JebDunnuck.com

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In his latest report, Jeb Dunnuck paints an enthusiastic picture of the 2024 vintage in Paso Robles, calling it an excellent year marked by ripe fruit, expressive aromatics, and opulent textures. Despite a growing season punctuated by intense July heat waves, cooler breaks in September helped preserve balance, giving the wines a striking mix of power and freshness. The report also unveils a new hierarchy of San Luis Obispo County's top producers, built from nearly two decades of tastings, along with an early look at the 2025 vintage, which leans cooler and closer in style to 2023.

Paso Robles: The Sun-Kissed 2024s and a Classification of the County’s Top Estates
"It would be hard to overstate how far Paso Robles has come over the past 15–20 years. The region has made world-class wines for decades, but that level of quality was once concentrated among a small group of estates. Today, far more producers are reaching those heights, and the overall standard has risen dramatically." - Jeb Dunnuck

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In this new report, Virginie Boone explores how Ribera del Duero is confronting one of its most difficult stretches in memory: wildfires, extreme heat, and the slow depopulation of Spain's rural interior, while still producing some of its finest wines in years. From the scorched hills of Ávila to the quiet, old-vine villages of Soria, Virginie traces how the region's producers are looking to their past, and to Tempranillo's adaptive roots, to secure its future. Tasting through vintages 2021 to 2025, she finds a region under pressure but not without hope, with more than a few winemakers calling 2025 the best of their careers.

Great Wines from Challenging Times: Ribera Del Duero 2021-2025
"Alas, through the challenges of empty Spain and fires and unknowable weather, more than a few producers told me they think 2025 might be the best vintage of their career." Virginie Boone

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In her latest report, Audrey Frick takes an in-depth look at the Willamette Valley's 2024 and 2023 vintages, two years she describes as markedly different in character yet united by remarkable quality. While 2023 offered producers a welcome return to straightforward growing conditions after a run of challenging vintages, 2024 emerges as something more extraordinary: a vintage repeatedly compared by the region's top producers to the legendary 1999, defined not by power but by balance, precision, and an unmistakable sense of place. Beyond the wines themselves, Audrey's visit reveals a region in confident evolution, from established estates refining their identities to a wave of exciting new producers pushing Oregon Chardonnay and Pinot Noir to new heights.

An In-Depth Look at The Willamette Valley: 2024 and 2023
"At a time when so much of the conversation surrounding wine is dominated by economic uncertainty and declining consumption, Oregon continues to be defined by the quality of its wines, the generosity of its people, and an unwavering drive to continue improving." Audrey Frick

An In-Depth Look at The Willamette Valley: 2024 and 2023 - JebDunnuck.com This report takes an in-depth look at the Willamette Valley’s current and upcoming releases from the 2024 and 2023 vintages. As discussed in last year’s report, 2023 in Oregon told a very different story from that of California. While Sonoma and Napa experienced a cool, late harvest, the Willame...

Paris: Benjamin Schmitt Restaurant:
"On my final evening in Paris before heading home from my annual Champagne coverage, I met with our new critic and contributor, Kate Janecek, for dinner at Benjamin Schmitt in the 9th arrondissement. Originally from Toronto and now based in Bordeaux, Kate will be covering the Loire Valley and Chablis for JebDunnuck.com. Recommended by several of her Parisian friends for its exceptional wine list, Benjamin Schmitt felt like the perfect place to unwind after two busy weeks in Champagne." - Audrey Frick
Read the full write up from the link in the comments!

Dear Subscribers,
In this new regional report, Virginie Boone explores how Argentina's winemakers continue to push the boundaries of altitude, terroir, and ambition, turning the extremes of the Andes into some of the world's most compelling Malbecs, Cabernet Francs, and beyond. She breaks down the standout 2023-2025 vintages, the producers worth seeking out, and pays tribute to the country's beloved advocate Michel Rolland, whose influence on Argentine wine leaves a lasting legacy.

Argentina 2026: The Greatness Ramps Up
"Argentina has shown the world its fighting spirit and finesse for decades on the football pitch. That same sense of determination to be great is found in its wines." Virginie Boone

Link in comments!

"This past March I sat down in the Moueix office in Libourne and tasted every vintage of Château Bélair-Monange made to date, 2008 through 2023, along with a handful of older wines from Châteaux Belair and Magdelaine, the two estates that were combined to create it. Tasting 16 consecutive vintages in a single sitting gives you a clear picture of where an estate is, where it’s been, and the trajectory between the two. The short version: Bélair-Monange is now producing at the very top of Saint-Émilion, and I think the story of how it got there is worth telling in detail. It involves two Premiers Grands Crus Classés, a massive vineyard restructuring that pulled out most of the Cabernet Franc, four years of reinforcing an abandoned quarry, and a new state-of-the-art cellar located just outside the village of Saint-Émilion." - Jeb Dunnuck

Dear Subscribers,
In the latest report, Antoine Pétrus takes us deep into Bandol, the small Provençal appellation that has stubbornly resisted the pale, easy-drinking rosé wave sweeping the rest of the region. He shows us how it's built on the demanding Mourvèdre grape, twenty-five centuries of history, and a patchwork of distinct terroirs. He traces how this fiercely traditional appellation is now finding new precision and finesse, without losing what makes it unique.

An In-Depth Look At Bandol
"Bandol, however, remains one of the most undervalued regions in the French wine world: an exceptional hunting ground for the patient connoisseur, precisely because its greatness is still the preserve of those in the know" - Antoine Pétrus

Link below!

Dear Subscribers,
Audrey Frick's new Sonoma County report is live and it covers current releases from the 2024 and 2023 vintages.
A massive report and one of her most extensive looks at the region, it's drawn from a full three week trip through Sonoma with regional and portfolio tastings, tons of producer visits, and wines revisited at her office in New York.
The 2024s deliver fully ripe fruit and upfront appeal at moderate alcohol, with concentration and remarkable freshness. The 2023s, almost equally represented here, continue to impress for their transparency, energy, and sense of place. Both are brilliant vintages.
The report includes over 200 producers and close to 1,400 wines, including both benchmark and emerging producers. You won't find a more in-depth, comprehensive report on Sonoma.

2024 and 2023 Sonoma County
"Both vintages have produced outstanding wines, albeit in different styles, and together they represent one of the most compelling vintages of contrast and quality Sonoma has delivered in recent memory." - Audrey Frick