Vinous Top 100 Wines of the Year - 2024: Countdown #60 to #41

BY VINOUS | NOVEMBER 13, 2024

We are thrilled to announce the second part of the Vinous Top 100 Wines of the Year list. Below are wines #60 to #41, complete with commentary from the respective Vinous critic who selected the wine for the list and their tasting note from when the wine was published on Vinous. 

Quick Links:  Vinous Top 100 Wines of the Year - 2024: #100 to #61, #60 to #41, #40 to #21, #20 to #11, #10 to #6, #5 to #2, and #1   

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Countdown #60 to #41...

#60: 2021 Denner Vineyards The Dirt Worshipper

$85, Paso Robles, California, United States

EG: “Many years ago, The Dirt Worshipper provided one of my ah-ha moments regarding Paso Robles’s potential. While unabashedly Californian in origin, the Dirt Worshipper adds layers of savory complexity, tricking the taster into questioning how so much Northern Rhone character can be infused with New World fruit. It remains a benchmark of the region and one of my go-to domestic Syrahs.”

The 2021 Dirt Worshipper is impossible to ignore, blending incense with dried roses, white pepper and exotic spice. This impresses with its elegance and grace, washing across the palate with silken textures and ripe red and black fruits as a wave of juicy acidity adds lift. Violet inner florals resonate throughout. It tapers off spicy and incredibly long, embraced by a coating of fine-grained tannins that tug at the senses as a resonance of clove lingers on. Simply spellbinding, this is unmistakably New World fruit, yet with an Old Word soul.

96 points – Eric Guido, July 2024

#59: 2021 Zuccardi Valle de Uco Finca Piedra Infinita

$180, Mendoza, Argentina

JH: “This wine is a trendsetter in Argentina as Paraje Altamira steps into the spotlight.” 

Hailing from a cool vintage in the Uco Valley, the 2021 Finca Piedra Infinita, from Paraje Altamira, was bottled after one winter in concrete vats. As with Zuccardi's other wines, it delivers a naturally primary profile that embodies what can be achieved with un-oaked wines in the southern Uco Valley. This purple-hued Malbec reveals balsamic herbs undertones, intense violet and floral aromas and notes of plum and blueberry. Dry and compact on the palate, with chalky tannins and fine fruit expression, it delivers exceptional concentration and a rich, long-lasting, fruit-driven finish. Just fabulous.

97 points – Joaquín Hidalgo, November 2024

$200, Chianti Classico, Italy

AG: “Sodi di San Niccolò, Castellare’s Sangioveto/Malvasia Nera flagship, is one of the hidden gems in Tuscany. Over the years and decades, Sodi has established a brilliant track record for aging. The 2020 is a brilliant effort from proprietor Paolo Panerai and longtime winemaker Alessandro Cellai.”

The 2020 I Sodi di San Niccolò is fabulous. It is a rare wine that offers power, finesse and translucent energy at once. All the elements are in perfect balance. I can’t remember a Sodi like this one, a wine that is so complete and alluring right out of the gate. Rose petal, lavender, spice, orange peel and sage open first. What impresses me most about the 2020 is the finesse of its tannin, something I have very rarely seen in Sodi at this early stage. Magical. This is remarkable in every way.

97+ points – Antonio Galloni, July 2024

#57: 2021 Anthony Thévenet Morgon Cuvée Centenaire

$67, Beaujolais, France

NM: “The late Josh Raynolds introduced me to Anthony Thévenet's wines five years ago. His Cuvée Centenaire comes from gnarly, century-old Gamay bush vines and is raised in demi-muids. This is Beaujolais that could stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the best Pinot Noirs.”

The 2021 Morgon Cuvée Centenaire matured for ten months in 500-liter demi-muids. Red berry fruit, hints of potpourri and incense blossom on the extremely well-defined nose. This is complex but refined and delicate. The palate is medium-bodied with fine, lace-like tannins, exquisitely balanced with a pixelated and tender finish that represents Beaujolais at the top of its game. Quite brilliant—but that's what I expect from one of the region's finest artisan winemakers.

95 points – Neal Martin, April 2024

#54: 2020 G.B. Burlotto Barolo Cannubi

$299, Piedmont, Italy

AG: “Proprietor Fabio Alesssandia has done a tremendous job in elevating the quality of his family’s wines since taking over in the mid-1990s. Although the Barolo Cannubi is one of the flagships here, all the wines in this lineup are exceptional. Burlotto remains a reference point in Piedmont.”

The 2020 Barolo Cannubi is the most expressive of the Burlotto Barolos today. Relative to the Monvigliero especially, it benefits from having spent ten more months in bottle. The 2020 shows the lighter style of the year but has gorgeous textural depth to fill out its layers. Plush tannins wrap around a core of black cherry, plum, cloves, new leather and licorice. The Cannubi is a standout.

96 points – Antonio Galloni, January 2024

$80, Margaret River, Australia

AH: “Under the guidance of talented Chief Winemaker Virginia Willcock, the iconic Heytesbury Margaret River Chardonnay soars in the 2022 vintage with tightly coiled power and outstanding complexity. A beautiful energy, precision and underlying tension work in tandem with stunning intensity and savory refinement to deliver a world-class Chardonnay experience.”

A complete package, the 2022 Chardonnay Heytesbury differs markedly from the Estate release from the same vintage with a tighter, more composed shape and layered nuances. Crushed nuts, pear and flower press aromas are seamlessly intertwined with fine-grained oak and smoky gunflint. An excellent upfront generosity of flavor takes a more savory refined line, punctuated by tangy acidity. Length is exceptional, and this will build further in time.

96 points – Angus Hughson, May 2024

#50: 2021 Catena Zapata Malbec Nicasia Vineyard

$100, Mendoza, Argentina

JH: “A singular wine that offers the best of Malbec and Paraje Altamira, this was crafted in a pristinely aged style. Balance is the word.”

The 2021 Malbec Nicasia Vineyard originates from a small plot nestled within Paraje Altamira, Uco Valley. It was aged up to 16 months in concrete vats and foudres and boasts a deep purple color. The complex nose unveils layers of crushed plums, blueberries, herbs, curry, lavender and graphite. Initially dry and plush, the palate transitions into a taut, chalky, overwhelming, and juicy texture, as if embodying structure and suppleness. This unique and flavorful Malbec offers a high-pitched intensity of flavor that lingers, showcasing a prolonged focus on the fruit.

97 points – Joaquín Hidalgo, September 2023

#49: 2020 Domaine du Pegau Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Reservée

$75, Southern Rhône, France

NG: “Magnificent and powerful, the 2020 Cuvée Réservée is a total standout, bursting with complex aromas and vibrant, full-bodied intensity. This exceptional Châteauneuf is a testament to the Pegau family's craftsmanship.”

The 2020 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Réservée is one of the strongest vintages for this wine in recent history. It is magnificent, soaring from the glass with pungent aromas of crème de cassis, ripe raspberry and strawberry, cured meat, tobacco, licorice, iodine and garrigue. Full-bodied, vibrant to the core and offering a multidimensional profile, this wine is really, really good. The Féraud family and the entire team deserve a round of applause for this sublime Cuvée Réservée, which will still be kicking ass 20 years from now.

#48: 2022 Kalleske Grenache Old Vine

$68, Barossa Valley, Australia

AH: “This decadent Barossan expression of Grenache, crafted with fruit from vines planted in 1935, is a powerhouse with lashings of sustained flavor and an enthralling savory underbelly. Bold, strong and stylish, this is benchmark Grenache with a distinct Australian accent.”

This brilliant Old Vine 2022 Grenache is made with fruit off vines planted in 1935 and aged in old barrels. It presents an enthralling mix of dark cherry and dark earth with crushed cumin and fennel seed complexity. Superbly balanced with a fleshy, yet firm core of flavor holding its line over a long strong finish, underlined by sandy tannins. Very impressive and will age well.

96 points – Angus Hughson, July 2024

$60 Swartland, South Africa

NM: “South Africa is taking Chenin to new heights, few with as much class as this wine.”

The 2023 Fire by Night, which comes from dry-farmed bush vines planted between 1971 and 1985 on Alheit's farm in the Paardeberg in Swartland, was whole-cluster-pressed and settled overnight. It was aged half in cement egg and half in foudres for 12 months. This has a breathtaking mineral-driven bouquet, with struck flint and just a touch of reduction. Captivating! The palate is very well balanced with a taut line of acidity. Sapid in the mouth and judiciously spiced with lemongrass and ginger, it fans out beautifully on the finish. It's a stunning Fire By Night.

97 points – Neal Martin, August 2024

#46: 2022 Zind-Humbrecht Riesling Rangen de Thann Clos Saint Urbain Grand Cru

$105, Alsace, France

AK: “From one of the most dramatic Alsace Grand Crus comes this eternal, iconic wine, every bit as impressive in 2022 as ever.”

The 2022 Riesling Rangen de Thann Clos Saint Urbain Grand Cru was harvested among the last Rieslings but had one of the lowest alcohols, with 12.8 %. A lovely sharp, green aromatic flavor, almost of watercress intensity, fresh, green and vigorous without being unripe, sets an initial aromatic highlight. The famed smokiness arrives on the second sniff, followed by gloriously aromatic tangerine. The palate is exquisitely precise, stony, taut and naked, but oh so nuanced with immense citrus brightness. This is a marvel glimmering with zestiness, citrus and such stony directness. (Bone-Dry)

97 points – Anne Krebiehl MW, April 2024