My Top 15 Wines of 2024: When Great Wines Meet Unforgettable Moments

I love this post.

Not because it’s a ranking.
Not because it lets me revisit great bottles.

But because it forces me to relive the moments.

Some of these wines made the list purely on merit.
A few made it because of context.
Most made it because they were tied to something bigger than what was in the glass.

And that’s the point.

Wine, at its best, is never just wine.

Also, for the record, it is January 1st and I am not participating in Dry January. Life is too short. There are too many great bottles waiting.

Now let’s get into it.

2024: THE YEAR THAT FELT SLIGHTLY UNREAL

This year had range.

My wife Dio was named co-chair of the High Museum Wine Auction for 2025, which deepened our involvement in a community we already loved.

I turned 50 at Talley Vineyards in February.
We experienced our first stay at Blackberry Farm in March.

We met Drew Bledsoe at High Hampton in June and tasted his "Doubleback" wines.

We hosted three Joseph Jewell events in two days and started a friendship with Adrian Manspeaker that later led to dinner at Cyrus.

We returned to The French Laundry.
We attended the Arrow&Branch Winery grand opening.

We did three Michelin three-star restaurants in three days in the UK.

We closed the year in Italy at Da Vittoria and Andrea Aprea.

Through all of it, certain wines stopped time.

Here are the fifteen that did exactly that.

THE LIST

#15 - 2022 Raymond Burr Cabernet Sauvignon Gustafson Vineyard (92 points)

Sometimes the story matters.

During dinner at Cyrus, Adrian Manspeaker casually invited me to join Raymond Burr’s first-ever bottling day. A few weeks later, I was on the bottling line, labeling and sealing what would become their first estate-bottled wine.

The Cab itself showed bright red fruit, structure, and surprising depth for its youth.

But owning bottle number one will always taste a little better.

#14 - 1974 Robert Mondavi Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley (90 points)

My birth-year wine.

Opened at my 50th birthday dinner at Talley Vineyards with Brian Talley, his mother Rosemary, Dio, and close friends.

After buying three different 1974 bottles at auction, hoping one would show well, this Mondavi delivered. Still alive. Still structured. Still graceful.

Fifty years old. Not too shabby.

#13 - 2016 Talley Vineyards Pinot Noir Rincon Vineyard (93 points)

Talley continues to show me how serious the Central Coast can be.

This bottle, tasted at the estate during my birthday weekend, was perfectly mature. Silky red fruit, composure, depth without heaviness.

There is something deeply personal about drinking great wine at the place it was grown. It adds dimension.

Talley has become part of our story. That matters.

#12 - 2012 Billecart-Salmon Champagne Grand Cru Louis Salmon Brut Blanc de Blancs (94 points)

The only sparkling wine on the list.

Dio loved it so much she illustrated me pouring it in her annual Christmas card.

When your wine-skeptical spouse says, “Should we buy a case?” you do not hesitate.

Electric acidity. Precision. Quiet power.

Champagne that makes believers.

#11 - 2017 Arrow & Branch Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard (95 points)

Arrow&Branch has become more than a producer to us.

At a private pre-auction dinner with friends, this was the wine everyone kept returning to. Dark fruit, layered structure, polish without losing intensity.

Across multiple vintages, this remains my favorite expression from them.

It feels confident without trying too hard.

#10 - 2002 Willi Schaefer Graacher Domprobst Riesling Spätlese (95 points)

Austin Rare & Fine Wine Auction

Shared at a table with new friends from High Hampton.

This bottle reminded me why aged Riesling earns reverence. Petrol, sweetness, razor acidity, tension that refuses to fade.

Complex. Harmonious. Fully alive.

Riesling had a strong year in my life.

#9 - 2008 Château Latour Grand Vin Pauillac (95 points)

Bordeaux remains home base for me.

This Latour, opened at High Hampton with friends, showed exactly why First Growth matters even in less celebrated vintages. Cassis, graphite, structure that felt architectural.

The sommelier’s reaction when he saw the label was almost as satisfying as the wine.

Almost.

#8 - 1974 Kopke Porto Colheita Port (95 points)

Another birth-year bottle.

Gifted by our Borgo Bonelli partner Michael Kennedy.

We opened it casually in a hotel lobby in Los Angeles with close friends. No decanters. No ceremony.

Just dried fruit, caramel, spice, and fifty years of history in the glass.

Port continues to surprise me.

#7 - 2021 Ellman Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Napa Valley (96 points)

Tasted during the Arrow&Branch grand opening weekend.

Learning that Andy Erickson was behind it added intrigue. Meeting Andy later at a Favia tasting and watching him scroll through photos of the vineyard on his phone sealed it.

The wine is powerful but composed. Dark fruit. Balance. Intent.

The kind of Napa Cab that earns silence at the table.

#6 - 2013 & 2017 François Raveneau Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre (96/95 points)

Two vintages. One lesson.

At a High Museum event hosted by Dan Kosta and Rich Aurilia, our generous host opened both.

The 2017 was brilliant. The 2013 was transcendent.

It was a masterclass in why Raveneau is the benchmark. Mineral. Precise. Layered. Almost weightless yet intensely present.

I finally understood the reverence.

#5 - 2021 Palisades Canyon Chenin Blanc Calistoga (96 points)

A CellarTracker connection led us to Steve and Felicia at Palisades Canyon during a High Museum cultivation trip.

Historic ghost winery tour. Deep conversation. Serious hospitality.

This Chenin changed my perception of the grape. Textural. Structured. Thoughtful. Made by Graeme MacDonald in a style that respects both history and ambition.

It felt important.

#4 - 1990 Château Léoville Las Cases (97 points)

A rainy Sunday in Atlanta.

We gathered friends and opened three wines from 1990.

This was the star.

Still structured. Still layered. Fully integrated. A reminder why Léoville Las Cases is often called a super second.

Open the good bottles. You are not promised tomorrow.

#3 - 2021 Palisades Canyon Petite Sirah Calistoga (98 points)

From 60-year-old head-trained vines.

This wine stops conversation.

Dark. Concentrated. Structured yet balanced. A wine that demands attention and earns it.

Instantly one of my top ten wines of all time.

#2 - 1979 Joh. Jos. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese (98 points)

My eleventh pour of the evening.

And still, it stole the night.

My tasting note says it plainly. “Wow. This has transcended wine. It is on a different level.”

That was the moment I fell fully in love with aged Riesling.

Not admiration. Love.

#1 - 2000 Domaine Leroy Clos Vougeot (98 points)

The finest Burgundy I have ever tasted.

Opened after Raveneau. After hours of conversation about vintages and producers and what makes certain bottles legendary.

It was seamless. Ethereal. Powerful without weight.

Later I looked up the market price and laughed.

Is any bottle worth that much?

Maybe not.

But discovering a wine like that, in that room, with people equally obsessed and curious and joyful?

That is priceless.

When I scan this list, what stands out is not geography.

It’s community.

Helping bottle wine in Sonoma.
Celebrating 50 years at Talley.
Rainy Sunday lunches in Atlanta.
Hotel lobby Ports.
Michelin-star dining rooms.
Charity auctions that turn into friendships.

The best wines of 2024 were never just about points.

They were about presence.

Here’s to 2025.

More corks pulled.
More surprises.
More moments bigger than the bottle.