Before Sunday's big wrap, Saturday's episode is your reference guide: the complete top 30 wines from the Wine Spectator Grand Tour Denver 2026 in one place, with quick-hit tasting notes, vintage context, and practical buying advice organized by region. Bookmark this one.

WINES REFERENCED IN THIS EPISODE

▸   98 pts  Valdicava  ·  Brunello di Montalcino Madonna del Piano Riserva 2016

▸   97 pts  Castellare di Castellina  ·  Toscana I Sodi di San Niccolò 2021

▸   97 pts  Col D'Orcia  ·  Brunello di Montalcino Poggio al Vento Riserva 2016

▸   96 pts  Fontodi  ·  Colli della Toscana Centrale Flaccianello 2022

▸   96 pts  Castello di Volpaia  ·  Toscana Balifico 2021

▸   96 pts  Tenuta Meraviglia  ·  Bolgheri Vigna Pianali 2020

▸   96 pts  Zena Crown  ·  Pinot Noir Eola-Amity Hills Slope 2018

▸   95 pts  Argentiera  ·  Bolgheri Superiore 2020

▸   95 pts  Argiano  ·  Toscana Solengo 2021

▸   95 pts  Barone Ricasoli  ·  Chianti Classico Gaiole Gran Selezione 2022

▸   95 pts  Caiarossa  ·  Toscana 2021

▸   95 pts  Camigliano  ·  Brunello di Montalcino 2020

▸   95 pts  Calcareous  ·  Tres Violet Paso Robles 2023

▸   95 pts  Château de Beaucastel  ·  Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2023

▸   95 pts  Clos Apalta  ·  Apalta 2022

▸   95 pts  Damilano  ·  Barolo Cannubi 2021

▸   95 pts  Dehlinger  ·  Pinot Noir Russian River Valley Altamont 2023

▸   95 pts  HALL Napa Valley  ·  Cabernet Sauvignon Diamond Mountain District 2021

▸   95 pts  Louis M. Martini  ·  Cabernet Sauvignon Mount Veeder 2021

▸   95 pts  Matervini  ·  Malbec Cafayate Valley Alteza 2021

▸   95 pts  Paul Hobbs  ·  Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard 2021

▸   95 pts  Poderi Aldo Conterno  ·  Barolo Cicala 2020

▸   95 pts  Schramsberg  ·  J. Schram Blancs North Coast 2016

▸   95 pts  Seghesio Family  ·  Zinfandel Dry Creek Valley Cortina 2023

▸   95 pts  Sullivan Rutherford Estate  ·  Cabernet Sauvignon J.O. Sullivan Founder's Reserve 2021

▸   95 pts  Tenuta Sette Ponti  ·  Toscana Oreno 2023

▸   95 pts  Torbreck  ·  The Factor Barossa Valley 2022

▸   95 pts  VIK  ·  Millahue 2022

▸   95 pts  Viña Don Melchor  ·  Cabernet Sauvignon Puente Alto Don Melchor Vineyard 2022

Today's episode takes The Daily Decant around the world, from Oregon's Eola-Amity Hills, where Zena Crown's Pinot Noir earned one of the highest scores of the entire Grand Tour, to the high-altitude vineyards of Argentina's Cafayate Valley, three elite Chilean producers redefining their country's reputation, and Torbreck's legendary Barossa Valley Shiraz closing out the day in spectacular fashion.

California showed up with seven wines in the top 30, the most of any single country outside of Italy. Thursday's episode walks through all of them: four Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignons from some of the valley's most prestigious appellations, a Russian River Pinot Noir from an under-the-radar Sonoma estate, a Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel from old vines, and a Paso Robles Rhône blend that caught everyone off guard.

Wednesday's episode covers the wines that didn't fit neatly into Monday's Tuscany deep-dive, two outstanding Bolgheri Super Tuscans from the coast, plus the one French wine that cracked the top 30 (Château de Beaucastel's stunning Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2023), and a California sparkling from Schramsberg that proved North Coast bubbles belong in any serious conversation about prestige wine.

WINES REFERENCED THIS EPISODE

▸   96 pts  Tenuta Meraviglia  ·  Bolgheri Vigna Pianali 2020

▸   95 pts  Argentiera  ·  Bolgheri Superiore 2020

▸   95 pts  Château de Beaucastel  ·  Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2023

▸   95 pts  Schramsberg  ·  J. Schram Blancs North Coast 2016

We head north to Piedmont for episode two, where two legendary Barolo producers showed that Nebbiolo, at its best, belongs in any conversation about the world's greatest red wines. Damilano's iconic Cannubi vineyard and Poderi Aldo Conterno's Cicala cru each earned 95 points and showed two distinct expressions of what makes Barolo so endlessly fascinating.

We kick off our week-long coverage of the Wine Spectator Grand Tour Denver 2026 right where the evening peaked: Tuscany. Ten of the top 30 wines came from this iconic Italian region, spanning Brunello di Montalcino, Chianti Classico, and the bold Super Tuscan blends that redefined Italian wine. Today's episode starts with the highest-scored wine of the entire event and works through every Tuscan pour worth knowing about.

The Week 7 wrap-up: a recap of how to move confidently beyond the obvious wine choices: from Albariño to Cru Beaujolais, and why small shifts build lasting wine confidence.

How to choose a wine that feels celebratory and elevated without breaking the budget. Cru Beaujolais makes the case for why sometimes the less obvious choice is the most impressive one.

Why Rhône blends can be the ideal wine for business dinners: versatile, professional, approachable, and reliably impressive without being flashy.

A simple strategy shift that instantly upgrades how you order wine at restaurants, and why sommeliers actually prefer it when you do this.