2025 Top 20 Worst Wines of the Year

It is time once again for the top 20 worst wines of the year. More thought and effort go into this than my top 20 which is a streamline process. What are the factors that determine this list?

1. Score- While that is not everything it does come up first.
2. Price- Good example is the Silver Oak Napa which is by far the most expensive. Terrible QPR and maybe the worst all year.
3. Influencers- When there is a 40 point difference on a wine from an influencer compared to my score that might make the list. See number one.
4. Worldwide- While most are from the US I try and get some from other countries including France.

Enjoy!

Number One: Well Ben has the most notes on Cellar Tracker. When you have that many notes you are going to badly miss some.  We are only off by 40 points on this one. So at $10 a bought another bottle and even worse. Played around at all serving temperatures and none worked out. Maybe the worst About US pages in wine history. Painful to see Stoller makes this wine and not saying Stoller is a great winery but they are at least drinkable.

• 2022 Chemistry Chardonnay – USA, Oregon (12/14/2025)
  Day 1: Before officially posting my top 20 worst wines of the year I had to check in on another bottle to confirm this was the worst wine of the year. Well I didn’t want to spend $150 on the Silver Oak Napa. The finish on this wine makes be not ever want to drink wine again. The nose offers almost nothing but it is the finish that is a complete disaster. There is a a heavy chemical taste like a chemistry experiment gone bad. No fruit and a plastic taste as well. How in the world did someone give this 91 points is beyond me. 50 points (50 points)

2022 Chemistry Chardonnay – USA, Oregon (12/6/2025)

One of the worst wines tasted in 2025 by 3 Day. Chemicals, no fruit and spice. What the hell is this? Wow Ben with almost 60,000 notes gave this 91 points! (51 points)

Number Two: Well, it was close to being the worst wine of the year.  The rep at this tasting said it was the best Napa they have made in 10 years.  Hard to believe and the high price moved this up the list of worst wines of the year.  At $150 a bottle easy pass.

2020 Silver Oak Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley – USA, California, Napa Valley (11/19/2025)

Silver Oak/ Twomey/ Ovid Tasting (Haskell’s, Minnetonka): Great teaching experience to others at this tasting as this is smoke tainted. They tried to say this is one of their best offerings in years which everyone knows no one made their best in 2020. Not much on the nose which is a good indicator of smoke taint. The Alexander 2021 had really nice fruit. On the palate chalk, wood, spice and dried flowers. NO fruit showing and again that harsh chalky tooth paste after taste. Hopefully no clueless critics gave this a good score but I am sure they did. Wine Disrupted and top 10 worst of the year slam-dunk. (70 points)

Number Three: Sorry mom but this wine is garbage.  This is a Total Wine big seller as McDonalds sells a lot of really bad burgers.

2023 Caliveda Cellars Pinot Noir – USA, California, Napa Valley (10/25/2025)

10,000 Note/ Sunfish Cellars Closing, Total Wine Tastig and Tom & Bruna’s Halloween Party; 10/25/2025-10/26/2025 (Minnepolis, MN): The Total Wine guy asked what I thought well I told him this is terrible. Yes he gets commission on it but you could tell he was cornered on this one. Artificial color, flavors and just not sure what is in this crap. (50 points)

Number Four: Last minute entry.  My friend put this in blind as a joke everyone was like no!!!  Thought it was Meiomi Pinot but turned out to be just as made the Apothic. 

2021 Apothic Red – USA, California (12/13/2025)

Day 1: Holly cow is this bad. Tasted blind and no one fooled. Maple syrup and chemicals What is not to love. 51 points (51 points)

Number Five:  This is from one of the more disappointing shops that used to be good.  Terrible return policy of only 14 days.  No good sales there either.  No more South Lyndale Liquor business.  Reached out to the winery to see if this was an off bottle and nothing.

2020 Langmeil Shiraz Valley Floor – Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley (11/30/2025)

Day 1: Nothing like the 21 which is outstanding. This is boring and tastes like the bottom shelf of the grocery store wines. Chemicals, light fruit and pepper. There is zero concentration to this wine and South Lyndale Liquors has two back to back busts and I mean busts. Returning this. 60 points

Day 3: More plastic taste than I care to write about. Weak fruit and water. Just an awful finish. What is worse is I reached out to Langmeil 3 days ago and heard nothing. Another domestic winery I had an off bottle or just a poorly made wine got back to me same day.

Recommendation: This wine is crap sandwich and avoid. (60 points)

Number Six:  Took a while to get a Caymus product on the list this year.  This wine is another source the grapes from cheap vineyards and have the chemistry lab go to work.

2022 Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon California – USA, California (10/25/2025)

10,000 Note/ Sunfish Cellars Closing, Total Wine Tastig and Tom & Bruna’s Halloween Party; 10/25/2025-10/26/2025 (Minnepolis, MN): I always love these wines at parties because I take almost as much pride in my top 10 worst wines of the year as my top 10 best wines of the year. In the top 3 right now based on the price point. Sweet fruits, globs of sugar and mild spice. Short uninspiring finish. Very artificial tasting wine. So the people that enjoy this clearly are not applying the tasting process to detect all the flaws which there are a ton in this wine. (65 points)

Number Seven: I never really liked Double Diamond but this goes to a new low.  At $85 a bottle I think not.

2022 Double Diamond (Schrader) Cabernet Sauvignon – USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville (1/25/2025)

$75.00 Cabernet Plus Event (Liz’s House Minneapolis): This wine showcases the terrible wine reviewers in the world. As a pro reviewer and one of the biggest promoters of the tasting process in the world I was able to show 12 others at this tasting what is clearly wrong with this wine. OAK to start but then gets into a molasses on the palate/finish. The fruit is ripe and this wine is a complete disaster. So I was joking that some critic gave this 94 points or higher and Decanter strikes again. Though I saw a Jeb 95 somewhere but maybe revisited it after my review and 91 now. WOW!!! Almost a slam dunk for top 3 worst wines of the year. The irony of this at the tasting was I always tell people do not go to Total Wine last minute to pick up a wine for an event and sure enough that is what happened.

We live on Super Bowl Sunday with Wine Disruptors. Fitting this is the first wine to disrupt: https://winedisruptors.com/ (72 points)

Number Eight: Hails from Bordeaux and good old Wine Enthusiast overrating another wine.

2020 Château de Lamarque – France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Haut-Médoc (3/6/2025)

Day 1: The 2019 had a plastic taste and this does as well. Why you don’t trust main stream wine critics. Very light wine with plastic, spice, light fruit and damp earth. A joke that WE gave this 93 points. 75 points

Day 2: Maybe a touch better on day 2 but the finish on this wine is so below average and thin. Less plastic taste and very light wine with raspberries, mild spice and damp earth. Short finish. 77 points

Day 3: Worst of the 3 days and one of the worst wines tasted in a long time. PLASTIC. A touch of fruit and damp earth. This wine is terrible as the 2019 was but not at this level. 55 points

Recommendation: Really shows how critics can take a mediocre Chateau and get products to move off the shelf with their silly ratings. (77 points)

Number Nine:  Two Caymus products on the top 10 worst.  Not shocking.  Paso is yet to make a Cabernet that I would find passible on an exam.

2023 Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon 1858 Paso Robles – USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles (10/25/2025)

10,000 Note/ Sunfish Cellars Closing, Total Wine Tastig and Tom & Bruna’s Halloween Party; 10/25/2025-10/26/2025 (Minnepolis, MN): Crap sandwich and thanks to Spinal Tap for the reference. Chemicals, globs of overripe fruit, artificial vanilla coffee sweeteners and some spices. This is one of the better Total Wine sellers the person told me. Well we need to educate all wine drinkers immediately. Front runner for my top 15 worst wine of the year awards. Thanks Chuck! (54 points)

Number Ten:  As the one wine critic really calling out smoke taint this was a complete disappointment from one of my favorite wineries in Washington.

2020 L’Ecole No. 41 Apogée Pepper Bridge Vineyard – USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley (8/8/2025)

Meritage Tasting (Minneapolis, MN): Well was able to teach a group of 12 about smoke taint last night. Most people think the wine is oaky or just in a dumb phase. No this wine is smoke tainted. How do you tell? When swishing it around in your mouth you get a real chalky sensation like a really bad tooth paste. Also no fruit was present in this wine. Anyway since they made it, it is not in the flawed category in my opinion hence a lower score than the community. Muted fruit, earth, ash and dried twigs. As one of my top 10 wineries in Washington I wish they did not make it. Shocking James Suckling gave this 94 points. (74 points)

Number Eleven: Big party expect some top 20 worst wine candidates.  Thank you who ever brought it.

2023 Daou Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Paso Robles – USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles (10/25/2025)

10,000 Note/ Sunfish Cellars Closing, Total Wine Tastig and Tom & Bruna’s Halloween Party; 10/25/2025-10/26/2025 (Minnepolis, MN): Dear god a billion dollar sale. This stuff is crap. Sweet fruit, spice and some floral notes. Such a awful finish taste. Not sure what the hell wine drinkers see here but reach out to me for some wine education as I can help. Had to cancel a favorite user on this one. (65 points)

Number Twelve: Hey for $2 more you can get their Reserve.  Again in America Reserve means nothing and this is a clear indicator of that.

2023 Caliveda Cellars Pinot Noir Reserve – USA, California, Napa Valley (11/8/2025)

Well the average is going down on this one. Artificial smoke flavors, overripe fruit and a chemical after taste. One of the worst Pinots tasted this year. $15 at total wine.

Insane someone on tracker gave this 92. (55 points)

Number Thirteen:  Boisset is a large operation and uses a pyramid scam sales force.  They have some great wines but an equal number of junk.

2024 Boisset Cellars The Caster – USA, California (11/22/2025)

Tried last Saturday and equally bad. Boisset had a Pinot out today and that was terrible as well. Sweet wine with some spice and pepper. A artificial sweetener after taste. (58 points)

Actually better than the 2023 Caymus Paso Cab which is more expensive.

Number Fourteen:  Well, this was one of those BOGO deals at Haskell’s and even at $1.00 a bottle I am out.

NV Erikson & Caradin Cabernet Sauvignon Raptor & Crimson – USA, California, Napa Valley (11/1/2025)

Terrible wine with Easter egg dye, spice and light. Not good and who makes a nv cab?

No info going into tasting with with the wine shop friends. We all hated it and found out later it was a Last Bottle & Big Hammer which says everything. To top it off Wine Tasting Panel (?) gave this 96 points (52 points)

Number Fifteen: These are all really bad.  Think Yellow Tail only much worse.  They all get lumped into the number 15 spots.  The Cabernet, Rose & Moscato. 

2022 Koala Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon – Australia, South Eastern (11/8/2025)

Same experience as last time. (50 points)

Number Sixteen: I see this all over town and never tried it but think A to Z only worse.

2023 Pike Road Wines Pinot Noir – USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley (10/25/2025)

10,000 Note/ Sunfish Cellars Closing, Total Wine Tastig and Tom & Bruna’s Halloween Party; 10/25/2025-10/26/2025 (Minnepolis, MN): Crap wine with light fruits, dried flowers and some spice. Short finish and the Pinot Noir wines in Oregon would be out of business if this is the crap they made. (70 points)

Number Seventeen: While most are from America here is a terrible bottle that Solo Vino gave to a member of one of my wine clubs.  Think they were trying to get rid it it.

2022 Weingut Thörle Hölle Spätburgunder – Germany, Rheinhessen (8/22/2025)

Pinot’s at Gary’s (Gary’s Place, Minneapolis): Was given to the guest who brought the Donnachadh which was also not good. Why you never shop last minute for a wine event. This was horrible and a top 20 worst wine of the year candidate. No one like it. Light with cherry bubble gum, crushed flowers and a really short, uninspiring finish.

The community average pricing on this is way off as it is a $20 bottle. (65 points)

Number Eighteen: Another Boisset masterpiece I mean piece of crap.  Who drinks this stuff?

2020 Boisset Cellars Sonoma Cut Pinot Noir – USA, California, Sonoma County (11/22/2025)

Terrible wine with dirt, muted fruit and water. A touch of ash and mild smoke taint. Boisset makes some of the worst wines in California. Maybe these wine parties these hosts do serve this at the end when everyone is drunk so they but it. (65 points)

Number Nineteen:  Needed another French to round out the top 20 and this is  real gem.  France has the best wine on the planet a large percent of poorly made wine.

NV Castel Frères La Bellevie des Bois – France, Vin de France (11/10/2025)

This was one of the worst wines of the year. Chemicals, spices and a short aftertaste. The world’s best somm could not detect fruit on this one. (50 points)

Number twenty: Love Oregon wines but there is a steady stream of cheap, manucatured wines moving in.  Here is one of them.

Frères La Bellevie des BoisPinot Gris – USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley (3/29/2025)

When this is the worst of the three wines from Greetings that is saying something. For sure top 10 worst wines of the year candidate. Cleaning chemicals, no fruit detected and water. Very short finish. Please avoid at all costs. (50 points)

Thank you for reading the top 20 worst wines of the year. Feel free in the comments to share your worst wine experiences form 2025.