Welcome to 2023! We have twelve new months for Wine Focus. This year it's all about benchmarks.
But it's not that easy. Let's face it, many of the true benchmarks have escalated in price to the point where they are only available to the wealthy. Unless one was lucky enough to squirrel away a few bottles years ago it's a very rare treat to be able to drink wines like Latour, DRC, or even Trimbach's Clos Ste. Hune.
Of course benchmarks don't need to be the most expensive examples of a wine. There are outstanding examples at a number of price points for any area. The challenge is finding them. The hunt used to be easier, but then wines like Leoville Barton and Dauvissat climbed the price ladder out of daily indulgence territory.
So this year the Focus is to consider:
- What are the benchmarks for the twelve selected grapes, both historic and new, in their "home" regions
- What are some wines that display many of the same qualities as the benchmarks, but at a fraction of the cost. Given the huge improvements in viticulture and wine making over the last 30-50 years, some of the less heralded (and so less expensive) wines may very well be better quality than some of the benchmarks were in the 1960s and 1970s.
- Are there emerging (or established) regions outside of the historic homes where these grapes have established entirely new benchmarks, especially affordable ones!
Here's the 2023 calendar:
January - Benchmark of Tempranillo - Rioja/Ribera del Duero
February - Benchmark of Sangiovese - Chianti Classico/BdM/RdM
March - Benchmark of Chenin Blanc - Vouvray/Montluis
April - Benchmark of Cabernet Sauvignon blends - Pauillac/Médoc
May - Benchmark of Gamay - Beaujolais
June - Benchmark of Sauvignon Blanc - Sancerre/Pouilly-Fumé
July - Benchmark of Nebbiolo - Piemonte/Valtellina/Carema
August - Benchmark of Chardonnay - Chablis/Côte de Beaune
September - Benchmark of Syrah - Northern Rhône
October - Benchmark of Pinot Noir - Côte de Nuits/Beaune/Chalonnaise
November - Benchmark of Riesling - Alsace/Mosel/Wachau
December - Benchmark of Grenache - Southern Rhône