JamesSuckling

Left: Arturo de Miguel maintains an impeccable vineyard for Bodegas Artuke in Baños de Ebro. It produced one of our top-scoring wines for the month. (Zekun Shuai photo) | Right: The "subtle and seductive" Viña Cobos Malbec Mendoza Cobos 2023. (James Suckling photo) The June tastings by the JamesSuckling.com team encompassed more than 2,000 wines from nine countries, with the standout bottles from Rioja, Spain; Napa and Sonoma in California; Italy. And Argentina.

Left: James tastes with Andi Punter of the Franz Haas winery in Alto Adige. | Right: James checks out the vineyards at the Manincor winery. (Aldo Fiordelli photos) Alto Adige's wine evolution has now reached a point nearing full maturity, with wines that have their own unmistakable personalities, built on a deep connection between grape variety and place.

Left: Most Chianti Classico wines today are aged in big oak vessels, like here at the Fèlsina, winery in Castelnuovo Berardenga, while smaller oak is preferred for Super Tuscans. | Right: These are some of the top quality-to-price Chianti Classico wines we tasted.

Left:The dinner setting for the 60th anniversary of Fèlsina in Tuscany. | Right: The stunning Fèlsina Chianti Classico Rancia Riserva 1990 in the glass. (All photos by Aldo Fiordelli) The year 1990 delivered an exceptional harvest across the broad swath of Europe’s wine regions. Bordeaux and Burgundy saw landmark vintages. So did Rioja in Spain. In Italy, both Piedmont and Tuscany excelled.

Left: Co-owner Maria Jose López de Heredia shares her perspective on why vintage character is not essential. (Jacobo García Andrade photo) | Right: López de Heredia's Viña Tondonia winery in Haro, Rioja. (James Suckling photo) Descending into the cellar of the López de Heredia winery in Rioja is like stepping into another world. The dim, damp stillness, covered in cobwebs and mold, feels more like a vampire’s lair than a winery cellar.

Left: James tastes the Petrolo Trebbiano Toscana Bòggina B 2024 with Luca Sanjust, who heads the estate. | Right: A few of the top bottles from Tuscany we rated for this report.

Left: Morgen Long winemaker Seth Morgen Long and grower Craig Williams traipse through Morgen Long's X Omni chardonnay vineyard. | Right: The first 100-point Willamette Valley Pinot noir is the Rose & Arrow Estate Pinot Noir Eola-Amity Hills Touchstone 2023.

Left: Duncan Arnot Meyers, a co-founder of Arnot-Roberts, pours his latest offerings for Staff Writer & Critic Courtney Humiston. | Right: If you want your faith in syrah restored, try the Arnot-Roberts Syrah Sonoma Coast Que Syrah Vineyard 2024.

Flying at about 5,000 feet over the hillside vineyards and blue lakes of British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley, then descending into the small city of Kelowna, reminded me of landing in parts of New Zealand’s South Island or in Zurich. The mix of lakes, mountains, clean towns and expensive houses along the water is striking. So are the vineyards, many of them running down hillsides toward the lakeshores.

Score Sonoma-Cutrer Chardonnay Sonoma County Sonoma Coast Lower Calorie 2024 Thursday, Jun 18, 2026 This light-bodied wine offers rich, indulgent fruit flavors that at first seem...