50 Best wines of 2023, Vinepair, November 15, 2023
VinePair website
November 15, 2023
VinePair Staff
“The 50 Best wines of 2023”
“As 2023 comes to a close, we have yet another opportunity to reflect on the stellar cast of wines we’ve sampled this year at VinePair HQ. Bottles from around the world — from trusted classics to unexpected delights — pulled our hearts in every direction with their charm and verve.
White Cabernet Franc from Long Island? Sure! Vermentino from California? Why not! Refošk from Slovenia? Bring it on!
As always, every bottle we tasted in 2023 was considered for review, our popular buying guides, as well as this, our annual ranking of the 50 best wines of the year. Those tastings saw us traverse the U.S. and beyond, to Australia, France, Italy, Croatia, and more.
Some themes emerge with closer inspection of the list. We deepened our love of chillable reds, with enchanting bottles from Valpolicella and Beaujolais inspiring us to save a spot in the fridge for red wines, too. We developed a taste for juicy rosés from Austria. And we found treasure in the Willamette Valley, with Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and sparkling wine from thoughtful producers all catching our attention.
Although classic California bottles continue to stand out, we discovered greatness in wines that push the boundaries of what exactly ‘California wine’ is. Don’t expect jammy, over-extracted oak bombs. Prepare instead for vibrant Gamay from Sonoma, peppery Cabernet Franc from Santa Barbara, and two Zinfandels that show elegance and restraint.
The wines listed below were tasted and reviewed by VinePair’s tasting panel, which compiled an initial list of our favorite wines from 2023, then pared it down to 50 based on quality, value, and availability in the U.S.”
43. 2018 Argyle Knudsen Vineyard Blanc de Blancs – 90 Points
“Founded in 1987, Argyle is one of the essential estates in the Dundee Hills sub-appellation of Oregon’s Willamette Valley. Though it makes both still and sparkling expressions of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, Argyle is most known for its precise, single-vineyard sparkling expressions, like this Blanc de Blancs. It has a rich nose with aromas of apricot, lemon zest, and almond biscotti. These notes are lifted on the palate by bright acidity and a delicate mousse.”