Talk-A-Vino

I’m so predictable, right? You could tell without looking that the post about Talk-a-Vino’s top wines of the year 2025 will have this exact title, right?

25 of 25 just rhymes too perfectly, I had no choice but to use it as a title.

It is never easy to decide on the list of the top wines of the year – even if I want to list only 10 top wines, I could never do it. I have always included a lot more, despite 10 being the original thought. But – this year was a lot worse than any previous year I remember. I don’t know if this is just the wines getting better and better, or me just being lucky, I can’t tell. But considering the number of amazing 30 (give or take) year-old wines I had this year, it might be the latter.

I had to make a lot of difficult choices to avoid bringing this list to a 40+ top wines – it is not because I drink so much wine, but because it is so difficult to make decisions. But I did my best to agree with myself on the 25 top wines.

2025 was the year of iconic wines and the year of doubles. I tasted a few of the iconic wines I always wanted to try for the first time – Domaine Huet from the Loire, Bernhard Ott from Austria – both are great producers I wanted to taste for a while. Both are included in the list. There are also a number of “doubles” – two wines from Turley, two wines from Domaine Bousquet. And a few more doubles didn’t happen because of  – yes, you got it – hard decisions I had to make. For example, San Felice In Avane Chardonnay was spectacular, and it was absolutely supposed to be included in the list…

Just to remind you, this list is all about memories. The wine has to be memorable; it has to solicit an emotion to be included in this list. One way or the other, but all of these wines managed to do so, so here we are.

Before we get to the list, a few stats. The list below includes sparkling (1, or possibly 2, depending on how you look at Moscato), Rosé (2), white (7), red (13), and dessert (2). 10 countries are represented in the list below – California (7), Italy (6), France (4), Argentina (2), Austria (1), Czech Republic (1), Germany (1), Israel (1), Japan (1), Portugal (1). I think this is a well-rounded list, but you will be the judge of it.

Without further ado, here are the Talk-a-Vino Top 25 wines of 2025.

25. 2023 Poggio Stenti Sangiovese Rosato Maremma Toscana DOC (€13,00) – I loved the wine when I tasted it the first time a year ago in Tuscany, and I equally loved my last bottle. Clean, crisp, delightful, mood-lifting.

24. NV Gran Marselan Cuvée du Centenaire Vin de France ($169) – A unique and different wine made from a unique grape. The wine had enough power to be memorable and also to make me curious about its further evolution. Would love to taste it again in 10 years.

23. 1966 Cantine Dr. Giorgio Lungarotti Torgiano Rubesco ($N/A) – I got this bottle a few years ago as a present. This year, I finally had an opportunity to share it with the same friends who gifted it to me. The wine was not insanely good, but it was respectfully good enough. It was drinkable and pleasant, and for an almost 60-year-old wine, it became perfectly memorable.

22. 2019 Segal Native Marawi Single Vineyard Judean Hills ($24.49) – clean, bright, delightful, unique. And as a collector of rare grape experiences, it makes me happy (never had Marawi before).

21. 1998 Mondavi Moscato d’Oro Napa Valley ($N/A) – had this bottle for a while, probably for 20 years or so. Finally I decided that it was time to pull the cork, and the wine was very good.

20. 2021 Paul Anheuser Blanc de Noir Nahe ($8.99) – I had no expectations, just curiosity. German Pinot Noirs are the proverbial “talk of the town” as of late, so how would German Pinot Noir Blanc fare? The wine was spectacular – generous, playful, refreshing, and, most importantly, delivering a lot of pleasure. An absolute steal for the price.

19. 2023 Anonimo Red Wine Paso Robles ($?, 60% Sangiovese, 20% Petite Sirah, 20% Petit Verdot) – I got it from Last Bottle Wines for all I remember, but can’t find any records (very unusual for me). The beautiful part is that this wine tastes as perfectly scrumptious Chianti – not the leather-driven, but fruit-driven, like Campochiarenti wines. I was curious how much California Sangiovese could taste like an Italian one – and this wine overdelivered. Superb. An interesting part is that I think I paid something around $20 per bottle, but the wine on the website is listed at $75, and basically requires a mailing list subscription. Anyway, a memorable treat.

18. 2024 Sansilvestro Dulcis Moscato d’Asti DOCG (~$20) – I don’t care what anyone says about sweet wines – as long as the wine has balancing acidity, it is all that I need to enjoy it. I love Asti, and this wine, also beautifully packaged, was simply saying “celebration!” with every sip.

17. 2006 Mazzei Castello di Fonterutoli Siepi Toscana IGT ($N/A) – good Italian wine is always a treat. This was a special treat, possibly at a peak (this is never known), but the wine was an absolute delight.

16. 2015 Domaine Schlumberger Pinot Noir Stein Alsace ($N/A) – until I tried this wine, I didn’t even know that Alsace makes red wines. Of course, the Alsatian whites are well known, but this was a special treat – lean, smoky, minerally-driven, delicious.

15. 2021 San Felice La Pieve Chianti Classico Gran Selezione ($75) – another treat from Italy. Aromatic, round, layered, delicious.

14. 2016 Salabka La Coquine Chardonnay Czech Republic ($N/A) – not every white wine can last for 9 years. I opened this last bottle brought from the trip to Prague not without trepidation – the first sip dissipated all the worries and brought my palate into the state of nirvana. Superb, world-class Chardonnay.

13. NV Incandesa Brut Traditional Method California Sparkling Wine ($15, Last Bubbles) – round, delicious bubbles that are hard to find on the budget. Nothing more, nothing less.

12. 2015 Turley Petite Syrah Pesenti Vineyard Paso Robles ($38) – I spontaneously decided to taste the 2015 Turley Petite Syrah (I can never get why Turley is using Syrah with a “y” instead of the proper Sirah with an “i”) against the 2015 Carlisle Sonoma County Petite Sirah. Both wines were very good, but my best comparison invokes the music analogy, where the Turley Petite Syrah was a beautiful musical passage that fully resolves, versus Carlisle, which abruptly ends on a high note, leaving the listener in the middle of an incomplete musical sentence. Hope this makes sense – anyway, the Turley was delicious start to finish.

11. 2018 Smith-Madrone Riesling Spring Mountain ($38) – one of my most favorite Rieslings ever. Deciding on including 2018 and not 2019 was similar to splitting hairs. Delicious wine from the first drop to the last.

10. 2007 Revana Cabernet Sauvignon St Helena Napa Valley ($N/A) – a pure delight only a mature Napa Cab can deliver. This was a present from a friend, which I kept in the cellar for a while. I’m sure this wine would evolve for another 20 years, but it was beautiful in the glass already. Layers of cassis, eucalyptus, a touch of mint, polished, elegant, impeccably balanced.

9. 2019 Domaine Huet Clos du Bourg Sec Vouvray AOC ($46.97) – finally, I tasted the wine which I knew by name for many, many years. Stunning aromatics, layered fruit in every sip, a pure pleasure.

8. 2014 Weingut Bernhard Ott Grüner Veltliner Der Ott Feuersbrunn Wagram ($19, Last Bottles) – another dream came true. Not only was it a legendary Ott, but this wine also had a good age on it, and the wine showed spectacularly. It was interesting to find a touch of gunflint and a beautiful honey note on this wine, similar to the one you expect from mature Chardonnay, and even a whiff of petrol you would expect from a Riesling. Perfectly alive and a pure pleasure in the glass.

7. 2021 Domaine Takahiko Soga Nana-Tsu-Mori Pinot Noir Hokkaido Japan ($300?) – wow, Pinot Noir from Japan, how about it? The wine was beautifully classic, with good depth, cherries, dark fruit, and finesse, lots of finesse.

6. 2024 Domaine Bousquet Ameri Eva Estate Organic Sauvignon Blanc ($35) – Domain Bousquet has a very large wine production, and yet manages to create a new and ultra-enjoyable wine. The wine’s unique buttery notes put it into its own category, delivering lots of pleasure now, and is built for aging. I would love to see the evolution of this wine in 10-15 years.

5. 2021 Monchiero Rocche di Castaglione Barolo DOCG ($70) – I don’t drink enough Barolo, that’s all I can tell you. I didn’t expect that such a young Barolo would show so beautifully in the glass, no decanting needed. A pure medley of red and black fruit, violets, impeccable balance. Note to self – drink more Barolo!

4. 2019 Chateau d’Esclans Les Clans Provence Rosé ($110) – the wine is all about pleasure, and this wine delivers. Wait, correction – this wine overdelivers. Elegant, complex, and in its own category. Once you try it, the question “how can Rosé cost $100+” is instantly answered…

3. Rocim Vinha da Micaela Red Alentejo ($270) – a sans categorie wine. A beautiful concoction, made from local grapes, existing in its own world where it can’t be compared with any other wine. The wine doesn’t have a frame of reference, nor does it need one…

2. 2022 Domaine Bousquet Ameri Wild Roots Block 3 Organic Malbec ($85) – the second wine from Domaine Bousquet on our list. Polished, beautiful, layered, sexy, and voluptuous.  When you take a sip of this wine, you want the pleasure to last forever.

1. 1999 Turley Zinfandel Pringle Family Vineyard Howell Mountain ($38.25) – Mesmerizing. Upon opening, the first sip of the wine appeared to be sweet. A few minutes later, the wine transformed, adding incredible depth and complexity. When I was taking the sip, time was stopping. I didn’t want to talk; I just wanted to reflect. Mesmerizing is the best one-word descriptor I can come up with for this wine.

This is it, my friends. Talk-a-Vino Top 25 of 25.

What were your memorable wines of 2025?