Ten Bottles I Loved in 2023

The year is winding to a close, I have a draft of a “Year in Review” post that I change every time I look at it, and I think before I post that I will share some of the best Virginia Wine I had this year. Bear in mind that I assign no points, I have no formal training, I just tell you what I really liked and you tell me if I’m crazy or you agree. This is based entirely on my impressions of the wine based on the factors I enjoy – is it crisp and clean? Is it bold and earthy? Does it lack heavy overtones of new oak overwhelming the fruit itself? Could I drink it in the woods and get a great selfie?

So, in no particular order, and in the interest of satisfying at least one reader who I know prefers my shorter posts, let’s go! Ten bottles I absolutely loved in 2023:

Ankida Ridge 2022 Verday – I’d give this a ribbon for most fun wine of the year too – made with Pinot Noir it comes across as a blush really. It’s got a pleasant tartness and brings up hints of early summer fruits – maybe strawberries but just bright and fun. This on the deck in the summer, yes please! It’s currently sold out, but I have one bottle squirreled away – I don’t know what I’m saving it for, but I will know when the time is right.

2019 Mount Alto Manteo Nason Blend – really it’s the whole vertical three pack that belongs here. What an incredible wine – rich and dark. Petit Verdot brings so much out in this wine while Cabernet Sauvignon refines it. I’ve raved about it a lot on the blog, and it belongs on your wine rack. And in your glass.

Hark 2019 Merlot – This is my “Halloween Wine.” For two years running I’ve sat on the porch with a bottle and glass handing out candy while sipping. So far only one parent/chaperone has asked for a sample, which I find disappointing.

Arterra 2021 Petite Sirah – this wine continues to knock my socks off – from the taste at the release party to now it has been the deep dark surprise that usually is a special place held by their tannat. It’s their fourth bottling, and my guess is that as these vines are aging they are producing better and different wines. This is one to watch for sure.

Walsh 2021 Albariño – Definitely another “summer in a bottle” wine right here. And I carried it into the fall too. This is an incredible wine that is so bright and so fresh. It has made me fall in love with Albariño as a varietal and seek it at other wineries, and fortunately it is a grape on the rise in Virginia. Waiting for the next edition of this one!

Walsh 2020 What Will the Women Drink – ohhhhh I bemoan that I foolishly drank my last bottle of the 2017 edition. I have 2 each left of the 2019 and 2020, and I am anxiously awaiting the 2021 that I got a tank sample of earlier in 2023. Consistently one of the best red blends. 

Walsh 2021 Dutchman’s Creek Cabernet Franc – I coravin’ed 2 glasses from a bottle last night, and I remembered that there is something truly special about this one, so it’s on the list. It’s a pretty stunning Cabernet Franc, and one of my favorite examples of the varietal.

Arterra 2021 Zero Chardonnay – “zero” for zero sulfite, and this is a super-low intervention Chardonnay. Arterra makes three versions – one more traditional, and one that is on the skins in an amphora and feels more like an orange wine. This is my favorite of the three, with a super-bright character that surprises you when sipping – very tart and acidic, but refreshing and wonderful – I get less apple from it and more in the pear and grapefruit realm.

Jake Busching Wines 2017 F8 – oh, how I continue to adore this wine. A petit verdot/tannat blend, it has been on my list of favorites for several years running. 

Anikda Ridge 2020 Brut Blanc de Noir – When husband likes a sparkling you know it’s great. He usually says any wine with bubbles taste like beer. He enjoys this and I really do too – it’s crisp and refreshing. There is a ton of acidity that goes along with bright green apple flavor in this. I think it’s very easy to drink an entire bottle because it is so pleasant, and it calls up memories of the views at the winery.

Did any of these bottles resonate with you? Do you have other favorites from the year? Share them in the comments! Thanks for indulging me in this retrospective. List contents are subject to change based on my whims and what I ate before sipping the glass. The full navel-gazing post on 2023 is coming up next in the year-end series, faithful reader, so stay tuned!

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