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The New Face of Cava
featured, Spain
, Apr 2026
Spain’s most famous sparkling wine is going through a period of transition. Since 2021, new legislation and adjusted regulations have revitalized a category that had lost its shine in recent years. The new releases featured in this report offer a tantalizing glimpse of a brighter future for Cava.
Tuscany’s Quintessential Underdogs
Italy: Tuscany, featured
, Apr 2026
Step outside Tuscany’s famous DOCGs, and you’ll find that much of the region’s potential lies in its lesser-known appellations. My latest tastings revealed a quality revolution among smaller producers who are crafting wines of grace, structural depth and aging potential that rival Tuscany’s elite.
Southwold: 2016 Bordeaux, Ten Years On
featured, France: Bordeaux, Verticals & Retrospectives, France: Bordeaux featured Verticals and Retrospectives
, Apr 2026
The Bordeaux 2016s were lauded upon release. Now it’s time to put them to the test via two exceptional tastings, one sighted and the other blind, to see whether the wines deliver as they reach their tenth birthday.
In the Sweet Spot: Paso Robles 2023s and 2024s
featured, United States: California
, Apr 2026
Paso Robles is enjoying a stylistic revolution while remaining true to its core principles of power and grace, moving away from heavy-handed extraction and toward fresher, livelier wines. From the Goldilocks perfection of the 2023s to the promising 2024s, this report dives into the estates and varieties that are redefining one of California’s most exciting frontiers.
Castillo Ygay 1959–2016: A Legacy in Present Tense
featured, Spain, Verticals & Retrospectives
, Apr 2026
Marqués de Murrieta is central to Rioja’s identity, and few wines embody the region’s capacity for aging like the Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial. First released in 1893, Ygay has long served as a benchmark. In this vertical tasting, I examine its evolution through vintages spanning 1959 to 2016.
Fusion Over Force: The Sadie Family Columella 2001-2020
featured, South Africa, Verticals & Retrospectives
, Apr 2026
Eben Sadie’s flagship wine, Columella, played a crucial role in South Africa’s rise as one of the world’s most exciting wine regions. This article tells the story of The Sadie Family Wines and explores the philosophy of a visionary winemaker.
2022, 2023 and 2024: The Rioja Renaissance
featured, Spain
, Apr 2026
Spain’s best-known wine region is undergoing a transformation as economic contraction breeds stylistic rejuvenation. While the broader industry is suffering, a new generation of winemakers is redefining the style of the region’s wines and expanding Rioja’s appeal in the process. This report features in-depth commentary on those producers, along with several hundred reviews of wines that represent a bridge between Rioja’s past, present and future.
2026 Tuscany Preview
Italy: Tuscany, featured
, Apr 2026
Spring is a time of renewal. Vines are awaking from their winter dormancy while new releases start appearing in the market at a rapid pace. This report looks at some of the year’s most anticipated releases, along with some newer projects, with an emphasis on the Tuscan Coast. Full coverage will follow later in the year.
Mas Jullien: A Languedoc Tale
featured, France
, Apr 2026
Olivier Jullien is one of the trailblazers in the Languedoc. Jullien founded his domaine in 1985 with just three hectares of vineyards. At the time, Languedoc was known mostly for turning out volumes of largely undistinguished wines. But Jullien had a different vision, a vision of an estate focused on sustainable farming, low yields and minimalist winemaking. It was a radical departure from the world Jullien grew up in, where vignerons like his father sold grapes to the local cooperative. This collection of mini-verticals back to 1989 provided a terrific opportunity to taste new releases as well as revisit many older vintages
Vasse Felix Tom Cullity 2013-2022
featured, Verticals & Retrospectives, Australia
, Mar 2026
Questions of genuine longevity often hang over wines from the New World. A recent full vertical tasting of Vasse Felix’s Tom Cullity, partially made with fruit from Margaret River’s oldest vines, beautifully displayed not only the ageability but also the growing confidence and stature of Margaret River’s leading Cabernet Sauvignons.