brunellos this year and you give me Faust!!😫 Very disappointing effort by WS …🤷🏻♂️
@@Wine_guy93 Thank you! We will see what’s in the rest of the top 100 on Monday. Bordeaux was down in 21 and Napa was strong so I get that part but think there are better producers than some of these. The Barolo is a strong buy though! I enjoy Don Melchor very much too. 👍🍷
@@josephweiss2271 They have a Bordeaux Blanc and an entry level red from Bordeaux in the top 100. Bordeaux was down in 2021 so I wasn’t expecting a top 20 entry from that region. Next year Bordeaux will be strong!
Besides well-deserved Don Melchor, I find the list generally disappointing. Most are good wine, but there are simply better options at even better price point. Faust, BV, seriously.
Thanks for weighing in! The Albe Barolo and the Drouhin Roserock both of which sell for $40 are very deserving of their places in my opinion. I'll review the full list next week before I opine re: omissions and mistakes.
I found the list to be very disappointing this year. Extremely boring and wtf on the amount of USA based wine. One would think they didn't consider their own selection criteria. Last year there was a lot controversy on their top pick, but that was a much better balanced list. I do keep hope for the rest of the list to be somewhat more interesting.
Thanks for sharing your input! I was surprised two Russian River wines made the cut, especially Williams Selyem which is quite pricey. Napa 21 is strong but other producers may be better. Appreciate your thoughts. I’ll be interested to see the full list. Last year they had 5-6 NZ Sauvignon Blancs.
Lol I wouldn’t be surprised if they take backdoor kickbacks to help placement. And the whole WOTY thing seems to get less popular with each passing year.
@@alberthan3759 You are certainly not the first to have that concern! WS states that advertising does not influence the selection process, but there has been some skepticism because some top-rated wines have come from producers who advertise.
@AttorneySomm Oh yeah, you're totally right about the NZ sauvignon blanc... I think I suppressed that because I tried to track them all down. I was also disappointed there 😅 While I agree on the vintage strength of Napa, there are interesting wines released to the market from all around the world. It just feels a bit one-sided.
@@Zacharaelj Agreed. Hopefully the full list will be more diverse than the top 10! And I hope they learned that NZ produces more than just Sauvignon Blanc. 🤣
I wonder if the judging is done blind? That truly is the ONLY way to be fair. At least after the initial tasting and scoring one could then place them according to their price to quality value?
Great question! On its website, WS advises that most of its tastings are done blind, but that they also do barrel tastings and what they call unofficial tastings, which can include tastings at a winery, in a restaurant, etc.
WS is placating its advertisers and over past 10 years has metamorphosed to a US dominated listing of little interest to the international market. Just look at the top 100 of 30 or 20 years ago I’ve nothing against any of the choices but perhaps given the high scoring wines in every market the stratification needs a rework Time for a reassessment of its worth as a benchmark listing Not one Bordeaux and only one French wine and two Italian in top 10
@@DavidWhite-ci2tc Thank you for weighing in. Fair points! Appreciate the comment. Bordeaux was down in 21 so didn’t expect too much at the top but hopefully at least Pichon Comtesse and a few others make the top 100. Definitely heavy on the USA in the top 10.
@@AttorneySomm FYI this is JS's distribution (Europe 66%): Italy 26 France 18 USA 15 Germany 12 Argentina 6 Chile 6 Spain 6 Australia 5 Austria 4 China 1 South Africa 1
Not interested at all in any top 10 WS wines this year. Don Melchor is a great wine and I have been buying the wine since 2003 , but it ages very slowly and begs for 10 years of cellaring.....thats my personal opinion. I find Clos Apalta a wine that I like best as I find a lot of green pepper on the Don Melchor. Not a bad wine at all, but for $180 I can have wines that I like better.
@@AttorneySomm Never had it before, but I am not a fan of Italian wines. I either buy Bordeaux or Napa. I dont like high acidity and Italy is always high in that regard.
Thanks for weighing in! It will be interesting to see if it’s just top heavy US or if that continues across the top 100. Napa was strong in 21 and Bordeaux was not, so I can see having more Napa this year than Bordeaux.
I have always found Far Niente Chardonnay to have way too much new oak. Many California producers have backed off the amount of new oak the past 4-5 years, particularly in Napa Valley.
@@jerzystruczak782 Cheers! Thanks for the suggestions. I definitely enjoy a number of those excellent wines! Need to try Canadian Chardonnay. Don't think they send any to Texas.
I would have loved to get your tasting notes and reactions to the WS top 10 list. This video merely regurgitates details of the wine and the winery but does not give any personal opinions on the wines on the list. I will give this video a pass. Also, I would recommend changing up the newscaster way of speaking, which can become droning after a while, and adopting a more personal style of speaking that is more common these days. It will be easier for listeners to relate to. Keep up the good work.
Thanks for the feedback. I did not taste the wines live, but absolutely gave my opinions of the wines and in fact two of them were recommended by me in a video the month before so I was very familiar with them. Hope you enjoy your weekend.
WS is placating its advertisers and over the past 10 years has metamorphosed to a US dominated listing of little interest to the international market. Just look at the top 100 of 30 or 20 years ago I’ve nothing against any of the choices but perhaps given the high scoring wines in every market the stratification needs a rework Time for a reassessment of its worth as a benchmark listing Not one Bordeaux and only one French wine and two Italian in top ten 😮
Lots of great observations here. WS definitely has a US-centric list most years, especially recently. I didn't expect much Bordeaux near the top since 2021 was a weaker vintage for Bordeaux. I don't think Wine Enthusiast included any in its top 100. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing the full list on Monday. In terms of scores, interestingly from my research WS often has a lower score than the other major critics for a particular wine. The BV is a good example. It had 3 98-point scores from other critics, but WS gave it a 95. But you are correct, JS alone awards several hundred 99 or 100-point scores each year and other critics do as well.
Wine Spectator must be reviewing your videos as so many of your recommendations made this year's top-10! Congratulations!!
Curious how you would compare the styles of another your recommendations Clos Apalta/Le Petit Clos and Don Melchor...
@@mickeylee2624 Thank you! Very much appreciated!
Great question! There are a number of distinctions although I enjoy both. Don Melchor has more Cabernet Sauvignon (90% or more many vintages) and is more of a classic Bordeaux style. Clos Apalta has much more Carmanere in it and is a bit more new world in style. They are also from different regions with different climatic influences.
Thanks, @@AttorneySomm!
In that case, while I know that comparisons aren't the best, is there a top Bordeaux Chateau you would find comparable in style to DM?
@ Yes! Almaviva is closer. Cab S dominant and both from Maipo.
I see, @@AttorneySomm.
Would the Clos Apalta be closer to Seña?
@ No Sena is from a more northern area that is much cooler and is also Cab S dominant.
Montes is a better comp for Clos Apalta as it is also in Colchagua.
Have a case of the 2018 Don Melchor on order. Now I need to grab some 2021's too:) Always love your videos! Looking forward to your full list review when it drops in a few days!
Thanks very much! Don Melchor is such a fantastic producer! Glad that it is receiving some well-deserved recognition. Glad you enjoyed the video! Cheers!
Great video Mr. Jackson! I really enjoyed the more indepth review of the wines. My take away from this list is I own or have tasted all of the wines, through not the specific vintages. All are readily available and easy to obtain in my local area. Costco has the Chimney Rock for $80, the Don Melchor for $100, and the BV for $130.
Thank you! Very much appreciated! Those are excellent prices. Costco certainly has attractive pricing. Cheers!
I'll retain Vajra and Drouhin Roserock. Great values! For 150 $, a wine does have to be really special! Cheers!🍷
Thanks very much! Can’t go wrong with those selections! Cheers!
My local bottle shop had many of those in stock. I just bought a case with lots of your specific recommendations. I told them about your channel, and that's how I found them.
@@dougronald561 Thanks very much! Hope you enjoy the wines!
Williams Selyem sells 95% of their production via the mailing list and most retail prices are double what they are priced on the mailing list. I bought the east side road neighbors Pinot upon release this year and I paid $72
@@riverrussell6825 Got it! Thank you for that information. Much appreciated. 👍🍷
I was shocked when my local Costco was selling Tignanello last year. I snagged one 2020 vintage for $115. I finally opened it this year in August to celebrate my WSET Level 2 Diploma, which I passed with Distinction. It was a beautiful wine. I go to my Costco once a week in hopes they will have it again.
Tignanello is one wine I never really understand the hype. Tasted 5 different vintages from old to new. It just tasted like a good $30 chianti riserva.
@@rvp976 it's better with age... I have a few bottles from 2008 and 2010 that I've started opening, and they are excellent.
Congratulations on Level 2! Very well done!
That is a tremendous buy! Costco can definitely have some attractive pricing!
@@rvp976 Thanks for weighing in. I liked it a lot more when it sold for $80 a bottle. I would like to do a comparison between Tignanello, Fontodi and perhaps some top Chianti Classico like the Ama San Lorenzo and try them blind.
My local costco currently has Chateau Haut Brion and Chateau Margaux at very good prices. I've also seen Quinntessa for sale for less than retail. Pretty wild. So unpredictable.
As usual perfect analyses, anxiously waiting four your book😂
Thanks very much! Just need to figure out how to clone myself! 🤣
@AttorneySomm You know, I'm a Urologist and I'm currently working with genetics, I gess I can help you 😜🤣🤣🤣
@ Excellent! 😂😂😂 I think so!
funny, i just drank that Chimney Rock at a wine tasting last night... personally, I was shocked to hear it was ranked #5, last night - I didn't think it was differentiated at all... in fact, I have some Bordeaux that cost $30 that I like better... but I guess everybody has different tastes... the Tignenello, on the other hand, is one of my favorites, and yes, I used to buy it for $100 a bottle too! Not buying it at current prices, though
@@frankb7449 Thanks for weighing in! I did a blind taste test in the summer with Caymus vs a $25 Bordeaux and the Bordeaux was the winner.
@@AttorneySomm agree - I'm not a fan of Caymus anymore. That's another one that has doubled in price over the years, and like you said, $25 Bordeaux is better!
Your overlap of this list is mighty impressive sir!
@@Yeoldelole Thank you! Appreciate the kind feedback! Cheers!
My favourite so far this year is the Rara Avis by Raul Perez. It's made from a rare grape, Prieto Picudo, of which I never tasted before. Very interesting wine and for me one fo Raul Perez's top wines of this vintage. From this list by WS I would definately want to try this vintage of the tignanello but it's getting too expensive (even in europe).
Thank you! Raul Perez is definitely one of my favorite winemakers! I’m not familiar with that particular wine, but I will have to try it!
Agree re Tignanello pricing. Solaia is even worse. A shame. .
Ok, not trying to be a downer but IMO this list by WS is very bland. Outside of the Melchor , I just don’t see anything very interesting on the list where I would need to seek it out ASAP. Kind of a weird vibe with this years list. I like Sucklings and VinePair’s a lot more
@@kid_a6859 Thanks for your input! I definitely thought James Suckling did an excellent job! I’m waiting to form any broad conclusions until I see the full list.
I do remember you featuring Drouhin Oregon Roserock and G.D. Vajra Barolo previously-remarkable, indeed, that they are on this list as well. Looks like your choices and recommendations aren’t just inspiring your subscribers but also influencing WS.😁 Would you have included those wines in your top 10 list as well? Must say that I greatly appreciate this video with your insights and opinions on the top 10 of WS. However, I don’t find their list particularly diverse or impressive. I’d rather wait for your own Top 10 Wines of 2024 video!
Thanks very much, Margaux! Great question! I'm not sure as don't really do a top wine list for current releases. Rather, I feature them periodically throughout the year and then reserve my top 25 list (two videos) for the absolute best wines I've had throughout the year, which do not generally include new releases. Appreciate your support and comments re: the list.
@@AttorneySommYou’re welcome, John! I definitely look forward to your Top 25 List every year! Can’t wait for the next one! Cheers!
@@margauxml Thanks, Margaux! I was working on it yesterday! It's going to be better than ever this year!
@@AttorneySommHow exciting! So glad to hear this! Really looking forward to it!
just called my dealer top see what i could acquire but looking forward o seeing the other 90 ion the top 100.
@@joe-zp7ge Thank you! Always interesting to see the full list!
Always enjoy your videos & appreciate/value your opinion!
I must say that this list is extremely weak…3 Napa Cabernets really??🤦🏻♂️
I do enjoy Don Melchor and think is an excellent wine surely best one of the list.
No Bordeaux, Spain or Brunellos this year and you give me Faust!!😫
Very disappointing effort by WS …🤷🏻♂️
@@Wine_guy93 Thank you! We will see what’s in the rest of the top 100 on Monday. Bordeaux was down in 21 and Napa was strong so I get that part but think there are better producers than some of these. The Barolo is a strong buy though! I enjoy Don Melchor very much too. 👍🍷
@@AttorneySomm I will definitely try the Barolo, thank you!!
Other than Don Melchor, nothing else from the list!
@ Great! Think you will enjoy the GD Vajra!
Cab and New World heavy, Bordeaux completely ignored, with only one from France, a CDP Rhone red. A very different top ten list this year.
@@josephweiss2271 They have a Bordeaux Blanc and an entry level red from Bordeaux in the top 100. Bordeaux was down in 2021 so I wasn’t expecting a top 20 entry from that region. Next year Bordeaux will be strong!
@AttorneySomm Yes, the Medoc piqued my interest. I will have to try it. Thanks!
Besides well-deserved Don Melchor, I find the list generally disappointing. Most are good wine, but there are simply better options at even better price point. Faust, BV, seriously.
Thanks for weighing in! The Albe Barolo and the Drouhin Roserock both of which sell for $40 are very deserving of their places in my opinion.
I'll review the full list next week before I opine re: omissions and mistakes.
I found the list to be very disappointing this year. Extremely boring and wtf on the amount of USA based wine. One would think they didn't consider their own selection criteria. Last year there was a lot controversy on their top pick, but that was a much better balanced list. I do keep hope for the rest of the list to be somewhat more interesting.
Thanks for sharing your input! I was surprised two Russian River wines made the cut, especially Williams Selyem which is quite pricey. Napa 21 is strong but other producers may be better. Appreciate your thoughts. I’ll be interested to see the full list. Last year they had 5-6 NZ Sauvignon Blancs.
Lol I wouldn’t be surprised if they take backdoor kickbacks to help placement. And the whole WOTY thing seems to get less popular with each passing year.
@@alberthan3759 You are certainly not the first to have that concern! WS states that advertising does not influence the selection process, but there has been some skepticism because some top-rated wines have come from producers who advertise.
@AttorneySomm Oh yeah, you're totally right about the NZ sauvignon blanc... I think I suppressed that because I tried to track them all down. I was also disappointed there 😅
While I agree on the vintage strength of Napa, there are interesting wines released to the market from all around the world. It just feels a bit one-sided.
@@Zacharaelj Agreed. Hopefully the full list will be more diverse than the top 10! And I hope they learned that NZ produces more than just Sauvignon Blanc. 🤣
I wonder if the judging is done blind? That truly is the ONLY way to be fair. At least after the initial tasting and scoring one could then place them according to their price to quality value?
Great question! On its website, WS advises that most of its tastings are done blind, but that they also do barrel tastings and what they call unofficial tastings, which can include tastings at a winery, in a restaurant, etc.
WS is placating its advertisers and over past 10 years has metamorphosed to a US dominated listing of little interest to the international market.
Just look at the top 100 of 30 or 20 years ago
I’ve nothing against any of the choices but perhaps given the high scoring wines in every market the stratification needs a rework
Time for a reassessment of its worth as a benchmark listing
Not one Bordeaux and only one French wine and two Italian in top 10
@@DavidWhite-ci2tc Thank you for weighing in. Fair points! Appreciate the comment. Bordeaux was down in 21 so didn’t expect too much at the top but hopefully at least Pichon Comtesse and a few others make the top 100. Definitely heavy on the USA in the top 10.
@@AttorneySomm FYI this is JS's distribution (Europe 66%):
Italy 26
France 18
USA 15
Germany 12
Argentina 6
Chile 6
Spain 6
Australia 5
Austria 4
China 1
South Africa 1
@@DavidWhite-ci2tc Thank you! Yes, it will be fun to compare. WS always tends to be a little heavy on the US.
Not interested at all in any top 10 WS wines this year. Don Melchor is a great wine and I have been buying the wine since 2003 , but it ages very slowly and begs for 10 years of cellaring.....thats my personal opinion. I find Clos Apalta a wine that I like best as I find a lot of green pepper on the Don Melchor. Not a bad wine at all, but for $180 I can have wines that I like better.
@@wren460 Thanks for weighing in! No love for GD Vajra Albe at $40?
@@AttorneySomm Never had it before, but I am not a fan of Italian wines. I either buy Bordeaux or Napa. I dont like high acidity and Italy is always high in that regard.
@ Ah yes. Then definitely not in your wheelhouse.
too many USA wines in the mix
Thanks for weighing in! It will be interesting to see if it’s just top heavy US or if that continues across the top 100. Napa was strong in 21 and Bordeaux was not, so I can see having more Napa this year than Bordeaux.
as usual!
@@jerzystruczak782 WS does seem to have a large number of US wines on the list each year.
ramey r r chardonnay 2012 was obnoxiously oaky and sweetish!! ditto for far niente chard.
I have always found Far Niente Chardonnay to have way too much new oak. Many California producers have backed off the amount of new oak the past 4-5 years, particularly in Napa Valley.
@@AttorneySomm go for bergstrom, ken wright, pahlmeyer chateau montelena, flowers or top canadian chardonnay cheers
@@jerzystruczak782 Cheers! Thanks for the suggestions. I definitely enjoy a number of those excellent wines! Need to try Canadian Chardonnay. Don't think they send any to Texas.
I would have loved to get your tasting notes and reactions to the WS top 10 list. This video merely regurgitates details of the wine and the winery but does not give any personal opinions on the wines on the list. I will give this video a pass. Also, I would recommend changing up the newscaster way of speaking, which can become droning after a while, and adopting a more personal style of speaking that is more common these days. It will be easier for listeners to relate to. Keep up the good work.
Thanks for the feedback. I did not taste the wines live, but absolutely gave my opinions of the wines and in fact two of them were recommended by me in a video the month before so I was very familiar with them. Hope you enjoy your weekend.
WS is placating its advertisers and over the past 10 years has metamorphosed to a US dominated listing of little interest to the international market.
Just look at the top 100 of 30 or 20 years ago
I’ve nothing against any of the choices but perhaps given the high scoring wines in every market the stratification needs a rework
Time for a reassessment of its worth as a benchmark listing
Not one Bordeaux and only one French wine and two Italian in top ten 😮
Lots of great observations here. WS definitely has a US-centric list most years, especially recently. I didn't expect much Bordeaux near the top since 2021 was a weaker vintage for Bordeaux. I don't think Wine Enthusiast included any in its top 100. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing the full list on Monday.
In terms of scores, interestingly from my research WS often has a lower score than the other major critics for a particular wine. The BV is a good example. It had 3 98-point scores from other critics, but WS gave it a 95. But you are correct, JS alone awards several hundred 99 or 100-point scores each year and other critics do as well.