2024’s Wine of the Year Ushers In a New Year Full of Grapes Promise — What To Look Forward To In the Wine World

Now that we’ve said hello to 2025, I look forward to a fresh slate of wines from around the world, new vintages included, of course. The plan calls for me sampling wines on a regular basis, and I will introduce you to a myriad of new bottles and producers. I’ll also taste current releases of old favorites and standbys, bring you new voices and personalities, and report on trends and events in the world of wine, including the continued impact of global warming, changing consumption habits and the latest “in-style” wines.

Yes, we’ll have food pairings and some recipes as well, not to mention reviews of spirits and the occasional culinary-based item. The next 12 months promise wine abundance.

To usher in the new year, let’s discuss the wine that was awarded the No. 1 spot on Wine Spectator’s Top 100 Wines of the World for 2024. It’s the 2021 Viña Don Melchor Cabernet Sauvignon Puente Alto Vineyard, and you can get it for $150 directly from the producer, and at lower prices at many wine retailers. It carries a suggested retail price of $175.

Enrique Tirado is the winemaker at Viña Don Melchor, and his reputation is one of excellence. He’s been in charge of production at Don Melchor since the harvest of 1997, and his experience and talent are on display in the 2021, the 35th vintage of this wine.

The Puente Alto Vineyard, a Chilean landmark, encompasses 314 acres and seven major parcels, and was originally planted more than a century ago. It was replanted after Concha y Toro, the parent company of Don Melchor, purchased it in 1968. The 2o21 crop is mainly cabernet sauvignon, with 4 percent cabernet franc and 3 percent merlot. This is a serious wine, and since I like to offer a food pairing with the wines I recommend, I urge you to buy the finest example of ribeye steak you can find and cook it medium rare, with nothing but olive oil, salt and pepper.

Let it rest for eight to 10 minutes before you slice it. The Don Melchor’s velvety aroma – I savored the tobacco and cacao notes – impressed me, as did the kirsch and raspberry hints. Sensual tannins and a long, confident finish complete the package. No matter what one thinks of the Wine Spectator rankings, this wine would be a fine addition to your cellar.

“The 2021 vintage provided us with very expressive wines, brimming with concentration, dense and long, that cast a spotlight on the fruit and textural quality of every variety grown in the Don Melchor Vineyard, displaying a fine balance between finesse and energy, with extremely expressive flavors and aromas,” Tirado notes. The winemaker sums it up with grace.

Wine Reading

Wine and reading go together well, and an enormous number of books devoted to all aspects of the wine world have been published. I am often asked for book recommendations, and while my culinary library is always expanding, I want to offer two of my all-time favorites, works that should be in any oenophile’s collection.

The first one I purchased many years ago in Germany, and it became worn and dog-eared from the myriad times I opened it for research. That original copy was long ago recycled, but the 8th edition of The World Atlas of Wine, by Hugh Johnson and Jancis Robinson, is available. Johnson wrote the first edition of this masterpiece, which was published in 1971, and the subsequent three editions, and Robinson took over in 1998 and has been in charge of  the most recent four editions, including the current (8th) edition. Its 417 pages are packed with the wisdom and wit of Johnson and Robinson, along with stellar maps and charts and other information that will become indispensable. I look forward to many future editions of this work.

The second book, which I cherish and recommend without hesitation, is The Vines of San Lorenzo by Edward Steinberg. Its subtitle is “Making a Great Wine in the New Tradition,” and the author’s wonderfully captivating storytelling draws the reader in from the opening page. The volume tells the tale of the Gaja Sorì San Lorenzo 1989 vintage and brings to life Angelo Gaja, a legend of the wine world who made barbaresco a star.

The book includes vintage photographs of some of the personalities that populate Steinberg’s tale, including members of the Gaja family, and transports one to the lands and soils that have produced some of the finest wines ever made. Literary in style and never slow, The Vines of San Lorenzo makes for a classic read.

As always, drink well, among those you love.

For more wine, food, travel and others stories from James Brock, check out Mise en Place.