The wine industry has blessed me with ample opportunities for connection. Connection to people, to the produce of this vast world, and to my own history. As a look back on a year of personal and professional change, I am grateful for the abundance in my life and the generosity of the people who make it possible.
This list of the 12 most memorable wines of 2023 is not a list of the very best wines, although they are often extraordinary, but of wine experiences.
Without further ado: Here are the Most Memorable Wines of 2023 in order of memorability.
Kopke 1978 Colheita Porto
#1 Most Memorable of 2023.
I began my big Portugal trip with the exhilarating Wine Future Conference in Coimbra. The sessions were wonderful and the conversations with some of the smartest people in the wine business were even better.
But the tastings were legendary. The flagship tasting of the event was a tasting of “Legendary & Historic Madiera & Port by Richard Mayson.” It was almost too decadent and I might have filled this entire post about it, but I’ll settle for a beautifully warming birth year single harvest tawny from Kopke.
Taylor’s 50 Year Old “Golden Age” Tawny Porto
#2 Most Memorable of 2023.
Later that same day (!!!!) our group were guests of Adrian Bridge and The Fladgate Partnership in one of their restaurants on the WOW Porto campus. The law in Portugal had recently changed to allow 50 Year Old Tawnies and we were treated to this exquisite port out of large format.
It was the vinous essence of curling up around a roaring fire with a good book. Fabulous stuff.
Foradori 2001 Granato
#3 Most Memorable of 2023
I had a chance to return to Panama City, Panama with Steve Maher of Cutting Edge Selections. We hauled a few bottles of wine down in our suitcase, including some old stragglers from the depths of the CES Warehouse. We didn’t know if it was going to still be good, but I’m a huge fan of Foradori. As you can see by the numerous videos on this website from the winery.
It was perfect. Full of rich smoke, earth, stone, blood, fire. Something truly special.
Ken Wright Cellars 2012 Pinot Noir “Tanager Vineyard”
#4 Most Memorable of 2023
2023 was the year that I retired from my position as Vice President of Marketing at Cutting Edge Selections. It was after founder Mark Maher’s sudden passing in 2016 that I first joined the management team. This large format bottle was signed by Mark’s friends, family, employees, and customers, at his funeral. It was a wonderful honor to be able to enjoy it during the company party at Cafe Mediterranean in Cincinnati.
Ken Wright’s Pinot Noirs always reward aging and this was no exception.
Chateau Talbot 1986 Saint-Julien
#5 Most Memorable of 2023
The Earle in Ann Arbor, Michigan is a secret gem of a restaurant for wine lovers. It has a fabulous selection of classic mature wines at insanely reasonable prices. A group of friends and I try to rain their cellar every change we get.
This mature Bordeaux is the UR-Bordeaux. I’ve never tasted Left Bank perfection like this with dignity, length, complexity, and a mix of black cherries and graphite.
Kobal Bajta Blaufränkisch Rosé Pet Nat
#6 Most Memorable of 2023
This Pet-Nat from the steep slopes of Haloze, Slovenia is pure hedonistic deliciousness. I poured this every time I had the chance this year - Columbus Ohio Natural Wine Festival & Rosé Partay in Louisville come to mind. It always makes everyone happy.
Once the weather gets warm, I’ll be enjoying this everywhere again!
Hiyu Espina II, Grape, Pear, Plum, Elderberry, Rose Hip, Blackberry Wine
#7 Most Memorable of 2023
More Crazy-Fun Natural Wine! I was a fan of Hiyu wines before Third Coast Soif in Chicago, but tasting all the crazy-beautiful solidified that opinion.
This tastes like homemade fruit wine made by fae creatures that are trying to seduce you to become their monarch. It would work on me.
Clos de la Roilette 2021 Fleurie
#8 Most Memorable of 2023
This was just a shockingly beautiful Beaujolais that was taken out on a beautiful sunny day and every customer bought some. How it is supposed to work
Tomac Amfora Brut Nature
#9 Most Memorable of 2023
Visiting Tomac in Plešivica, Croatia during the 2021 Vinum distributor trip was one of the highlights of the entire week. I immediately started selling the small amount of wine that was available. Unfortunately, the profound Amphora sparkling wine wasn’t one of the options.
You can imagine my pleasure when a friend brought me back a bottle of this rare wine during his trip to Croatia. I enjoyed its offbeat richness with beautiful raw oysters on a friend’s balcony in the spring of 2023
Chateau Gilette 1978 Sauternes
#10 Most Memorable of 2023
I love chasing birth year wines, but I am cursed with a below average vintage. The classic age worthy regions - Bordeaux and Vintage Port - both didn’t perform well in 1978. One can always count on dessert wine and we are living through an era of extreme undervaluing of dessert wine on the secondary market. This wine was picked up for less than it would have cost on release. The wine was beautiful and shared with friends over a nice cheese tray assembled by the world class team at The Rhined in Cincinnati.
Brown Estate 2021 Zinfandel
#11 Most Memorable of 2023
One of the best wine-related moments last year was being able to represent Brown Estate at the first Black Wine Festival in Cincinnati. Brown Estate is the first (and maybe only) black-owned estate winery in the Napa Valley.
The event was very fun, full of energy, and a great experience. I really enjoyed introducing the wines to lots of people and telling the winery story.
Joh. Jos Prum 2001 Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Auslese
#12 Most Memorable of 2023
It is hard to think that 22 years from vintage date is still infanticide for a wine, but Prum wines are something else. Delicious, hedonistic, dense, aromatically complex, and still needed a couple more decades in the cellar. Wow!
Disclosure 1: At the time of this writing, I no longer work for the wholesale distributor that represents some of these wines in Ohio and Kentucky, but I did for more than half the year. Neither my representation of these wines or lack thereof, affects this list in any way.
Disclosure 2: The wines on this list were a combination of promotional samples, purchased at discount due to my industry status, tasted as part of wine tastings (some paid and some free,) tasted with friends who purchased them, or purchased by myself at full price. None of this influences my decisions or ranking.