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Santa Barbara 2024: Shifting the Spotlight
United States: California, featured
, Sep 2026
Wines across Santa Barbara County reached impressive heights once again in 2024, but not always in the ways you might expect. Though the region has long been broadly synonymous with high-quality Pinot Noir from the Sta. Rita Hills, the Chardonnays, Syrahs and Cabernets coming out of the county’s many subregions have exploded in quality in recent years. This year, the spotlight turns to these other players, setting the stage for the region’s very bright next chapter.
Cellar Favorite: 2013 Keller Riesling Westhofener Kirchspiel Grosses Gewächs
Germany, cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites
, Aug 2026
Pure and deeply mineral, the 2013 Riesling Westhofener Kirchspiel Grosses Gewächs is drinking beautifully today and should deliver for the next five years.
Vinous Table: Bell’s, Los Alamos, California
Vinous Table, United States: California
, Aug 2026
Bell’s is the finest restaurant in Santa Barbara wine country. Locally sourced ingredients and soulful, precise cooking come together in an experience that radiates California class.
Cellar Favorite: 2016 Tyler Cabernet Sauvignon Happy Canyon Vineyard RSW
United States: California, cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites
, Jul 2026
A decade on, the 2016 Tyler Cabernet Sauvignon Happy Canyon Vineyard RSW has settled into its tenth year in absolutely suave, sophisticated style.
Santa Cruz Mountains 2023 and 2024: A Rising Tide
United States: California, featured
, Jun 2026
Something exciting is happening in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Long defined by a handful of benchmark estates and the sheer difficulty of farming its rugged terrain, the region is entering a new chapter. Ambition, collaboration and a wave of compelling small producers are bringing fresh energy to one of California’s most distinctive winegrowing landscapes.
Rosé, Reframed
featured
, Jun 2026
In a global wine market plagued by macroeconomic uncertainty, declining sales, tariffs, reports of less alcohol consumption among younger drinkers and a general sense of unease, the once white-hot Rosé category has been in limbo since its 2019 peak. But the numbers tell a more nuanced story than simple decline. Rosé is showing surprising resilience.
Cellar Favorite: 2006 Cayuse Vineyards Bionic Frog
United States: Washington, cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites
, Jun 2026
Now at age 20, the 2006 Bionic Frog is a wild, feral, mind-bendingly complex wine that has aged with supreme grace.
2024 Santa Lucia Highlands: It’s Complicated
United States: California, featured
, May 2026
On paper, 2024 looked like a return to normal in the Santa Lucia Highlands, but the wines tell a different story. After a string of extreme vintages, the growing season in the SLH seemed relatively straightforward. However, thick skins, compact clusters and a stop-start harvest produced something more complicated: thrilling whites, deeply structured reds and a slew of wines that don’t follow the usual script.
Cellar Favorite: 2013 Rhys Vineyards Pinot Noir Alpine Vineyard
United States: California, cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites
, Apr 2026
The 2013 Pinot Noir Alpine Vineyard is a bit of a stylistic outlier for Rhys, but it’s drinking beautifully today.
Cellar Favorite: 1978 Mount Eden Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Bottled
United States: California, cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites
, Apr 2026
Mount Eden’s 1978 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Bottled is dripping with old-school cool, clearly a wine from a different era. What an enjoyable snapshot of the glory days of California Cabernet it is.