Innehållsförteckning för October 15 - 31, 2025 från Wine Spectator

Visit WineSpectator.com/103125 to find links to all of the following resources. WINE SPECTATOR VIDEO CONTEST 2025 Share your wine story to compete for great prizes! Submit your short film to Wine Spectator’s 19th annual video contest and you could win tickets to our spectacular Wine Experience weekend or a Grand Tasting. Entry deadline is Sept. 2. Finalists will be revealed Sept. 15, then readers pick the winner! Voting will be open Sept. 15 to Sept. 21, and this year’s winner will be revealed Sept. 24. Check out the rules and previous years’ finalists! FREE RESOURCES FOR ALL WINESPECTATOR.COM READERS WINE & HEALTH Keep on top of the latest research with our regular Health News reports, get your questions answered in our Wine & Health Q&A, and sign up for Wine & Healthy…

A Larger Home for Mark Herold Mark Herold Wines has a larger and more prominent home in Napa Valley. The new location is right on Highway 29, in the former Cosentino tasting room. Located next door to local dining institution Mustards Grill, it’s a prime spot in Oakville. This expansion signals a new era for winery owner Brion Wise and winemaker Mark Herold. Wise is the proprietor of B. Wise Vineyards, in Sonoma, as well as Brion, in Napa Valley. Herold sold to Wise in May 2023 but remains winemaker at the company. In addition to the lineup of wines from Mark Herold’s Cabernet-heavy portfolio, guests can also taste an array of wines from the B. Wise portfolio, giving a Wines is open daily from 10 taste of Sonoma. Mark…

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED 96 CORISON Cabernet Sauvignon St. Helena Kronos Vineyard 2021 $225 CALIFORNIA Sleek and pure in feel, with mulberry, cassis and black cherry puree notes that ripple with finely beaded acidity. Stylish details of iris and violet wrap around the fruit, with a pretty twang of iron on the finish. COLLECTIBLE 96 PRODUTTORI DEL BARBARESCO Barbaresco Montestefano Riserva 2020 $89 ITALY A haunting aroma of rose leads off in this elegant and firmly structured red, underscored by raspberry, cherry, white pepper and mineral flavors, while refined tannins and vibrant acidity drive the resonant finish. SMART BUY 90 BROTTE Cairanne Création Grosset 2022 $19 FRANCE There’s a lot of juicy, bouncy fruit in this red, with pure, alluring notes of cherry and plum etched in graphite. Shows hints of smoked…

For the better part of two decades, a persistent narrative has surrounded California’s Rhône-style wines, suggesting that they’re having an identity crisis. The argument goes that since it’s impossible to define what a California Rhône tastes like, the category doesn’t know what it is. But there’s another way to tell the story of these distinctive wines—and that’s by focusing on the connection between identity and place. It’s true that it can be challenging to pinpoint a consistent style or profile among Rhône-style wines in California. Grape varieties such as Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre and Viognier grow everywhere from the coastal, windswept hillsides of Santa Barbara’s Sta. Rita Hills to the warm, Mediterranean benchlands of Mendocino County, nearly 500 miles apart. The state has no rules governing where the category’s nearly two…

ARGENTINA 91 Bodega Luigi Bosca Malbec Vistalba Los Nobles 2022 $70 Densely packed with blueberry, plum and açaí flavors on a smooth-textured frame, yet a subtle twinge of acidity helps cut through the fruit, revealing mineral and baking spice notes on the firming finish. Best from 2026 through 2032. 4,400 cases made, 250 cases imported.—A.R. 91 Bodega Luigi Bosca Paraiso Mendoza 2022 $170 Shows a savory edge up front, with leather, molasses and dried thyme notes joining a smooth-textured core of damson plum and black cherry. Hints of cassis and chocolate fold in on the finish and linger around well-formed tannins. Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon. Drink now through 2030. 2,111 cases made, 250 cases imported.—A.R. 89 Bodega Luigi Bosca Malbec Mendoza 2024 $21 A juicy red, with a slight inflection of thyme…

Wine bars play a vibrant role in America’s wine culture as places where guided exploration meets community. In fact, our own editors frequent them often, in search of interesting wines and conversation with like-minded drinkers. In this issue’s cover story, we offer profiles of their recommendations from coast to coast, covering 20 cities and towns and highlighting venues that feature eclectic lists and creative pairings and where passionate owners offer fresh takes on the concept. Many of our favorites in this story already shine in our annual Restaurant Awards, but in this issue we also uncover exciting new discoveries, each with a distinctive personality, whether that means pairing wine tasting with a pristine raw bar, artisanal cheeses, coffee-table books or even a playlist of vinyl records. Looking beyond the U.S.,…

Frédéric Panaïotis Frédéric Panaïotis, Ruinart Champagne chef de cave for nearly two decades, died June 15. Panaïotis was 60 and lost his life in a freediving accident, according to sources. Born and raised in the Champagne region, Panaïotis often helped his grandparents on their 4 acres of vines in Villers-Marmery, but it wasn’t until his uncle poured him a taste of Richebourg 1976 that he became sure he wanted to work in wine. He studied agronomy and enology, first in Paris and then Montpellier. After completing his degree, Panaïotis worked three harvests at California’s Scharffenberger winery, then owned by Pommery Champagne. In 1991, he returned to Champagne and spent 12 years as part of the winemaking team at Veuve Clicquot. Panaïotis joined Ruinart as chef de cave in 2007. Beyond…

On sunny Sacramento summer days, chef Dustin Harvey, of Best of Award of Excellence winner Ella Dining Room and Bar, says the fragrance of fig leaves roasting in the sun is invigorating and signals the imminent fig season. In California, when that time of year hits—typically in August and extending into fall—Harvey says that because figs grow in such abundance, he incorporates them into the restaurant’s menu in as many ways as he can, including using the leaves to make oils and wrap fish for a papillote-like preparation in addition to savory and sweet dishes. “The best way to work with figs is to let them hit peak ripeness and just slice and serve them fresh,” explains Harvey, noting that when you have a great, flavorful ingredient like figs, you…

Iconic Sonoma winery Williams Selyem is best known for Pinot Noir, but Zinfandel was the first wine that founders Burt Williams and Ed Selyem made. That was back in 1979 and the Zin came from what is now Martinelli’s Jackass Hill vineyard. Every year since, the Russian River Valley winery has produced small amounts of Zinfandel. Today, Williams Selyem bottles six vineyard-designated Zins: Bacigalupi, Belloni, Carlisle, Fanucchi-Wood Road, Papera and Saitone. All six vineyards are located in the Russian River Valley AVA, and each is 100 years old or more (or soon to be). While I was working on my annual Zin report for the Aug. 31 issue of the magazine, Williams Selyem winemaker Jeff Mangahas suggested a vertical tasting of Saitone. It’s the oldest Zin planting in the Piner-Olivet…

Following a five-year saga, the U.S. Board of Geographic Names (BGN) has repealed its own 2017 decision recognizing the name To Kalon Creek. On Aug. 14, the federal agency responsible for approving and maintaining official geographic names agreed with a petition from Constellation Brands, which owns Robert Mondavi Winery, to have “To Kalon Creek” removed from the BGN’s list of registered places. The small creek runs through the heart of To Kalon Vineyard, and Constellation owns a trademark on the name To Kalon. “We are pleased that the decision made today by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN) concerning the naming of the creek resolved the dispute and fully upholds the integrity of our To Kalon trademark,” Constellation Brands said in a statement. The decision is a blow to…

Tuscan Time Central Italy is home to one of the world’s most recognizable wine regions: Tuscany. Along with many high-end bottlings, there are countless bargains to be discovered. All offer excellent quality for the price. CASTELLO ROMITORIO Toscana Romitorio 2022 (94, $29) Blackberry, boysenberry, bacon fat, violet; supple, balanced MARCHESI DE’ FRESCOBALDI Chianti Classico Tenuta Perano Riserva 2021 (94, $32) Pure; cherry, blackberry, black currant, mineral, earth ROCCA DI FRASSINELLO Maremma Toscana Ornello 2023 (94, $30) Black cherry, blackberry, plum, toasty oak, iron, herbs; complex, beefy BARONE RICASOLI Chianti Classico Brolio 2023 (92, $27) Tangy, mouthwatering; cherry, raspberry, rose hip, earth, iron, eucalyptus, wild herbs CASTELLO DI VICCHIOMAGGIO Chianti Classico Agostino Petri Riserva 2022 (92, $28) Cherry, blackberry, earth, Tuscan scrub, mineral; vibrant CASTELLO ROMITORIO Toscana Brio 2023 (92, $23) Intense, gossamer, expressive; strawberry, cherry,…

I’ve reviewed the wines of South America for three years, but haven’t had the chance to visit. Recently, however, I had the opportunity to explore Chile as seen through the eyes of Rodolfo Guzman, chef/owner of Boragó in Santiago. Guzman and his team held a short residency at Ritual by Manresa in Los Gatos, California, hosting dinners celebrating the country’s native ingredients, fused with seasonal California produce and paired with Chilean wines. You perhaps wouldn’t expect Chilean cuisine to be compared to French or Italian cuisine in terms of the influence of centuries gone by. But what Guzman is doing at Boragó is sophisticatedly connecting to Chile’s singular heritage, such as evoking the indigenous Mapuche people, who for thousands of years foraged, harvested and used endemic ingredients, such as loyo,…

This Buying Guide contains ratings of new releases from around the world. Complete tasting notes are provided for new releases scoring 85 or more points (on the Wine Spectator 100-point scale, explained below). Hundreds of additional reviews appear each month on our website, www.winespectator.com. Each review carries the initials of the Wine Spectator editor who blind-tasted and scored the wine and wrote the review, based on the regional specializations indicated below. Bruce Sanderson Burgundy, Piedmont, Tuscany James Molesworth California Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir, Bordeaux, Port MaryAnn Worobiec California Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc, Australia, New Zealand Alison Napjus Spain, Italy, Champagne, South Africa Tim Fish California Zinfandel and Merlot, Oregon, Washington, U.S. sparkling wines Aaron Romano Argentina, Chile, California Rhônes Kristen Bieler Rhône Valley and other France, Germany, Austria How…

Avaline, founded by actress Cameron Diaz and entrepreneur Katherine Power in 2020, has introduced a bottle of French rosé with a label by fashion designer Stella McCartney—the Avaline x Stella McCartney Limited Edition Rosé. With more than 30 years of friendship between Diaz, Power and McCartney, the partnership seemed like a natural … fit. “I’ve always been such a huge fan of not only Stella’s design but what she does in the industry to push forward her beliefs,” Diaz told Wine Spectator. “Her dedication to cruelty-free and sustainability, it really sort of aligned with what we do with our wine.” Power added that when she and Diaz studied the wine industry, they felt wine brands could learn from fashion in terms of forming more emotional connections to consumers. “They weren’t…