2024 in Wine

Well here we are once again, faced with the dual challenge of looking back at the year about to end, and planning ahead for the one about to begin. By many metrics, 2024 was not a good one for the wine industry.

I’m not going to dive into all the dismal statistics, but both grape and wine sales were down, competition for shelf space with no alc and low alc wines, pre-mixed cocktails, hard sodas and so on was tougher than ever. Ongoing consolidation of the retail/distribution side of the business hit small, family-owned wineries the hardest. Uncertainty about the status and availability of migrant workers added another level of worry. And looming above it all are the growing anti-alcohol forces, notably in government and medical research, proposing utterly draconian, business-killing taxes and loudly proclaiming that any alcohol consumption is dangerous.

So from a Big Picture point of view, saying goodbye to 2024 seems more like good riddance. But for those of us who still enjoy wine, who believe that wine is a unique, life-affirming, earth-friendly, social enhancing asset to any creative lifestyle, it would be good to step away from the Neo-Pro noise and give 2024 a more personal evaluation. Here’s a quote from a song by Frank Sinatra to set the tone as we look back at the end of a fraught year.

“And now, the end is near, and so I face the final curtain
My friend, I’ll say it clear; I’ll state my case, of which I’m certain
I’ve lived a life that’s full, I traveled each and every highway
And more, much more than this – I did it my way…

“Regrets, I’ve had a few, but then again, too few to mention
I did what I had to do and saw it through without exemption
I planned each charted course, each careful step along the byway
And more, much more than this – I did it my way…

“Yes, there were times, I’m sure you knew When I bit off more than I could chew;
But through it all, when there was doubt, I ate it up and spit it out
I faced it all, and I stood tall – and did it my way.”

In 2024 I too did it my way. I had the opportunity to focus my writing almost completely on wines and wineries from the Pacific Northwest. With no editorial regulations or restrictions I continued to fine-tune my approach to tasting, evaluating and scoring wines. In the course of writing 50+ posts I had the chance to do long and fascinating interviews with dozens of growers and winemakers. I am seeing steady growth in the numbers of Substack subscribers, both free and paid. Along with wines opened for reviewing I made a dedicated effort to taste wines from my ever-expanding cellar.

With the thought that I’d rather drink a wine a year too soon than a day too late, I decided that in 2024 every dinner was worthy of a ‘special occasion’ wine – in other words, no wines in my cellar were off limits simply because they were old, rare or expensive and waiting for the perfect moment to be opened. This was the year my band recorded my song “Drink It Today” – satirical to be sure, but also practical. “I wanna drink it today,” the song declares, “Ain’t gonna tuck it away…” Good advice to carry on into the next quarter century.

So for me at least, rather than cataloguing regrets, I’ll focus on fond memories of fine wines, fun parties, fascinating visits to wineries and vineyards, and the relentless challenge of coming up with fresh, interesting and (hopefully) valuable new material week after week. When that well runs dry, I’ll hang up my corkscrew. Not yet!

If you are planning to celebrate the New Year with a bottle or two of sparkling wine, please be safe. Put the saber down and pick up a dish towel to cover the bottle as soon as the wire cage is removed. The towel makes it easier to get a grip on the cork, and covers up any splashes if the wine has been shaken a bit too aggressively. Go ahead and chill it for a good 20 minutes before opening, but then leave it out of the fridge or ice bucket once it’s opened and explore the changing aromas and flavors as the wine airs out and warms up. Try it in flutes and in bigger, wider wine glasses and see which you prefer. And for a special indulgence, pair a bottle of true Champagne with caviar and creme fraiche served on your favorite brand of potato chips.

I hope you’ll find some treasured memories from your own 2024 to inspire thoughts on an even better 2025. And if you work in vineyard or winery, wholesale or retail, PR or marketing, you have my sincere hopes for an easier slog in the year ahead. I’ll be right there in the trenches with you, being honest and supportive, fair but opinionated. If I am not truly impressed with the wines you send, I will keep those opinions to myself. If I can sing your praises, I happily will. And with these last-of-the-year reviews, I’ll wish you all a safe and joyful holiday season.

Capital Call Vintners

Capital Call is a new project co-founded by soil scientist/educator Alan Busacca. A new tasting room opened over the holidays in Walla Walla in the space formerly occupied by Barons. And not only the tasting room, but the Barons name has been acquired. Windhorse is a holdover from an earlier Busacca project dedicated to Zinfandel.

Capital Call NV Blanc de Blancs Brut – This is all Chardonnay, sources unknown. It’s a toasty, creamy sparkler, rich and enveloping. Made in the Champagne method, it’s got a fine mousse, good penetration and length, with lightly buttery apple pastry flavors. 132 cases; 12%; $50 (Columbia Valley) 93/100

Capital Call 2022 Doctor Dirt Red Blend – An interesting blend of 70% Barbera, 21% Cabernet Sauvignon and 9% Sangiovese, the name honors winery co-founder Alan Busacca, a geologist, soil scientist and educator. The wine shows a flair for its Italian grapes, with deep flavors of cranberry, cooked plum and a dusting of windswept topsoil. Based on a grape naturally high in acid, it’s got a snap to the flavors that suggests a pairing with cream sauces and salty sides. 100 cases; 13%; $40 (Walla Walla Valley) 90/100

Capital Call 2022 Cashflow Red Blend – This Bordeaux blend is most Merlot and Cab Franc; sealed with a screwcap and ready to drink. Designated as cellared and bottled by, I’m guessing it’s purchased wine from a Red Mountain winery, which may account for the modest price and immediate drinkability. It’s sound and round, with medium concentration and a mix of berries, cherries and cassis fruit. The tannins have been smoothed out nicely, but provide a firm foundation through the drying finish. Great for drinking now and through the rest of the decade. 492 cases; 14.5%; $30 (Red Mountain) 90/100

Capital Call 2022 Margin Call Merlot – This is a soft, smooth 80/20 Merlot/Cabernet blend aged in all neutral barrels. Cherry fruit with the lightest suggestions of baking spices and mocha carry the palate; nothing complicated going on here but balanced, flavorful and rich enough for most entrées. 40 cases; 14.5%; $44 (Walla Walla Valley) 91/100

Capital Call 2022 Margin Call Red Blend – This is a 70/30 Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot blend, sourced from the same Wheatland vineyard as the Margin Call Merlot. This is a lovely, even classic version of Walla Walla fruit – the structure is in place, the balance is there, the fruit is full and complex and the tannins ripe and polished. The Wheatfield Vines vineyard, on the Oregon side of the Walla Walla Valley, is the source for this (and many other) Capital Call wines. 60 cases; 14.5%; $44 (Walla Walla Valley) 92/100

Barons 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon – The Capital Call tasting room, newly opened in Walla Walla, was formerly the Barons winery tasting room, and the Barons name and customer list has been passed along to the new tenants. Included in this blend, bottled under the Barons logo, are small percentages of Petit Verdot and Malbec. It’s very much in the style of the Red Mountain Barons Cabs I remember from years ago. Lushly fruity, full-bodied and showing the impact of one third new oak barrel aging, it’s a wine that should quickly become a fan favorite at this price. Drink now and over the next five years. 254 cases; 14.5%; $30 (Red Mountain) 92/100

Windhorse 2021 Zinfandel – This vineyard and wine are from a previous project of Capital Call co-founder Alan Busacca. Originally sourced from old vine Pines vineyard cuttings, Windhorse has now been extensively replanted to an ambitious mix of Grenache, Sangiovese, Cabernet Franc, Nero d’Avola, Primitivo, Pinot Noir and Syrah. I had the pleasure of tasting a barrel sample of the Nero d’Avola and it was sensational, so good things are definitely in the works. Meanwhile we have what may be the final vintage of Zinfandel – a savory style with mixed flavors of earth, brambly berries, red currants and bloody roast beef. 96 cases; 14.2%; $45 (Columbia Gorge) 91/100

Champagne Barons de Rothschild

I have sung the praises of the method champenoise wines coming out of Oregon for the past decade or longer, and the best of them do rival French Champagne. But tradition is tradition, and true Champagne is always on my holiday table around New Year’s Eve. This year I’m enjoying several current releases from Champagne Barons de Rothschild, a joint venture combining three branches of the famed French wine family. They appear to be in limited distribution but can be found online with a quick search. The prices quoted are based on those searches.

Barons de Rothschild Concordia Brut Champagne – This leans 60/40 Chardonnay/Pinot Noir, with 40% made up of reserve wines. It’s aged on the lees a minimum of three and a half years, then rested at least six months post-disgorgement. This is a powerful and delicious Champagne with more muscle and grip than many of the popular brands around this price point. It’s a testament to the great Chardonnay fruit bringing nectarine, pear and papaya into the center, while the Pinot Noir ups the floral aromas and adds a certain delicacy to the texture. As the wine warms and the palate softens, trailing hints of butter cookies finish out. 12%; $60 – $70 (Imported by MISA Imports) 94/100

Barons de Rothschild Brut Nature Champagne – As the name indicates, this is a no-dosage wine, with the same 60/40 Chardonnay/Pinot Noir blend including 40% reserve wines as the Concordia. A wine of tremendous lucidity, clear, mineral-driven, showing the chalk of the vineyards, as dry as you wish, yet retaining depth and texture along with the acidity. It’s not a tongue scraper as can sometimes happen with no dosage bubbly, and the length and freshness are compelling through an elegant, lightly saline finish. If a pristine Arctic iceberg were magically transformed into Champagne, this would be it. 12%; $65 – $75 (Imported by MISA Imports) 96/100

Barons de Rothschild Blanc de Blancs Champagne – The Champagne brand from a trio of the Rothschilds focuses on Chardonnay, and names this their signature cuvée. It’s 100% Chardonnay from Grands and Premiers Crus, and includes 40% reserve wines. Aromatically compelling, it shows white flowers, buttered nuts and citrus, carrying on into the palate, with a fine bead and exceptional length. The underlying saline minerality keeps it fresh and lively as it gracefully trails away. 12%; $65 – $95 (Imported by MISA Imports) 95/100

Peter William

There are classic European grapes – Chardonnay, Riesling, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir and others – that over the decades have found good homes and authentically distinctive flavor profiles in the New World. But there are others that seem still to be searching for those homes. This is not a criticism nor surprising, as the Europeans have been at this for millennia and there are many hundreds of indigenous vinifera varieties that are completely unknown here in America. But among those that are being explored, I am especially interested in Tempranillo. Pioneered in Oregon by Abacela, and now grown at dozens of wineries in Oregon and Washington, domestic Tempranillo still seems to be searching for an identity. So when Fred Gold, the Director of Marketing at Peter William, offered to send an assortment of back vintages, I jumped at the chance to taste them as a group.

Surprisingly, it was the Peter William Syrahs rather than the Tempranillos that most impressed. All Peter William wines are made by several different winemakers, and the overall character and quality varies accordingly. Here are my picks for the best wines from these recent tastings.

Peter William 2023 Daisy Creek Vineyard Viognier – This is perfumed, almost like a Gewurztraminer, but once in the mouth it’s a whole other style. Ripe, lightly candied lemon drop and Key lime flavors take over in a full-bodied mid-palate, adding hints of wintergreen mint through a trailing finish. Really delicious and clearly a variety well-suited to the Rogue Valley. This wine was vinted by the team at Barrel 42. 158 cases; 14.4%; $30 (Rogue Valley) 92/100

Peter William 2020 Lot S Tempranillo – Although this vintage has plenty of critics, I found this to be loaded with rich aromas of baking spices, barrel toast and cherries. Flavors are a mix of the same, with hints of tomato leaf, wild red berries and light citrus. Despite 23 months in one quarter new oak and the relatively high abv, this shows no signs of being out of balance, and finishes with a snap of acidity. 50 cases; 14.6%; $36 (Rogue Valley) 91/100

Peter William 2018 Lot B-42 Syrah – This is a toasty, dark, palate-pleasing wine. It captures classic varietal flavors of mixed berries with touches of coffee, licorice and spicy cured meats. Good concentration and medium length. At six years of age it’s entering an optimum drinking window. 350 cases; 14.9%; $27 (Rogue Valley) 92/100

Peter William 2019 Lot B-42 Syrah – Here is an excellent example of Rogue Valley Syrah, made at Herb Quady’s Barrel 42 incubator. Full, firm, loaded with blackberries and dotted with barrel spice, it’s a full-flavored palate soaker that dives deep and should develop well over time. Ample supporting acidity brings a hint of minerality, and the long finish is dotted with coffee grounds. 160 cases; 13.9%; $30 (Rogue Valley) 93/100

Peter William 2020 Lot B-42 Syrah – Forward, round and fruity, with a lush mix of blackberries, marionberries and black cherries. The underlying flavors bring clean soil, coffee grounds and light accents of savory herbs. It’s a complex, well-balanced, ageworthy wine in a prime drinking window now through the rest of the decade. 130 cases; 14.3%; $30 (Rogue Valley) 92/100

Wisnovsky Family Estate – Domaine Rogue

There are two labels under the aegis of this estate which is transitioning from Valley View to Domaine Rogue. It’s been under the same family ownership for 50 years, and brought a new winemaker on board as of 2021. The best wines from an extensive tasting are recommended here.

Domaine Rogue 2021 Merlot – Presumably 100% Merlot, this sets a firm course with cherry fruit, polished tannins and light accents of herb, stone and leather. I can’t think of any comps from anywhere north other than the Oregon side of the Walla Walla Valley. This is more tightly wound, with less breadth and depth of flavor, but stands up on its own as a full-flavored alternate red. 125 cases; 14.4%; $38 (Applegate Valley) 90/100

Domaine Rogue 2021 Malbec – Distinctive and appealing, this offers pinpoint flavors of brambly blackberry, marionberry and blue plum. There are gentle savory notes and suggestions of black licorice. The juicy berry fruit shines brightly all the way through the finish. 125 cases; 13.8%; $38 (Applegate Valley) 92/100

Domaine Rogue 2021 Cinquenta Red – The name and the wine honor the winery’s 50th anniversary. The first Cinquenta release was a barrel-fermented Chardonnay, made as a reserve in limited quantities. This red is all estate grown, 40% Merlot, 40% Malbec and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon. About half is sourced from vines planted in the 1970s. There’s a lovely core of ripe raspberry fruit, with moderate acids and supporting tannins. Just 12% saw new oak, but that is sufficient to give it a touch of toasted almonds as it trails out. 515 cases; 14.5%; $38 (Applegate Valley) 92/100

As we bid 2024 farewell and set a course for the next quarter of the 21st century, I want to thank all the subscribers and followers and winemakers and growers and marketers and wine lovers who make writing this Substack such a total joy. Happy New Year! Here’s to good health, good friends, good times and a better bottom line in 2025!