Browse using the new Vinous website now. Launch →
Moon Mountain Bounces Back with the Exceptional 2023s
featured, United States: California, sonoma
, 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.
Cellar Favorite: 1970 Hanzell Vineyards Pinot Noir & Chardonnay
cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites, United States: California
, 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.
Going to California: Sonoma’s 2024s & 2023s
featured, United States: California
, 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.
The Marcassin Mystique
featured, United States: California
, 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.
2022 Barolo: Half-Full or Half-Empty?
Italy: Piedmont, featured
, Jan 2026
Two thousand twenty-two is one of the most complicated vintages I have seen in the more than 25 years I have visited Piedmont on a regular basis. The 2022 Barolos are frustratingly erratic, wildly inconsistent wines, and yet some growers found a way to make the most out of the hand they were dealt by Mother Nature. It’s a vintage to approach with caution. There are some real gems in 2022, but they are very much the exceptions.
Cellar Favorite: 1997 Domaine François Raveneau Chablis Montée de Tonnerre 1er Cru
cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites, France: Burgundy
, Jan 2026
There aren’t too many things I enjoy more than a mature bottle of Raveneau Chablis. Approaching its thirtieth birthday, the 1997 Domaine François Raveneau Chablis Montée de Tonnerre 1er Cru is in magnificent form today.
Philip Togni Cabernet Sauvignon Estate: 1983-2014
napa, Verticals & Retrospectives, featured
, Dec 2025
Philip Togni’s long, distinguished career stretches across eight decades, during which he has turned out some of the most brilliant wines in Napa Valley. This unforgettable vertical tasting and dinner at Union Square Café surveyed a vast number of vintages all the way back to 1983, Togni’s debut from his estate vineyard on Spring Mountain. The audience, which included several fellow winemakers who traveled to New York for this tasting and many consumers with deep cellars, left no doubt as to where Togni stands among the greatest estates in Napa Valley and the world.
Cavallotto: Raiding the Cellar
Verticals & Retrospectives, Italy: Piedmont, featured
, Dec 2025
The first edition of Vinous Icons: Italy, held in May 2025, got off to a serious bang with this vertical tasting and dinner of Cavallotto Barolos dating back to the 1960s. It was a special evening of superb wine, food and the kind of camaraderie that the best wines inspire. We surveyed Barolos across six decades, a great opportunity to examine how these wines have developed over several generations.
Vinous Table: La Pagode de Cos & Restaurant Le Gabriel, Paris, France
Vinous Table
, Dec 2025
Tucked away in the 8th Arrondissement, not too far away from some of the most famous shopping areas in Paris, Michel Reybier’s La Réserve is home to several restaurants. The three-Michelin-star Le Gabriel is the hotel’s signature destination restaurant, while La Pagode de Cos offers a more informal environment within the context of high-end Paris hotels. I recently enjoyed exceptional meals at both.
Giacomo Conterno: Seven Decades of Barolo Riserva Monfortino
Verticals & Retrospectives, Italy: Piedmont, featured
, Dec 2025
La Festa del Barolo 2024 was full of highlights. Our vertical tasting and dinner featuring Conterno’s flagship Barolo Riserva Monfortino was one of the most highly anticipated events of the weekend. It was a magical night. The wines spoke with tremendous eloquence, while our guests brought energy and enthusiasm to match.