Wine Spectator

Visit WineSpectator.com/111524 to find links to all of the following resources. TOP 100 WINES OF THE YEAR On Nov. 11, we begin unveiling the Top 10 Wines of 2024—complete with videos, tasting notes and more—culminating with the Wine of the Year on Nov. 15 and the complete Top 100 list on Nov. 18. Don’t miss the year’s most exciting wines! FREE RESOURCES FOR ALL WINESPECTATOR.COM READERS DAILY WINE PICKS Every day of the week, get a recently reviewed wine handpicked by our editors for its value, collectability or another wow-factor that makes it worthy of the spotlight. Visit WineSpectator.com to see each day’s pick, plus the full archive of these standout wines. WINE & HEALTH Keep on top of the latest research with our regular Health News reports, get your questions answered in our…

In my July 31 editor’s letter, I shared with you my experience tasting two very special California Cabernets: 1941 Inglenook estate-bottled Cabernet Sauvignon and 1958 Beaulieu Vineyard. I opened these rare wines on the occasion of a visit from Christian Moueix, an icon of both Bordeaux and Napa Valley, home to his Dominus Estate. As I promised then, the time has come to share the fascinating conversation that preceded our tasting of these wines. My sit-down with Moueix represents the latest in a series of interviews I have conducted with friends who are living legends of wine. As Moueix is considered by many to be a very private individual, I was impressed with his candor. Our discussion, spanning his early years stewarding Pétrus to his ambitious adventures in Napa, was filled with…

An interesting trend has popped up in California’s wine industry—some winery founders who had sold their companies to larger players years ago are getting the chance to buy them back. Most recently, James MacPhail purchased his namesake brand from Hess Persson in August, 13 years after selling it (and eight years after stepping away as winemaker). “I love how it’s come full circle,” MacPhail told Wine Spectator. “I don’t think many winemakers get the opportunity to have a career where something comes back. I love that authenticity.” MacPhail founded MacPhail Family Wines in 2001, part of a wave of Pinot Noir wineries launched in the late 1990s and early 2000s. MacPhail wines regularly earned outstanding scores on Wine Spectator’s 100-point scale. But a 2008 wildfire in California’s Anderson Valley resulted in smoke-tainted…

Three hundred–acre estates are hard to come by in Napa Valley, so when one arrives on the market, you might think that finding a new steward comes down to the highest bid. But when Kelly Fleming decided to sell her property and winery, she opted for the neighbor who would agree to keep it intact. Fleming announced Aug. 16 that she had sealed an agreement with Hundred Acre Wines owner Jayson Woodbridge. “With Jayson, the estate stays in one piece,” Fleming told Wine Spectator, noting that was an essential element of the agreement. The deal includes a massive 286-acre estate, of which just 12 acres are planted to vines (primarily Cabernet Sauvignon), a 5,000- square-foot winery with aging caves, and a separate residence. Fleming will retain the brand and its inventory,…

Milan-based Campari Group has been drawn into the battle for Château Miraval. Operated by Brad Pitt and the Châteauneuf-du-Pape–based Perrin family, the winery entered into an exclusive distribution agreement with Campari in September 2023 aimed at marketing Miraval rosés as a pre-dinner aperitif. Yet Nouvel, Jolie’s former company, wants to know how, amid a legal dispute with Pitt and his partners, Campari was permitted to secure the rights to become the sole distributor. Campari isn’t the first company to be pulled into the former spouses’ feud over the 1,300-acre Provence estate they purchased in 2012. Pitt filed a lawsuit against Jolie in 2022 for selling her share of Miraval to Stoli Group, owned by businessman Yuri Shefler, without Pitt’s knowledge or consent. Nouvel countersued for $250 million, claiming that Pitt and…

A luxurious Napa Valley hotel is swapping one winemaking proprietor for another. PA Capital Management, which owns Sullivan Rutherford Estate and Loco Tequila, has bought Poetry Inn in the Stags Leap District from the Lede family of Cliff Lede Vineyards. The purchase price was not disclosed. “As a family group, we [strive] to demonstrate our passion for generous hospitality, genuine service and the highest level of purpose,” said CEO Juan Pablo Torres-Padilla. Poetry Inn sits at the end of a steep driveway that traverses Cliff Lede’s Poetry Vineyard. Designed by architect Howard Backen, the five-room inn includes woodburning fireplaces, large soaking tubs and private decks with open-air showers. They all enjoy west-facing views that stretch to the Mayacamas Mountains on the far side of the valley. The property was an aging B&B…