JamesSuckling.com Taster Claire Nesbitt talks with Zoltan Kovacs, the winemaker for Hungarian vintner Royal Tokaji, about the winery's latest releases. Find out Zoltan's thoughts on how the weather of 2017 – especially rains in August and early September – affected what went into the bottle that year. The wines Claire tasted are all single-vineyard sweet wines. Claire says the Aszu 5 Puttonyos 2017 Claire is full of earthy botrytis notes and ginseng, while Zoltan touts its freshness and balanced acidity and mouthfeel. The 6 Puttonyos is slightly richer and a blend of Tokaji's single vineyards.

The JamesSuckling.com Wine of the Year 2021 goes to ... the Kumeu River Chardonnay Mate's Vineyard 2020! 

Here, James and the Tasting Team tell Michael and Paul Brajkovich the good news – that out of about 25,000 wines, their sterling Chardonnay came top.

"That's amazing!" Michael Brajkovich says on accepting congratulations from James. "We saw there was an announcement coming out and we thought we might be somewhere up there in that high ranking, but not at the top. That's fantastic!"

James and Peter Gago of Penfolds taste the g5, which is made of five vintages blended together and aged – 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016 and 2018. Only 2,200 bottles were produced (James and Peter opened two of these).

"This is another level again" over the g3 and g4, Peter says. "There's not one non-100-point wine [as judged by different people] in this blend," he adds. "It makes quite the statement."

James and Carlton McCoy discuss the 2021 harvest in Napa. Carlton says there were small yields and small berries, although that didn't stop anyone from making some fantastic wines. Carlton also explains how he got involved in the wine business with the Lawrence family – from their purchase of Heitz and how he started a "beautiful new chapter of his life" by becoming the wine director, to their takeover of classical estates like Stony Hill and Burgess Cellars. They also talk about the winemaking and vineyard management processes at Heitz, Stony Hill and Burgess, and what it takes to put greatness in a bottle.

John Schwartz, the proprietor of Napa vintners Amuse Bouche, Au Sommet and Coup de Foudre, talks with James in this Zoom interview about the challenging 2021 harvest and vintage.

"The drought conditions had an impact," Schwartz said. "Everybody should be down by 40 to 60 percent. ... The quality looks good, it's just that the quantity is way down," he added. "The trade is hoarding'19s now because they're panicking that there's no '20s and now are worried that '21s are going to be probably half of what they should have been."

James and John also discuss supply-chain problems, including in procuring glass and having wines shipped. They also give their views on Napa's 2018 versus 2019 vintages.

James Suckling sits down with Lucie Pereyre de Nonancourt and Edouard Cossy of the renowned French Champagne House Laurent-Perrier to taste the Grand Siècle No. 25, which consists of the 2008 (65 percent), 2007 (25 percent) and 2006 (10 percent) vintages. 

"I think it's interesting because right away when you smell it, you can get the sense of 2008 in it – that real intense aroma," James says. "In the nose you can even smell the skins of the grapes still. Amazing."

Compared with the No. 24, the No. 25 "has a lot of freshness and a lot of acidity with still young aromas," Lucie says. James agrees, saying "It just smells so youthful," adding that "it has a lot of structure but it's also elegant at the same time."

Massimo and Cecilia tell James about this year's harvest and how the lack of water and a hailstorm affected Castiglion del Bosco's vineyards, and James looks back on how weather conditions affected the other vintages. James was in Tuscany in the summer of 2017, and he said it was hot and dry. "You must have made some severe selections, because the wine is very fresh," James said of the 2017. Cecilia concurs, saying technical aspects in the winery came into play, such as longer maturation in wood.

James sits down with mother-daughter team of Elisabetta Geppetti and Clara Gentili of Tuscan winery Fattoria Le Pupille to taste the Fattorria Le Pupille Saffredi 2019, which James calls "spectacular," and they compare previous vintages of the wine. "The only thing I'm a little bit annoyed about is it's really a wine that needs about five or six years," James says about it. James suggests a tasting of the 2019, 2016 and 2015 vintages to fully lock in the differences. James compares the 2019 to the '16, although Elisabetta says, "For me, it's more elegant than the '16, even if '16 was so very nice."

Fattoria Le Pupille Maremma Toscana Saffredi 2019
Fattoria Le Pupille Maremma Toscana Saffredi 2016
Fattoria Le Pupille Maremma Toscana Saffredi 2015

James sits down with Chairman and CEO Charles Philipponnat of French Champagne House Champagne Philipponnat, who reflects on the 2021 harvest, effects of the ever-changing weather conditions, and his plans to introduce cuvées and other wines.

In this conversation Charles also explains why he decided to sell his Champagnes through La Place de Bordeaux, becoming the first Champagne to take this distribution route, and why they decided to do the disgorgement for the 1996 Clos des Goisses.

Philipponnat Champagne Clos des Goisses Extra Brut L.V. 1996
Philipponnat Champagne Clos des Goisses Extra Brut 2012

James sits down with Chairman Cyril Chappellet and winemaker Philip Corallo-Titus to talk about the Napa Valley winery’s 2019 vintage. "It's like two great vintages back to back," Philip says in comparing 2019 and 2018. "The '18s were just very forward, big, structural wines and were just heralded as this great vintage, and it is. And then the '19 came along, and my opinion is that ... it's like a 'Do you like John Lennon or Paul McCartney?' kind of thing. And I've always been a little bit of a fan of this '19 vintage because of this real focus that it has, and there's just a depth and concentration and center of gravity, but not on a big scale of tannins."