James Molesworth

56 Minutes

James Molesworth often finds his way into a wine through anthropology, which was his major in college. As Wine Spectator's lead taster for California Cabernet and Pinot Noir, Bordeaux, Rhône Valley, Port, James talks about the importance of learning the underlying culture of a region and a winery to fully understand a wine. Besides tasting wines in the traditional sense, he spends time in vineyards with producers learning the stories of a vintage, a site, and its people. James has been part of the culture at Wine Spectator for 25 years tasting his way through regions including Chile, South Africa, and New York's Finger Lakes District. In this episode he talks about his evolving approach to tasting and finding ways to express the inexpressible when it comes to reviewing and writing about wines in these top regions.