Red, rosé and white wine in crystal glasses.
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The Beverage Testing Institute (BevTest) has released its list of 2024’s top wines, including its Wine of the Year in the red, white rosé, and sparkling wine categories. The list featured a double win for California’s Mira Winery; it scored both the red and white wines of the year. Below are tasting notes on BevTest’s Top Wines of 2024.
Mira Winery 2012 Schweizer Vineyard, Cabernet Sauvignon, Stags Leap District, Napa Valley
Mira’s Schweizer Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon was BevTest’s Red Wine of the Year. The BevTest Judging Panel described the wine as featuring:
Aromas of wild strawberry and cherry with mint and cocoa nibs. The palate features notes of strawberry, cherry, and blackberry. It calls to mind some of the top Napa Cabs from the 1980s. It does all of the right Napa things without going too far with the ripe fruit and barrels; it’s quite special.
Among the other red wines featured on BevTest’s Top Wines of 2024 were Vineyard 511, 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon, Diamond Mountain, Napa Valley; Collina San Ponzio 2020 Fossati, Barolo DOCG; and Jarvis 2015 Estate, Cabernet Franc, Napa Valley
The BevTest Judging Panel described the Diamond Mountain Napa as expressing:
Aromas of mixed berries, baking spices, and dried herbs. The palate shows flavors of blackberry, nutmeg, and cocoa. This is just beginning to show some maturity with purely delightful mountain fruit but has a very long life ahead.
The Barolo, on the other hand, was described as exhibiting:
Aromas of candied Rosé petals, red cherry, and leather. The palate expresses notes of Rosé petals, anise, and a little tar. Absolutely charming and cellar-worthy. There’s not much to say when a wine is done just right and has all the potential to be even better in the future, giving you a decade or so to come up with the right words.
Finally, the Cab Franc was described by the BevTest Judging Panel as showing:
Aromas of medium dark chocolate, ripe black cherry, and Herbs de Provence. The palate features flavors of chocolate-covered cherries, violets, and cavendish tobacco. A delectable Cabernet Franc in a riper context: well made, well structured, and with a long life ahead.
An assortment of wines and cheese
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Mira Winery 2019 Napa Valley, Chardonnay, Oak Knoll District, Napa Valley
Mira Winery also won the White Wine of the Year. The BevTest Judging Panel described the Mira Chardonnay as featuring:
Aromas of lemon cream pie, Crème Brûlée, and singed brioche. The palate exhibits notes of lemon curd and honeysuckle. Beautiful fruit, light oak that is well balanced with potential for some cellar age and improvement with secondary characteristics; exactly what you want for benchmark Napa Chardonnay.
Among the other white wines featured on BevTest’s top wines of 2024 are Kirkland Signature 2021 Chablis Premier Cru; Domaine Pascal Gibault 2023 Sauvignon Blanc, Loire Valley, and Dr. Konstantin Frank 2022 Reserve, Riesling, Finger Lakes
At an average retail price of $18, the Kirkland Chablis represents an outstanding price for a Premier Cru Chablis. The BevTest Judging panel described the white wine as expressing:
Aromas of fresh morning brioche from a bakery down the street, lemon zest on golden apples, and lily of the valley. The palate features green apple, lemon zest, and brioche with lemon creme fraiche. An excellent entry-level Chablis with racy acidity and pleasant tart orchard fruits highlighted with delicate minerality and bespoke, well-integrated French oak.
The BevTest Judging Panel described the Domain Pascal Gibault, on the other hand, as showcasing:
Aromas of pineapples, peaches, and jackfruit. The palate features gooseberry, lemon, and yuzu. A lighter intensity of Sauvignon Blanc that still brings the range of fruits from orchard to tropical dashed with food-friendly acidity and minerality; complex, pleasing, and an excellent example of the category.
The Konstantin Frank Riesling is a classic among Finger Lake producers. At a list price of $25, it’s also an exceptional value for a wine consistently rated as one of the best Rieslings in the US. In recent years, the Finger Lakes have delivered Riesling wines of outstanding quality and value. The BevTest Judging Panel described the Riesling wine as expressing:
Golden straw color. Attractive aromas of spiced apples and peaches, golden raisin compote, white blossoms, and honeycomb follow through to a silky, tangy, off-dry, medium-full body and a smooth, complex, very long candied lemon peel finish with a hint of rubber sap and flint. An excellent, off-dry domestic Riesling bursting with fruit and buttressed by mouthwatering acidity and fine minerality, this is delightful and will be excellent with seafood or spicy fare.
Glass of rosé wine
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Sainte Marguerite En Provence 2023 Fantastique Rosé, Côtes De Provence
The Sainte Marguerite is the Rosé Wine of the Year. The BevTest Judging Panel described the wine as exhibiting:
Aromas of strawberry shortcake, peach cobbler, and lemon tart. The palate features flavors of strawberry, ripe pink grapefruit, and potpourri. A sensationally delicious and satisfying Rosé that is crisp as a dollar bill with lifted acidity and lovely tangy wild strawberry notes.
Perrier-Jouet 2015 Belle Époque Brut, Champagne
Perrier-Jouet 2015 vintage Champagne was BevTest’s Sparkling Wine of the Year. The BevTest Judging Panel described the wine as expressing:
Aromas of Crème Brûlée, dried apricot, and brioche. The palate features overtones of lemongrass, yellow apple, and orange zest. Complex and layered, this gem is drinking incredibly well now and will likely adapt and improve over the next decade or so in your cellar if you have the patience to wait to pop it.
BevTest 2024 Wines of the Year showcases some incredible wines, many representing exceptional values. Each wine is worth trying and, for the ones you like, putting away a few bottles for the future.
For more top wine picks see Decanter’s Top Ten American Wines of 2024
Cheers