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In the Sweet Spot: Paso Robles 2023s and 2024s

United States: California, featured

Eric Guido, Apr 2026

Paso Robles is enjoying a stylistic revolution while remaining true to its core principles of power and grace, moving away from heavy-handed extraction and toward fresher, livelier wines. From the Goldilocks perfection of the 2023s to the promising 2024s, this report dives into the estates and varieties that are redefining one of California’s most exciting frontiers.

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Cellar Favorite: 1978 Mount Eden Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Bottled

cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites, United States: California

Billy Norris, Apr 2026

Mount Eden’s 1978 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Bottled is dripping with old-school cool, clearly a wine from a different era. What an enjoyable snapshot of the glory days of California Cabernet it is.

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Michel Rolland Remembered

United States: California, featured, Vinous Remembers

Antonio Galloni, Mar 2026

Everyone who loves wine, and everyone who works in wine or in a related field, owes Michel Rolland a tremendous debt of gratitude for his life’s work. Some people gain influence because of their accomplishments, but a few others completely reshape the landscape of their industry. Michel Rolland falls squarely into the latter category.

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Cellar Favorite: 1985 Philip Togni Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Estate

cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites, United States: California

Neal Martin, Mar 2026

Like many, I have a penchant for mature Californian wines from the 1970s and early 1980s. The 1985 Philip Togni Cabernet Sauvignon Estate attests to the longevity of this California classic.

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Moon Mountain Bounces Back with the Exceptional 2023s

United States: California, featured, sonoma

Antonio Galloni, Feb 2026

The 2023s from Sonoma’s Moon Mountain District are exceptional. A long, cool growing season with no shock events gave producers ideal conditions to turn out intensely aromatic, layered, structured wines. That’s a far cry from 2022, when intense heat and drought challenged these sites severely to the degree that some selections were not bottled at all. Readers will delight in exploring the 2023s, wines that represent Moon Mountain at its very finest.

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Cellar Favorite: 1970 Hanzell Vineyards Pinot Noir & Chardonnay

cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites, United States: California

Antonio Galloni, Feb 2026

The 1970 Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from Hanzell Vineyards are an extraordinary testament to the quality and ageability of the wines from this pioneering Moon Mountain estate.

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Going to California: Sonoma’s 2024s & 2023s

United States: California, featured

Antonio Galloni, Jan 2026

January is always such an exciting time in Sonoma, heavy rains and flooding excepted. The promise of the new year lies ahead. Many estates are releasing their latest wines. This year’s new releases are mostly from 2024 and 2023, two strong back-to-back vintages that provide fascinating contrasts, as the growing seasons were diametrically opposite. The best wines from both vintages are superb.

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The Marcassin Mystique

United States: California, featured

Antonio Galloni, Jan 2026

There are few wineries in the United States, or the world for that matter, with the level of mystique that surrounds Marcassin. “Have you heard anything about Marcassin?” I am asked regularly. “When is the next release?” inevitably follows. A recent visit and tasting provided some answers during a wide-ranging conversation that ran the gamut from wine to vineyards to jazz.

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Napa Valley Soars: The 2023 & 2024 Cabernet Sauvignons

napa, United States: California, featured

Antonio Galloni, Nov 2025

After three very challenging years, Napa Valley soars with the 2023 and 2024 Cabernet Sauvignons. The two vintages are quite different in style, and yet quality is very high in both years. In 2023, a long, cool growing season yielded young wines of exceptional finesse. Not to be outdone, the warmer 2024 vintage has a lot to offer as well. At some properties, the 2024s will challenge or surpass the 2023s.

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New Releases: Ridge, Rhys and Centennial Mountain

United States: California, featured

Billy Norris , Oct 2025

This update contains reviews of the latest releases from two of the reference-point producers in the Santa Cruz Mountains—Ridge and Rhys—plus additional coverage of Rhys' Centennial Mountain project based in Sonoma County.