My Top 2024 NJ Wines

Merry Christmas & Happy Hanukkah!

Today, I want to pay tribute to my favorite wines from New Jersey this year. My criteria:

1. It must be a NJ wine.
2. Today’s list will consist of only dry wines-whites and reds.
3. A wine I enjoyed this year regardless of vintage year.
4. I limited the number of wines from any winery to no more than three.
5. Unless noted, the wines are not listed in any particular order.
6. I tried to broaden the varieties of wines chosen to encourage others to try something new. Who knows? It may become your new favorite. The six Chards on my list reflect the great Chardonnays being made in New Jersey.

Note: I could easily have added another 10 or more wines to the fine wines listed below. I tasted around 200 NJ wines over the past year, so that many wines coupled with tasting them at different times, with and without our food, all make this task somewhat challenging-but fun!

My Favorite Reds

• Turdo Turis Sangiovese-Continues to be my favorite Sangiovese in the state, the nation, and one of my favorites on the planet!
• Turdo Turis Cabernet Sauvignon-Bold, full-bodied with smooth tannins and lots of aging potential, if you are so inclined.
• Turdo Rosso-Luca’s Super Tuscan-Luca’s best to date, in my opinion. It is a wonderful blend of Cab, Sangiovese, and Merlot, with vanilla and mocha aromas and cherry and plum on the palate.
• William Heritage 2021 BDX-A delicious bold blend that has won many awards and the praise of wine critics for nearly every one of the vintages of this great blend.
• Plagido’s 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon-One of my favorite Cabs of the year. An excellent, full-bodied Cab, with raspberry notes and a hint of vanilla.
• White Horse Winery 2021 Solera-A great full-bodied blend with cherry on the palate and a strong, lingering finish.
• Cape May Winery 2020 Red Reserve-A delicious, full-bodied red blend of Cab, Petite Sirah, Merlot, Cab Franc, and Syrah.
• Hawk Haven OA 2022 Cabernet Franc-A terrific version sourced with grapes from Orley Ashenfelter’s vineyard in Vineland. The wine is deeper in color and a has bit more body than many others, with blackberries and raspberries on the palate.
• Cedar Rose 2016 Norton-This one needed some decanting, as it was rich with sediment. However, it remained rich with full-bodied, bold, earthy flavor. It continues to be a personal favorite.
• Laurita Winery 2023 Cab Franc-One of the best Cab Francs in the state. Rich and flavorful, but very smooth.
• Amalthea Cellars Legends Edition Europa VI 2018-Bordeaux-style red blend of 90% Merlot, 10% Cab Franc. Delicious and velvety smooth tannins.
• Beneduce Vineyards 2021 Blaufrankisch-Consistently, this has been my favorite version of this interesting wine. It has a deep color, with medium body and a hint of spice on the palate. Goes great with grilled meats.
• Autumn Lake Squankum-I love the unique flavors and aromas imparted by fermenting the Chambourcin grapes in Bourbon barrels.
• William Heritage Red Sled Pinot Noir-I chose this because it is not only a great value (at $18 per bottle), it is also pretty darn good.

My Favorite Whites

• Unionville 2022 Home Vineyard Chardonnay (not shown in photo)-This wine is from their original estate vineyard (and home to their tasting room). It is subtly oaked with tasty apple on the palate. Great write up in Forbes Magazine about Unionville Chardonnays.
• Unionville 2022 Pheasant Hill Chardonnay-The Home Vineyard Chard and this one were my two favorite NJ Chardonnays and among my favorites in the country! Though the Home Vineyard may have received more raves from critics, the Pheasant Hill is equally impressive and delicious, with a great creamy quality coupled with tasty lemon and lime on the palate.
• Hawk Haven 2023 Open Source Pinot-Part of the Winemakers Co-Op yearly projects. It is one of six versions utilizing shared Pinot grapes with the other five members. So far it is the only one I have tasted. It is a blend of Pinot Grigio, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, and Pinot Blanc from each of the six member wineries. Delicious notes of lemon and pear on the palate.
• Willow Creek 2023 Malvasia Bianca-My favorite new variety. It ranks up there with some of my favorite Chards, only it is obviously not a Chard. It is very unique. Malvasia is not a varietal grown anywhere else in New Jersey and I’m not sure if it is grown anywhere else in our country.
• William Heritage 2022 BDX Blanc-A lovely blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, and Petit Manseng. It is creamy with a rich mouthfeel and lemon, grapefruit, and vanilla on the palate.
• Hawk Haven 2023 Reserve Chardonnay-A perennial winner with lemon and a hint of pineapple on the palate.
• White Horse Winery 2022 Estate Barrel Fermented Chardonnay-This Chardonnay is consistently one of the best in the state, with apple and pear notes and a creamy finish.
• Laurita Winery Barrel Reserve Chardonnay-An excellent version aged in Hungarian oak, with a lush mouthfeel and apple and a hint of vanilla on the palate.
• Auburn Road 2022 Barrel Reserve Chardonnay-A very good version; sur lie aged with a creamy finish. The 100% Chardonnay grapes come from their Featherbed Vineyard.
• Autumn Lake 2023 Albarino-Delicious, aromatic wine with citrus and tropical fruit on the palate. They also make a very good barrel reserve version of their Albarino.
• Cedar Rose 2023 Viognier-Possibly the best Viognier I tasted all year. A delicious, aromatic and full-bodied wine with a hint of peaches and a smooth, rich mouthfeel.
• Old York Cellars 2022 Pinot Gris-Love their Pinot Gris again this year. It is slightly off-dry with tropical fruit on the nose and the palate. It garnered 95 points and was the Gold Medal winner at the New York International, and Bronze Medal winner at the American Wine Society and Finger Lakes International Wine Competition.
• Bellview 2023 Gruner Veltliner- Only a few wineries in the state produce this wine. I think it is still the best-bone dry, with good acidity and a hint of apple and pear.

Coming Attractions

• My Other NJ Faves for 2024 (Rose wines, sweet wines, and sparklers)
• Highlights from 2024 Winery Visits
• My Holiday Wines

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