What Wines to Drink in 2023 - Our Team's Favorites!
A new year is here and let's be honest - we created Encork because we love tasting wine, comparing wine, and getting the most out of a bottle :). To enjoy life at its fullest, our philosophy is to accompany the best moments with a bottle of fine wine. In addition to promoting relaxation, wine is said to provide various health benefits when consumed in moderation. With new wines coming out all the time, you may be wondering what wines I should be drinking in 2023. We've got our opinions and would love to share them with you! This article will give you a rundown of what we voted to be the best of the best.
Chalk Hill has made a name for itself with its white wine varieties. Now it’s stepping out with a syrah that offers notes of allspice and blueberry with clove and dark chocolate undertones. It offers a rich toasted oak flavor and a legendary finish.
2019 Don Melchor Cabernet Sauvignon Puente Alto Vineyard $125
This 2019 release may be one of Chile’s finest. It has deep chocolate, vanilla, and black fruit flavors that maintain a high level of smoothness. It evolves with finishing notes of violet, lavender, and licorice.
2009 Louis Dousset Assemblage Grand Cru Brut $70
This wine is a product of the Dousset family who are known for cultivating premium vintage wines since 1844. Their biodynamic and sustainable vineyard is noted for producing some top shelf products. This particular wine is described as having a peach scent complemented by honey, tangerine, red apple, and strawberry flavors. It has a youthful, tangy vibe and an appley finish.
2013 Produttori de Barbaresco Montefico Riserva $69
This wine is still young, but it will come into its own in 2023. It offers hints of wild berry and chopped herb with leathery, earthy undertones. Once it hits the palate, you will detect flavors of wild cherry, licorice, raspberry, and white pepper. The notable tannins and acidity make the wine youthful yet assertive.
2009 Archery Summit Arcus Estate Pinot Noir (Dundee Hills) $82
Spicy, fruity, and complex, this wine boasts a variety of intermingling flavors such as black cherry, licorice, cola, sandalwood, allspice, and pine. The various notes have been sculpted into a youthful wine that will remain vibrant for years to come.
2011 CVNE Imperial Gran Reserva (Rioja) $67
This vintage wine keeps things contemporary with a spiced plum flavor and hints of fig, black olive, and smokey tobacco. It is balanced by berry fruits and plum undertones. The finish is smooth and elegant making this Gran Reserva one to watch.
2016 Sicilia Cembali Nero D’Avola DOC $30
One of the many fine red wines to come out of Italy, this bold red offers rich plum notes with hints of pepper and licorice. The silky feel will linger in your mouth making it the perfect thing to warm you on a cold winter night.
2015 Fiddlehead Cellars Seven Twenty-Eight Pinot Noir Santa Rita Hills $46
This 7-year-old release is the latest from Fiddlehead Cellars. It has a dark chocolate taste complemented by fruity undertones. At $46 a bottle, it’s quite a bargain.
2015 Yangarra Ironheart Shiraz (McLaren Vale) $80
This wine is special as it was grown outside the Yangarra vineyards in ironstone soils (hence the name). as a result, it offers nuances of the warm pavement alongside fruity undertones of red currant, plum, and raspberry. The tannins add to the somewhat spicey flavor.
2010 Cayuse Cailloux Vineyard Syrah (Walla Walla Valley, WA) $85
With a 2010 year, this wine is really coming into its maturity. It will hit you with an explosive scent of floral and citrus with orange peel dominating your senses. It opens up with cherry fruit and umami flavorings. The unending finish makes it a treat for the palate.
2015 Kistler Cuvee Cathleen Kistler Vineyard Chardonnay (Sonoma Valley) $179
This wine boasts the unique flavorings of the various soil series and clonal selection in which it was grown. The production lends it a layered, complex flavor with lingering acidity. Its bright inviting taste boats hints of fennel, dried apricot, and the broken shale, oyster shell, and white flower of the ground it was grown in.
2002 Nikolaihof Vinothek Riesling (Wachau) $175
The wine will entice you with its aroma. It will keep you hooked with a juicy palate that hints at both freshly baked apple pie and smooth lanoline. Its youthful full flavors are bright and calming all at once.
2005 Freemark Abbey Bosche Cabernet Sauvignon (Rutherford) $75
Uniquely dry and earthy, this cabernet offers hints of sage and licorice before exploding with fruity flavors such as blackberry, cherry, and raspberry. Its rich tannins give the wine a bold taste. This is clearly a product of small Bosche bottling and is set to age well for years to come.
The wines listed above will put you in good shape to make 2023 the best year ever. Which will you be adding to your collection?