Maybe you got a gift card or some cash over the holidays and you decide to treat yourself to an exceptional wine – something for a special occasion, a bottle you’ve always wanted but couldn’t afford. The following suggestions are the best wines I tasted this year that I haven’t already reviewed.
2022 Chappellet Pritchard Hill ($325) From a winery that has been producing highly prized mountain grown Napa Valley wines since 1967, Pritchard Hill is its flagship and one of Napa’s iconic Cabernets. With 100% of the grapes grown on the organically farmed estate vineyard, there is amazing purity of fruit, concentrated dark berries, cocoa, graphite, wrapped in creamy vanilla richness; 6% petit verdot adds structure and intensity to the generous, round palate and velvety finish.
2022 Spottswoode Estate Grown Cabernet Sauvignon ($285) While this estate dates to 1882, it has been producing wine under the current ownership since 1982. Notably, it was one of the first wineries to convert to organic growing and has built a system of sustainability including biodynamic methods. Spottwoode’s estate Cabernet is consistently ranked as one of the most respected, sought-after Napa Cabs. The 2022 luxuriates with layers of rich dark berries, spices, earthy cacao, mineral, anise, black tea notes, and a vitality that drives its plush texture to a mouthwatering finish.
2021 Carmen Gold Cabernet Sauvignon ($100) Founded in 1850, Carmen is Chile’s oldest winery. And Gold has been Carmen’s top wine for 30 years. Sourced from the high altitude Alto Jahuel Vineyard in the Maipo Valley, this is a complete wine showing fresh red berries, intriguing wood spice, classic graphite, a lush palate, and great aging potential.
2022 Gary Farrell Rochioli Vineyard “Honoring a Legend” ($100) Founder Gary Farrell produced the first Rochioli Pinot Noir in 1982. Today, both names are integral to the history of the Russian River Valley as California’s finest source of Pinot Noir. This wine is a tribute to founder of the vineyard Joe Rochioli Jr. who passed away during that year’s harvest. It offers fine blackberry and cranberry, with savory herbs, anise and hints of black tea carried by bright acidity and velvety tannins.
2021 Alma Rosa Caracol Pinot Noir ($125) Alma Rosa was established in 2005 by Richard Sanford, who pioneered Pinot Noir in Santa Barabara County thirty years earlier. Alma Rosa’s organically farmed estate vineyard, El Jabali, initially planted in 1983 by Sanford in the Sta. Rita Hills AVA, is highly regarded. The Caracol showcases the hilltop Block 9 with vibrant cherries, strawberries, baking spices and licorice, herbal notes and a supple finish sporting lightly chalky tannins.