Well it has been another amazing year as one of the top independent wine reviewers in the world. Whether it is promoting the best events in Washington, offering the best value wines around the world or just putting some people in their place, I now offer you the rest of the awards and not awards of 2024.
Here are the already nominated award winners:
2024 Top 20 Wines
2024 Top 10 Under $30.00
2024 Top 10 Worst Wines of the Year
2024 Winery of the Year Mark Ryan
Now on to the rest of the Tops & Bottoms of the Year
Best Wine Shop Twin Cities
Well this is the first year in a while that it was a complete run away. While Thomas Liquors is always in the top 3 and Morell’s continues to offer some good deals on their Monday Madness the guys at Sunfish Cellars have taken a decant shop and made it a must stop shop for serious wine geeks.
Why? They are offering wines barely above their cost to continue allowing great wines to be in the MN market. While they don’t ship these deals they do offer in the store and their new wine guy Michael Miller is passionate about wine and always looking to try new stuff. Here are some of the deals I have acquired this year:
Just got this today at the price of $27.86:
- 2021 Canvasback Cabernet Sauvignon – USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Red Mountain (12/28/2024)
Day 1: Diam 5 closure. Significantly better the 18 Seven Hills which is oaked out. Nice fruit featuring blueberries, strawberries and cherry. Nice use of oak as it adds to the complexity but does not dominate the wine. Spice, earth and cigar. Medium finish. Very good value at $30.00. 91 points (91 points)
Number 2 wine of the year for under $90.00 with tax. Best price in America.
- 2020 Concha y Toro Cabernet Sauvignon Don Melchor – Chile, Maipo Valley, Puente Alto (8/30/2024)
Day 1: Natural cork. Been down lately on Don Melchor but figured at $79.99 let’s give this vintage a shot as reviews have been good and let me tell you they are accurate. By far the best vintage of this wine in years. Powerful wine with blueberries, dark cherry, oak, spice, mild dill, charcoal and tobacco. Long and complex finish and nice acidity. This is amazing on a pop and pour but will age for 15 plus years. Buy!!! 95 points
Day 2: Wow! Cigar, oak, blueberries, dark cherry, menthol, spice, gravel, earth and bell pepper. Super complex wine and this will drink well for 20 plus years if you can be that patient. Amazing now. 96 points
Day 3: Wow again. Holding form from day 2 with some really nice Bordeaux like character. Gravel, cigar, dust, cherry, blueberries, menthol, spice, mild oak and earth. 96 points
Recommendation: This wine will be drinking well as a pop and pour or aging for 15 to 20 years. (96 points)
2022 Casanova di Neri Irrosso di Casanova di Neri – Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT (11/23/2024)
Day 1: Opened this at the tasting bar and offered a pour to several customers. Everyone loved it. Was going to get a case but wine is for sharing so left with 5 bottles. Amazing wine with a nice rustic edge featuring iron, dried leaves, sour cherry, menthol, earth and minerals. Medium plus finish and nice acidity. A true gem under $30.00. 93 points
Day 2: Wild game, funk, sour cherry, iron, minerals, dried leaves and earth. What an amazing value. 93 points
Recommendation: You like $60 plus super Tuscans then you will love this wine. (93 points) $27.00. Need to special order!
And many more and some listed on a blog earlier this year.
Worst Twin Cities Wine Shop of the Year
Easy and that would be WineStreets Spirits in North Oaks. So I personally have spend well over $30,000 over the last 15 years there and not to mention all the business I have generated with my recommendations to shop there. A former top shop of the year but when I asked owner Brad Weiss to add me again to his email blast he blew me off. Brad always seemed inconvenienced to answer the most simple email questions.
Best Wine Festival of the Year
Easy the Celebrate Walla Walla Cabernet Festival in July. Under $450 with a wine dinner, several grand tastings and seminars. Not sure how this is not more popular. Every year I beat my brother a $100 bottle that I am the only one writing notes on this and every year I win. Here are some of the highlights. Wine Dinner at Doubleback. Grand Tasting notes. Vintage Pour notes.
Best Wines that did not make the top lists.
Easy: 2017 Alexander Valley Vineyards Cyrus – USA, California, Sonoma County, Alexander Valley (12/16/2024)
Day 1: Natural cork. Big style on this particular bottle but super balanced. Tobacco, spice, dark cherry, minerals, earth, mild wood and dust. Complex and medium plus finish. Had to open another bottle as Morelli’s in St. Paul offering this for $38.97 on their Monday Madness deal. 93+ points
Day 2: Menthol, tobacco, bell pepper, blue currants, sour cherry, earth, wood and dust. Very nicely balanced wine and medium plus finish. Nice acidity to boot. Outstanding value under $45.00 in my market. 94 points
Day 4: This continues to be impressive even on day 4. Chery, blueberries, wood, tobacco, bell pepper, spice, earth, dust and minerals. Complex and medium plus finish. 94 points
Recommendation: An easy but especially in the MN market where this was $43 with tax.
58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Merlot, 16% Cabernet Franc, 3% Malbec, 2% Petit Verdot (94 points) Just had this again yesterday and amazing wine.
Cost: Under $40 at Sunfish Cellars.
- 2021 Reininger BDX – USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley (11/6/2024)
Day 1: Natural cork. 29% Merlot, 29% Malbec, 21% Cabernet Franc, 21% Petit Verdot. My ship and try a bottle experiment continues and this wine is off the charts on delivery day. Just like I tasted it at the Walla Walla Cab Fest and was wine of the night for the price. Iron, blueberries, dust, earth, a touch of smoke, spice and plum. Nice concentration and medium plus finish. Everything you want in a blend and more. 94 points
Day 2: Very nice but less intense as day 1 with iron, minerals, sour cherry, floral, earth, spice and blueberries. Medium finish. 92 points
Day 3: Not bad but just a pop and pour wine. While this will age for 3 or 4 in the cellar I think drink soon. Sour cherry, minerals, iron, floral, earth, mint and floral notes. I like this unique blend and will be a top 10 wine of the year that is ready. 91 points
Recommendation: Really try a bottle. Such a great experience but not a long-term ager. (94 points)
Worst Winery of the Year
Easy K Vintners and the fact critics gave this wines such generous scores really makes one think about the validity of their scores and why did WTSO fire sale these is another question? Here are 3 smoke tainted wines from them from the 2020 vintage.
- Day 1: Natural cork. James Suckling 98 points? While this is not as impacted by smoke taint like the K Powerline Syrah it still has smoke taint issues. Ash, floral, lighter fruits, mild funk, stone and earth. I have had other vintages of this wine and always enjoyed them but this one is not up to par. You can really get the smoke taint linger on the tongue minutes later. Not a complete disaster of a wine but for $50 money is better spent elsewhere. 85 points
Day 2: As with other smoke tainted bottles the flaws are more noticeable on day 2. Charcoal, ash, light fruit and some floral notes. Just a gritty texture to this wine that lingers for well over a few minutes in the mouth. Some locals know about the smoke taint issues that the valley suffered and some made great wines others maybe should have skipped the vintage. I would really love to send a bottle of this to James Suckling for him to review this wine again with a bottle off the shelf. 84 points
Day 3: This is a shame as there is a nice wine hiding under the smoke influence. Getting a little more fruit on day 3 with cranberry and raspberries. Spice and some floral notes. The ash element on this wine dominates the finish masking the fruit. While this is very drinkable I would go with the 2021 vintage of this wine as this one was even discounted. 84 points
Recommendation: Get a different vintage as this is a solid Grenache wine from different vintages. (85 points) - 2020 K Vintners Syrah Powerline Vineyard – USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley (10/30/2024)
Day 1: Not showing the normal fruit you would expect from this wine. Smoke taint for sure with plum, dirt, spice and tar. Short to medium finish. Concerns.
Day 2: Not as bad as the Creator but getting some smoke taint on this wine. Burnt toast, muted fruits, spices, dirt and olives. These wines are usually bursting with flavors but not seeing it on this wine. Very concerned about these 2020 wines from K. 80 points
Day 3: Charcoal, chalk, mild spice, light fruit and dirt. This wine is the 2nd purchased from WTSO that is clearly smoke tainted. Stay clear of the Powerline Vineyard wines.
Recommendation: Don’t buy no matter the discount. (80 points) - 2020 K Vintners The Creator – USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley (10/29/2024)
Day 1: From WTSO for under $46 so good deal. Pop and pour and concerns with smoke taint. I have found Washington in 2020 hit or miss so will allow some time on this one to make that clear determination. Smoke, earth, dirt, spice, muted fruit and gravel. Will sample later tonight but not a good showing on a pop and pour which many Walla Walla Wines have showed better. No Score.
Day 1.5: As one of the few honest critics this is clearly smoke taint. Fruit is muted and smoke taint very obvious. Trying to mask with wood. Will try on day 2 but smoke taint will be more present. A real shame a wine critic gave this 97.
Day 2: This is a bit better on day 2 but the smoke is overpowering the fruit on this one. Raspberries and sour cherry with smoke and smoke, spice and black pepper. A wine that so far is not even close to any of the other vintages of the Creator. 78 points
Day 3: A harsh, chalkiness to the wine which masks any fruit that is trying to emerge. I can tell they also oaked these wines probably more than usual to mask some of that smoke taint. All in all this wine is very poor in quality compared to any other vintages I have sampled.
Recommendation: There was a reason WTSO dumped these wines a week or so ago as no one from the tasting room was buying them. Buyer beware. (78 points)
Well that is a wrap and as I always say there is a better wine out there waiting for you to sample. I have yet to drink a 100 point wine in my career and in 2025 I am hoping to discover that wine.