BY WINE ENTHUSIAST
Our blind reviewers tasted 23,000 wines this year. Boiling this down to The Enthusiast 100 is no mean feat (no wine was harmed in this process, don’t worry), but you, dear reader, are left with some of the most exciting wines in the world to discover.
As usual, our list features a number of upper-echelon price points, such as the nearly $400 Blandy’s Sercial Madeira from 1988, the $300 Napa, Champagne and Bordeaux in the $200 range. There are more than 25 others representing the $100-and-up range, from Spain’s Ribera del Duero and Portugal’s Alentejo to Australia’s Barossa Valley and Oregon’s Rogue Valley .
But The Enthusiast 100 isn’t just for deep-pocketed collectors: This list feature 14 wines priced $30 and under. There’s a $22 Cabernet Sauvignon from California’s Napa-adjacent Lake County , a $23 blend from Rhône Valley and a $29 Lambrusco from Central Italy , to name just a few.
Most significantly, this showcase serves those who appreciate wines from the entire globe. More than 14 countries grace the 2024 Wine Enthusiast 100, including Saperavi from Georgia , a sweet Tokaji from Hungary and three from Canada : two from Ontario and a Merlot from British Columbia. A grand total of 68 appellations from 36 different regions are represented, with especially strong stateside showings from Oregon, Washington and California, whose always-over-delivering Central Coast clocks in with 10 wines of the top 30 alone.
So please use this as a reference for buying wines, of course, but also as a map to plot your next wine country adventure . Because when any winery achieves this recognition, you can be confident that their neighbors are approaching similarly brilliant results through the same relentless passion and dedication.
—Matt Kettmann
As usual, our list features a number of upper-echelon price points, such as the nearly $400 Blandy’s Sercial Madeira from 1988, the $300 Napa, Champagne and Bordeaux in the $200 range. There are more than 25 others representing the $100-and-up range, from Spain’s Ribera del Duero and Portugal’s Alentejo to Australia’s Barossa Valley and Oregon’s Rogue Valley .
But The Enthusiast 100 isn’t just for deep-pocketed collectors: This list feature 14 wines priced $30 and under. There’s a $22 Cabernet Sauvignon from California’s Napa-adjacent Lake County , a $23 blend from Rhône Valley and a $29 Lambrusco from Central Italy , to name just a few.
Most significantly, this showcase serves those who appreciate wines from the entire globe. More than 14 countries grace the 2024 Wine Enthusiast 100, including Saperavi from Georgia , a sweet Tokaji from Hungary and three from Canada : two from Ontario and a Merlot from British Columbia. A grand total of 68 appellations from 36 different regions are represented, with especially strong stateside showings from Oregon, Washington and California, whose always-over-delivering Central Coast clocks in with 10 wines of the top 30 alone.
So please use this as a reference for buying wines, of course, but also as a map to plot your next wine country adventure . Because when any winery achieves this recognition, you can be confident that their neighbors are approaching similarly brilliant results through the same relentless passion and dedication.
—Matt Kettmann
2022
RUSSIAN RIVER VALLEY
PINOT NOIR
The wildly expressive and just plain awesome aromas of this single-vineyard expression from an iconic vineyard blast the nose with intense black raspberry, black cherry, rhubarb pie and star anise aromas. The structure grabs the palate tightly right away, giving a stage for the pure flavors of black cherry sorbet, mint, caramel and star anise to entertain long into the finish.
— Matt Kettmann
— Matt Kettmann
