It was exceptional. Those wines are still somewhat under appreciated. And sadly no more - so you need friends with deep/aged cellars!
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Indeed! I found a 2009 Gamay a few years back in a store randomly, but the plastic cork probably didn’t do the bottle any good.
The year of sipping dangerously (for my wallet). 2024 was the year I went big, for better or worse…
Disclaimer: I am a burgundy geek, so all opinions are free, or no money back.
The short version: (for Mike Grammer)
Reds
21, 22 Audoin Marsannay les Favieres - a smile in the glass
05 Dujac Clos St. Denis - Holy crap- what is this Dujac stuff!?
12 Dujac Clos de la Roche- Ditto: (And this noob’s ticket to Paulee)
17 Hudelot Noellat Romanee St. Vivant - Holy crap- HN!
15 Joseph Drouhin Griotte Chambertin - Holy crap- Veronique!
19 Tremblay Chambolle 1er Feusselottes - Ok, wow
15 Trapet Chambertin - My bell was rung, well and truly
Whites
14 Duriel-Janthial Rully 1er Le Meix Cadot - Amazing. Right up there with the big boys and girls
10 Sauzet Montrachet (gracias, @Andrew_K)
Outliers (ie: not-Burgundy that knocked me out)
05 Patty Green Notorious - blind, I thought this was Clos St. Denis. Nuf said
05 Cheval Blanc - Finally a Bordeaux I can love. Wow.
00 Y’Quem - Accept no substitute
86 Müller-Catoir Mußbacher Eselshaut Rieslaner Trockenbeerenauslese
TLDR:
Discoveries of the Year
Burgundy and sushi- who knew?
Dujac (and the dark pleasures of Morey St. Denis). SO late to this party.
Hudelot Noellat RSV: I am so $#@%ed.
My first Paulee (LA): I might not be built for 24/7 Bacchanalia, but was game to find out…Such a pleasure to meet some of the winemaking worthies of my personal pantheon: Veronique Drouhin, Jean-Marie Fourrier, Charles Canneyt, Monsieur Gouges
All Bubs, all the time:
Continuing a 2023 trend at the casa de los perros, here are a few new (to us) producers that really rang my bell: Suenen, Laherte, Savart, Agrapart and finally came around to liking Comtes and Bereche.
Department of Uptown problems:
I went big for big Burgs this year and tasted far and wide, mostly above my plebeian station. Sipped some wonderful wines and many of these were…good, but the angels did not sing. Still ruminating on this, but while the cost of wine wisdom and a clear palate is high, I am starting to let go of the need to chase every hot new or not-so-new thang…
“Diam-ed if I don’t” ( Niellon edition)
Went on a Niellon tear this Fall and opened a string of younger bottles to mixed results:
18’ Chassange 1er Chaumees, Truffieres - Deeelicious
17’ Chassange 1er Chaumees, Truffieres - Pre-Moxed, AND I missed it , AND I foolishly shared it with Pasqualine at Chambers in NYC 
18 Chassange Chenevottes, Decent
18 Chassange Maltroie Pre-Moxed
22 Chassange Maltroie Decent and FINALLY under DIAM
Yeesh
Go small, or go home
During the 2024 Canadian Invasion of Atlanta, I opened magnums of 05’ Dujac Clos St. Denis and 15’ Trapet Chambertin; both wines that were singing when I’d had them in the 750cc format. Out of a 1500cc bottle, not so much…
Alas, both wines from magnum were notably tight and less giving than their small-bottle brethren.
Best quotes, 2024
@Matthew_King on MSD: Morey St. Denis is a “little bit country, a little bit rock n roll” … if it’s not Chambolle and it’s not Gevrey, it must be MSD*”
@Sarah_Kirschbaum
Give me a fresh, transparent, honest village wine over a GC with tons of lipstick any day.”
“Sometimes a wine that asks nothing of you, and gives its all, is exactly what you want”
@Dan_Kravitz
I think Champagne is great paired with food.
I think Champagne is great on its own.
In fact, I won’t even drink the stuff unless it’s either paired with food or on its own.
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Honorable mentions for value as my overall price per bottle continues to creep upward:
Under $30!
Navarro Gewurtztraminer 2023
Boonville Road Broken Leg Syrah 2018
Sandlands Amador Chenin Blanc
Sandlands Contra Costa Carignane
Scharffenberger Brut Black Label NV
Audoin Bourgogne 2018/19/20
About $50!
Audoin Jeu/Longeroies 2018/20
Phillips Hill Valenti/Morning Dew/Cerise PN
Thierry Germain Memoires 2020
Graillot Crozes Hermitage 15/19/20
Porter Creek Syrah/pinot Noir/ everything
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Never had any Gamay from CRB — they really used plastic corks for that?!
I was waiting until the end of the year, as I had a sneaking suspicion that NYE would add a couple to my list - which it duly did (a lovely Pépière Monnières 2017 and Léoville-Barton 96). So what was to be a top 10 is now a top 12, in no particular order:
Whites :
2020 Domaine Ogereau Anjou Vent de Spilite
2017Domaine de la Pépière Muscadet Monnières Saint Fiacre
2014 Champalou Vouvray Le Portail
2020 Château de Plaisance Anjou Ronceray
2017 Dr. Loosen Riesling Beerenauslese
2018 Camin Larredya Jurançon Sec La Virada – and definitely my white discovery in 2024
Reds:
2005 Yannick Amirault Bourgueil Pavillon du Grand Clos
2015 Closeries des Moussis Baragane Haut-Médoc
2000 Château Montus Madiran Cuvée Prestige
2006 M. Marengo Barolo Brunate – oddly enough this is my discovery, since I had never had a Barolo before, and was very impressed by the sheer nobility of the wine.
1982 Château d’Issan Margaux
1996 Léoville-Barton St.Julien
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I drank so many good (and relatively affordable) wines this year, it’s hard to narrow them down. I have a very large recency bias, but here goes:
Reds:
2011 LdH Bosconia
2019 J. Christopher Volcanique.
I had an excellent 2010 Thivin CdP which would be atop this list but for its 15% ABV. This is a rather meaningless exercise, since I only opened about 10 reds this year, and those elevated numbers are the reason.
Whites:
Foreau 2016 Vouvray Demi-Sec.
Rudi Pichler 2022 Reid Kirchweig Smaargd .
JJ Prum 2001 Wehlener Sonnenhur Auslese
Gunther Steinmetz 2019 Brauneberger Juffer Auslese
Gunther Steinmetz 2021 Piesporter Treppchen
Gunther Steinmetz 2021 Piesporter Domherr Kabinett
Marcus Molitor 2017 Urziger Wurtzgarten ** Auslese White Cap
Dr. Loosen 2015 Graacher Domprobst Grosses Gewachs
Schafer Frohlich 2018 Felsneck Grosses Gewachs
Schafer Frohlich 2017 Felsneck Spatlese
Carl Loewen 2022 Herrenberg Kabinett.
Fritz Haag 2018 Brauneberger Juffer Kabinett
Sparkling:
2009 Hugues Godme Millesime
NV De Sousa Mycorrhize.
These bested some really big names - Clos de Goisses, Grand Siecle, and Cuvee Louise - though I drank them all too young.
Discovery of the year:
Oregon Chardonnay. I haven’t explored deeply, but I was previously oblivious both to the quality and the existence of this category. (I knew it was grown there, I just didn’t realize how much of it was grown there). Good wines, restrained alcohol and oak, and shockingly low prices. Look forward to trying more bottles in 2025.
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Only for a few years when they were briefly in vogue as a means to prevent tca. Stuart Y was marketing neocork back then.
Gotcha thanks Jay. How was it drinking @Mikael_OB?
I wish I would have taken notes, but from memory and this is five years ago. It was good, not fantastic and I recall thinking that the cork had something to do with it. I’m wondering if it was due to being reductive or if it was only a matter of it taking time to open up and in doing so the fruit faded a bit as well (?).
The ones that were bottled with plastic cork have not held up,as well as the ones under natural cork unfortunately
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Thanks @Mikael_OB , I’ll tread carefully if I see them at auction. I was Just very curious @Jay_Miller because the 2009 Côt and other cuvees around then are all* with natural cork, so I was a little confused. Maybe it’s specific to the Gamay cuvee?
*At least all I have in my cellar from 2009, 2004 and 2008.
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My recollection (vague at this point) was that they didn’t think anyone would be aging the gamay so they stayed with neocork longer than for the other wines
Of course I and many others aged the gamay too
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Summarizing this list down to 2 wines
White of the year - 2014 Bouchard Chevalier Montrachet
Red of the year - 1967 Cappellano Barolo
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Adding 2 I had last night before the ball dropped
Jacques Selosse Initial 2023 disgorgement
2002 Dom Ruinart BdB
‘02 Billecart still tops both for me.
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Red: 2006 Domaine Dujac Clos St. Denis
White: 2016 Domaine Comtesse de Cherisey Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Hameau de Blagny
Sparkling: 2002 Krug
(Re)discovery: 2020 Ata Rangi Pinot Noir
Cheers and Happy New Year!
I’ve had some incredible wine this year. It’s always hard to pick one fave but I thin k it would have to be
2010 Carillon BBM. That bottle was amazing. For reds a tasting of Cheval Blanc hosted by HDH was very impressive. I really loved the 85, 2000 and 2020 was a showstopper.
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Thank you so much John! The 2021s are all special wines and I think people are starting to discover that. If Eventually is such a left-field wine that fewer folks have tried it - hopefully this will inspire them!
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Hi Mike! If I had more I’d be willing to trade, but with only 2 I don’t want to chance it, sorry.