
James Molesworth
About
James Molesworth joined Wine Spectator in 1997 as tasting coordinator and was promoted to senior editor in 2004. He is lead taster for California Cabernet and Pinot Noir, France’s Bordeaux region, and Port.
A native New Yorker, Molesworth was raised by parents who loved wine and entertained often. He studied anthropology and Afro-American studies at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and, after graduating, landed his first job with a Manhattan specialty wine retailer, Burgundy Wine Company. He later became cellarmaster, and then sommelier, at the '21' Club.
Based in Wine Spectator’s New York office, Molesworth travels regularly to Bordeaux, Napa and other parts of California to taste and visit wineries. When he’s not tasting or writing, he’s usually listening to his vinyl collection or hitting the gym.

The Biggest Mistake with 2022 Cabernet
It should have been a no-brainer for Napa wineries to drop prices on a lesser vintage

Napa Cabernet 2015: 10 Years After
While shy of a classic rating, the vintage offers plenty of solid Cabernets still packed …

Too Hot to Handle
Even Napa’s top producers struggled in the scorching 2022 vintage for Cabernet

A Generational Transition at Farella Vineyard
The family estate helped put the Coombsville AVA on the map, but the future could be …

Opus One: 1979–2023
A 45-vintage vertical tasting shows the evolution of a California first-growth

7 Wonderful California Pinot Noirs Up to 91 Points
New reviews from the outstanding 2023 vintage, featuring reds from North and Central Coast …

Sta. Rita Hills’ Pinot Noir Pioneer
Sanford Winery and its two vineyards—La Rinconada and Sanford & Benedict—are perennial …

Nid Tissé Is Making Need-to-Know Pinot Noirs
Marie-Laure Ammons brought her French winemaking roots to California a quarter-century ago; …

Dry Creek Valley’s Michel-Schlumberger Is Ready for Its Comeback
New owners and winemaker Natalie Winkler are giving this former Sonoma Cabernet also-ran a …