The Wines That Stayed with Me in 2025

Here we are, the last month of 2025. It feels like this year has flown by before me, but looking back there have been some incredible memories I will hold near and dear to my heart. It has also been a bit of a difficult year, but with all of the difficulties come learnings to be a better person. I truly hope the remainder of the year is delightful for you and 2026 brings everything you could possibly want.

With that being said, the other day I took a walk in between rainstorms. There was a man I have said hi to many times while he is walking his dog. I don’t know his name or anything about him, but he stopped me, handed me a coin and said, “This is a project I have been working on.” I took the coin, thanked him, and we both continued to walk our separate paths. Looking at the coin it said, “2 B Human is 2 C Human.”

I have waved at this man for years. When we take the time to be human with one another it is amazing what transpires!

By the way, this month's newsletter is long. Prepare some more coffee!

There are quite a few top 2025 wine lists this month. Here's my round up and I will say I wanted to dive deeper into each on, but time along with a very long newsletter isn't working at the moment.

• ​James Suckling Top 100 World Wines​
• ​Vinous Top 100 Wines​
• ​Vine Pair Best Wines of 2025 - They came out of now where to me
• ​Jeb Dunnuck Top Wines of 2025​
• ​Wine Enthusiast Top 100​

OPB has a nice article on Oregon Pinot Noir and climate change​

A small history of Chardonnay in Oregon​

Congrats to Brooks to being the #35 of 50 best vineyards in the world!

Michelin is starting to get into wine. First up is Burgundy with CA coming in 2033.

​Bledsoe Family Winery is building a new tasting room!

This is a great interview with Tiquette Bramlett!​

Troon kills it in all the ways with their vineyard and soil!​

A new version of the One Barrel Challenge is launching!

Are you a fan of Liquid Death? If so, check out this collab!​

I am going to do something a little different this month with the newsletter. With all of the talk surrounding end of year wines, I thought I would throw my hat in the ring with wines that stood out to me this year. The wines are not ranked, nor are they scored. Just simply wines that are near and dear to my heart this year.

Up front, I will say there are a few wines I spent way too much time thinking about, while others I didn’t have that luxury. It doesn’t mean I thought of the wine any less. In fact, I was probably with other people enjoying the wine.

Let’s start this off with the 2022 Compris The Myth Pinot Noir. Last month Dru and Erin celebrated Compris’s 5th anniversary. It’s so hard for me to believe it has been 5 years since I sat outside in the cold meeting Dru for the first time, but it’s been a blast watching them make a wonderful ruckus.

What makes this wine so special is the fact that the clone is Dick Erath’s Clone 95. Don first told me about this way back in the day, and Dru said it was his favorite wine when we first spoke 5 years ago. I have a few bottles of it under the Vidon label, but the first time I tasted the Compris version was out of barrel after my podcast interview with Dru. The second time was with this bottle, and here are my impressions.

This is not your typical Pinot Noir. Looking at this in the glass, it looks thin and light bodied. On the nose you get a hint of its uniqueness, but can’t quite place what is going on yet. A typical Pinot gives you either light or dark red fruit. Sometimes there is a hint of blue fruit. There is something here, though, that doesn’t fit the Pinot Noir mold. There is a raciness to this wine on mid-palate that continues on for an extended finish. The 2022 vintage overall is showing big and bold. There is nothing big nor bold about this wine. There is a tannic structure firmly in place without being overpowering. Coming in at 12.4 percent is only one factor of its uniqueness. On day two this wine is still showing remarkably well.

When visiting the website for this wine, I adore the last sentence, “This is Pinot that speaks in full sentences, not whispers.” Buy it here.

When I was speaking with my editor over a couple glasses of wine, I gave serious thought to focusing 100 percent on Granville. Jackson, Ayla and their whole team have everything dialed in. Visiting them is like visiting family. Anyway, I could mush on and on, but my editor won out by saying to focus on wine only for December. So, I had to get something in here for Granville and that something is Granville’s 2021 Louie Pinot Noir.

I don’t even know where to begin with this wine. Outside of the fact that Jackson and Ayla are some of the best down to earth people I know, this wine flies under the radar. With a Diam 30 cork you would expect this wine to be big, bold and overpowering on the palate, but it’s not. If you were given this wine with no knowledge of the cork or that it is the reserve for Granville, you might think it is a bit young, but you have to dive deeper to truly appreciate what is occurring in the glass with no food. With a good New York strip steak this wine makes you weak in the knees with a soft moan after every sip, and there is no detection of the tannin structure at all. With no food, the tannins show their presence ever so slightly. It is these tannins telling you this wine is meant to be enjoyed at a much later time in life. It is only 4 years old right now. Please come back to visit 1 of 12 bottles in 10 years. The care that went into this bottle is incomprehensible at 4 years.

The 2021 isn’t available on the website, and you will have to settle for the 2023. I promise you will not be disappointed!

You know how much I fall head over heels for a good story, and when there is an accompanying good wine put a fork in me, I am done. That is the case for Lonesome Rock’s 2022 La Grenade Bourgogne Aligoté “Les Larets.” The first vineyard Danny worked way back in the day was where this fruit came from.

I attended a dinner at Cafe Rowan this year. Unfortunately, Danny and Susan were unable to attend. When this wine was introduced the backstory wasn’t given and I couldn’t help myself. I had to get out of my seat to tell the story of Danny working in this vineyard where the wine came from way back in the day. I get so excited about all of these stories. One of these days I am sure I will accidentally step on someone’s toes, and if that happens to be you one day please accept my apology early. I am like a little kid at Christmas for all this!!

Getting back to the wine. The first time I had the La Grenade Bourgogne Aligoté “Les Larets” it blew my socks off! I am nowhere near an expert on Aligoté, but my knees weaken when I take the first sip of this wine. On the nose there is a crispness followed by a smooth and elegant entry. It is the mid-palate where my knees almost give way. The ever-present acidity mixed with the crispness is delectable. I want to swirl this over and over on the mid-palate. I don’t want this taste to go away. Alas, I give up, and the finish on this is quite spectacular and lasts for over a minute. A spiciness lingers on the finish I adore over and over.

The 2022 is sold out and according to the website the 2023 is only available through their Tasting House or for Private Clients. So, here is the inside scoop on what you should do. Go to their website and make a reservation, let them know A.J. sent you and I have a hunch they will hook you up!

Elevee was one of the first handful of wineries I fell in love with. Tom and France have a little tasting room outside their home along with their dog Four. Tom’s pursuit of Terroir is awe inspiring. I find most of his wines delicate and dainty, which I like when I want a wine that I want to sit and think about.

When I opened Elevee’s 2015 Elevee Vineyard Pinot Noir I was extremely thrilled. I felt like I was visiting an old friend. This wine followed suit for exactly what I was expecting. Light, elegant and gentle from entry to finish. I had yet to have an older wine from Tom and I have to say there was so much fruit still showing how young and vibrant it still was at 10 years.

Of course, there is no way of getting this exact wine from Elevee, but there are plenty of other wines to get from Tom to store in your cellar!​

My next wine was enjoyed with friends during a milestone birthday this year. It was Domaine Serene’s 2011 Monogram Pinot Noir. All I can say is it was amazing. I have four more bottles of Monogram, and they were all bought before the prices went way through the roof.

With new wineries popping up it is difficult to keep up with all of them, but a recent addition to Worden Hill Road keeps getting my attention over and over for many reasons. The first being I have known Julie, the head of hospitality, since October of 2019. She is knocking it out of the park. Secondly, the winemaker Bryan Weil does an incredible job with the wines. Thirdly, chef Heidi’s food is inspiring and it is because of her I have on my list for the winter to make Coq au Vin. Fourth, the views along with the tasting area for Ambar is something really unique, classic and intimate. Fifth, they are a team player in the valley. They have teamed up with Source Farms, part of The Ground, for at least two dinners I am aware of. Sixth, the other members of the hospitality staff, Morgan and Connery, are flipping amazing!!

With all of that being said, Ambar’s 2022 Lustral Chardonnay has been a standout for me. I first had the Lustral at the Oregon Chardonnay Celebration in 2024 and the last time I had it was in February at a dinner before the 2025 Oregon Chardonnay Celebration. My notes aren’t as in depth, but rest assured this is a wine you should check out!

The acid profile on this wine is unreal. Sometimes, I get a raciness to some Chards and normally that translates into something wild and feral. This raciness is controlled, and it is flipping gorgeous! With 18 months on oak it is a special 100-case blend. I am also pretty certain the Queen of Bubbles, Kate Payne Brown, made this wine. She knows her stuff!

The 2022 and 2023 Lustral Chardonnay is available on Ambar’s website. If you have a Chardonnay lover, this would be a great Christmas gift!

If the name Tony Rynders doesn’t ring a bell for you, I have a request to make. Hit the reply button on this email and let’s chat! Tony is an under the radar legend. He has made wine for some amazing labels, including his own label Tendril, and continues to make wine for many clients. One of those clients is Open Claim.

What is there to say about Open Claim except they go over the top to leave a lasting impression. They have a tasting room in Dundee where Ari and Chef Fritz take you on a journey of food and wine. There is also the Open Claim house located just outside of Dallas nestled in with the vineyard where they hold special dinners. The owners Marnie and Brett are super approachable and down to earth people. Brett and I chatted about our Whoops this past summer walking the vineyard.

As you know, my little wine journal goes with me for every tasting so I can remember what I have tasted and what I thought about the wine. For Open Claim’s 2017 Estate Pinot Noir my journal has been priceless! After walking the vineyards, Chef Fritz made an amazing meal and the third wine we had was the 2017 Estate Pinot Noir. My notes on that day were pretty identical to other entries I had, which were: “The nose on this wine is breathtaking. The entry, mid-palate and finish are all perfect in every way. There are slight tannins, but damn that finish just keeps going.” It’s always nice to revisit a wine, look back at those notes and get reassurance just how amazing it is!

So this wine isn’t currently available on the website. Trust me they have some. There are two ways to make this happen. One is to make a phone call, but you don’t get the full experience by doing that. The other way to make this happen is by making a reservation (I know they need a better reservation system that doesn’t take five minutes to book), enjoying the food from Chef Fritz, Ari’s hospitality, the wine and then asking about the 2017. You will not be disappointed!

I don’t remember how I heard about Corollary, but I do remember being intimidated they were 100 percent Sparkling. There are very few producers who focus only on Sparkling in Oregon. I thought Dan and Jeanne were too high brow and I wouldn’t connect with them. My first little impression couldn’t be further from the truth. This husband and wife team kick ass 11 months out of the year and take an epic get-the-heck-out-of-dodge trip after Harvest.

Early 2021 they announced their X-OMNI Blanc de Blanc and I lost it. I was also in the process of putting together my only wine dinner to date and knew I had to have this wine for people as they walked in the door. Now, if you remember from earlier in the newsletter I get overly excited very quickly. I bought 6 bottles of the 2018 X-OMNI Blanc de Blanc without tasting it for my dinner. Talk about trust in place and people! I knew the vineyard was out of this world. I also knew at this point Dan and Jeanne were out of this world. Without a shadow of a doubt I knew this would be the wine people would sip while we got ready for dinner at Tavern on Kruse on April 1st, 2021. Let me tell you, it turned out magnificently!

So, my next wine on the list for 2025 is Corollary’s 2020 X-OMNI Blanc de Blanc. I have zero tasting notes for this wine, you will just have to trust me. I literally stopped typing, went to my cellar to see what bottles I have. There are 2 2018, 2 2019 and 3 2020 bottles. I will open one of the 2020 BdBs at some point, but the other bottles are getting saved. My little 3-year vertical will continue to grow for a very special day! There is some 2020 available on their website. I highly suggest you get a case before it is gone!​

I will also mention it is because of Corollary that I know of Lonesome Rock. They did a Lonesome Rock vineyard Sparkling and it was spectacular. Danny, Susie, Dan and Jeanne, can we get another Corollary Lonesome Rock?

There is a man in the Valley who is creating one heck of a legacy, and when his name comes up everyone without a millisecond of hesitation says, “He is the nicest man.” If you don’t know who Andy Lytle is, it is time for an introduction. Andy is the man behind the curtain for many things. First, he is the mastermind behind the Sparkling-only house Lytle-Barnett. Second, he has another label called Aubaine focusing on Eola-Amity Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Third, his luxury wine retreat At The Joy sits right smack dab in the middle of the Anahata vineyard. Fourth, he has another big project in the works that will take Sparkling in Oregon to another level.

I consider myself extremely fortunate to know Andy and he shares with me little tidbits here and there that are upcoming for him. Last month when I got an invite in the mail (postal mail, not email) for a 2014 Extended Tirage Brut I was t-boned in the most delightful of ways! I wasn’t aware this was even in the makings. The invite was a special intimate launch party at the SOHO House in downtown Portland.

At the launch party, Andrew Davis, the winemaker, talked with me a little to let me know this wine came from 1975 own-rooted vines. The Chardonnay came from three special blocks of Champagne clones. I was blown away by this wine and again I don’t have many tasting notes, but the aging of this wine is very apparent when you taste it. When someone says brioche in a Sparkling, this is the definition of brioche. I have six bottles in my cellar just waiting for me! You can have some in yours as well. Or you might get lucky for a pour at their tasting room in Dundee. They are doing so many Holiday movies this month!

The weekend before Thanksgiving I went out tasting to a few places and one of those stops was at Benza. They were doing a community tasting with Holocene Wines and Approachment. I was waiting my turn while the person in front of me was talking with Paden West, the winemaker for Benza and Approachment. As she was finishing up, I again couldn’t hold my excitement back. I told her she was literally talking with a rockstar. She looked at me a little bewildered and I said, “Yeah, if you do a search in Apple Music for Paden West the man standing in front of you has an album.” Paden got the biggest of smiles and continued to talk to the lady. Hopefully she bought a LOT of wine!

Anyway, Paden and his wife Jess have been cranking up the dial to 11+ over the past few years and this year it has really started to take off for them with their Chardonnay. It has been getting all sorts of attention as it should. Paden worked under Isabelle Meunier who put Oregon Chardonnay on the map. She is also the mastermind behind the wines at Aubaine. Anyway, Paden’s Chardonnay is killing it!

Short story, I delayed on getting the 2023 Approachment Chardonnay and when I was finally ready it was gone! This past summer I took a day trip to the Oregon Coast and came upon the bottle shop SeaHorsey in Lincoln City. When I saw Approachment’s Chardonnay, without hesitation I grabbed a bottle! I have to tell you it was fabulous and I also had the 2024 at the Benza event. Jess said the 24 is even better! This wine is super under the radar and is crazy affordable at 35 dollars a bottle. Get your hands on it now!!!​

As a quick side, if you haven’t visited Benza there is some incredible stuff happening there as well!

My plan was to dive into two more wines, but I see I am already over 3,000 words and the likelihood you are still reading is pretty slim. So, I will keep this really short. You have to check out the Sparkling and Pinot from Arabilis. Kenny and Allison are killing it! Another wine to put on your radar is Audent’s Stardance. This is a new wine for them this year and it definitely caught my attention!

I wish there was endless time for me to dive into more wines and there was endless amounts of coffee for you to drink on a Saturday morning, but at some point I have to have an end for this month’s newsletter. There are links to all of the wineries mentioned this month. I encourage you to visit all of them in 2026 and when you do please tell them, “A.J. sent me!”

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With Gratitude,

A.J.