Oh my. Only 73. I was rarely a reader but he was certainly a consequential voice in the business. My sympathies to his family.
Agreed. He was a significant player in Napaās growth to what it is today. Way too youngā¦
We met a couple of times. Decent fellow. Sad news.
Very sad. RIP.
Rest in Peace indeed. He was a prominent voice for a very long time.
Was very sad to hear that Jim passed away this week. Itās a challenge to build a wine brand and we are eternally grateful to Jim, as he put our small winery on the map with our 2004 Stagecoach Vineyard Cabernet, Later Jim (and WS) named us as āone of twenty new cab producers to watch.ā We felt like we hit the lottery twice. RIP Jim and thank you. K&Jš·
Holy crap. I have one of his books. Too bad. RIP James.
Never met him. But seemed like.a handsome dude who would be fun to drink with. I appreciated his subdued writing style amid a lot of overheated prose in the 90s.
For old folks, that seems awfully young! I didnāt agree with all of his notes but I respected him as a wine critic. The one bias that I tend to agree with him is that most Cali wines drink best on the early side. A lot of his 10 year retrospectives would tend to validate this. Perhaps this is only for āmodernā Napa/Cali Cabs but I think it is a take that resonates with me. Now for the really old timers who still wax about those great Cabs from the 60s and 70s perhaps they just hated Laube and a perceived affinity for more modern wine making. On another note I never really picked up on the TCA thing from Montelena and I did try the wine, but he did sort of die on that Hill! Anyhow, he was pretty iconic at least in my mind.
One other thought - the greatest tragedy of all - to die with a cellar full of wine. Drink up!
I love my kid. She will both appreciate and enjoy the wine. 
I didnāt come across him until the 10ās mostly because Napa isnāt my thing, but I appreciated his writing style for the same reason you did and he not only gave the vibe that heād be fun to enjoy a glass with but that Iād probably find Iād have enjoyed Napa wines even more during his presence, due to his understated passion.
I recall his 1989 California Cabernet book and it was great fun to drink with my friends and compare our opinions to his.
Back when Cali āfirst growthsā were about 30 bucks.
RIP.
Yeah I love my kid too, but unfortunately he doesnāt love wine. Anything I donāt drink goes off to auction. Sigh.
I have that book and still enjoy reading through it to see both the classic producers that still exist and the others that are gone.
He was a good part of my early wine education.
That book was within armās length when I read your post. I referred to it quite a bit back in the 90s.
When I was ITB I used to cuss him and his palette. Me and my friends refused to make wines for his style (big oak, heavily extracted) as it didnāt suit OUR style.
Now that time has passed I tip my cap to him. He knew what he liked and basically transformed the style of an entire ā¦and world renowned wine region. When I was in my tasting prime, I couldnāt taste more than about 25-30 wines blind and taking notes until I would burn out. Folks who review wines for a living have my deepest respect, itās not at all fun or easy.
When I was with Coro Mendocino some of the group wanted to send the wines in for reviewā¦there were about 8-9 members at the time. Majority ruled and my wine got a 79. I said Iād tattoo that score on my ass (as I had the Coro logo tattooed on my shoulder) but chose wisely not to.
worth way more than that. the 06 was a fine wine indeed. i still have a bottle.
Early in my wine journey, I subscribed to The Wine Spectator and read James Laubeās reviews and articles on a regular basis. I did not always agree with his analysis or tasting notes, yet I did discover many great wines through his body of work.
My sympathies to his friends and family.
Iāll add that I did not always agree with his reviews either, but I always thought of him as a straight shooter and he said things as he saw them rather than trying to please anyone else.
His palate was pretty incredible - it was due to his concerns about TCA that Chateau Montelena, among others, altered their cleaning regimes and cleaned up their cellar. For those unfamiliar with that, google āWine Spectatorā and ā2001 Chateau Montelenaā.
He was also unabashed for his love of younger wines, and even went so far as to state so on numerous occasions - older stuff just wasnāt in his wheelhouse. Though I feel differently, I can see how many may come to that conclusion - and it was refreshing to see a reviewer so well respected as he is say it so.,
RIP