A low-yielding site set on exposed north-facing slopes, Sexton vineyard produces wines of depth and concentration. There's more richness here than the other 2019 chardonnay releases from this winery, with stone fruit coming into play on the bouquet and palate and a more textural feeling. There's width and length to the flavour profile, the oak a well-integrated component throughout. The finish shows a chalky minerality with real persistence.

Lower yields and small bunches meant 20% was destemmed. Whole berries went into 1 oak vat, topped with the remaining whole bunches. Sealed for some light carbonic maceration, with a bit of foot stomping in between. Pressed to French barriques, 20% new and aged 8 months before bottled by gravity, which excited winemaker Steve Flamsteed. Snap. Crackle. Pop. This is brimming with good stuff. Highly perfumed, crunchy fruit flavours and pliable tannins. Thanks to its laser light of natural acidity, it has energy and drive.

Warm vintages service this doyen of white Rhône varieties so well, almost forcing the phenolic amplitude and textural quilt that would otherwise be lacking, at least in this country. This has it in spades. Scintillating aromas of bitter almond, apricot pith, rooibos, pistachio and freshly lain tatami mat. À point! Pucker and freshness; textural detail personified. The French oak (25% new) and lees work, apposite. The finish, long and rippling across the textural crevices. I'd love to drink this in 5 years.

Hewn of fruit from a southeast facing ironstone sandy outcrop. Hand picked and gently macerated, resplendent with 25% whole bunches. 15 days on skins. 18 months in French foudres (30% new). I like this. A bit looser knit than the Ironheart. Floral and lifted. Sappy and crunchy. A powerful wine, to be sure, but light on its feet. An energetic cadence, weaving a thread of peppery acidity into a quilt of blue-fruit allusions, violet, nori, smoked meat and Asian spice. Firm across the finish, the tannins pulling the saliva forth in readiness for the next glass.

A blend of three distinctive blocks on loams, silt and clay. No whole bunch. Gently extracted by wetting the cap and racking/returning. Circa 20 days on skins. 6 months in puncheons. 6 more in foudres and a concrete egg. A corpulent wine, lush and full. Yet there is nothing jammy about it. Eclipsed by its Bordeaux varietal siblings perhaps, but as far as warm-climate shiraz goes, this is at the apex of the qualitative totem pole. Blue fruits, violet, anise, clove and pepper grind. Some salumi, too. But the tannins are this gorgeous wine's opus.

The 2018 Chardonnay Upper Barn Vineyard is a tremendous wine. It offers a stunning combination of textural richness, vibrancy and energy. All the best elements of the Stonestreet house style come through in a Chardonnay that is incredibly distinctive.

The 2018 Chardonnay Gold Run is an incredibly distinctive wine. Apricot, exotic flowers, butter and passionfruit all flesh out in an unctuous, textured Chardonnay long on class. This is an especially overt, tropical style, and there is terrific freshness as well. These vines planted in 1982 yield a Chardonnay of notable complexity.

The 2019 Zinfandel Hartford Vineyard emerges from vines planted in 1906. A heady, exuberant wine, the Hartford Zinfandel builds nicely in the glass as sweet floral and spice notes emerge to complement dark-fleshed berry fruit. This creamy, layered Zinfandel is pure sensuality.

Fresh melon, Key lime and celery aromas make for a unique and refreshing nose in this tantalizing wine by Greg Brewer. The wine zips across the palate with vibrant, titillating acidity, carrying flavors of sea shell, light herb and zesty citrus into the relentlessly grippy finish.

This is cool-climate Syrah on full amplification, courtesy of Greg Brewer. Aromas of cracked peppercorn, tar, graham cracker, raw lamb and elderberry show on the nose. The raw-meat flavors of the nuanced while bold palate are intense, and dusted with accents of pepper, bay leaf, rosemary and lavender.

Hawks Butte shows blackberry, cherry bouquet with hints of licorice, black pepper and blueberry. On the round balanced palate proper tannin/acidity supports plum, blueberry, cigar box and cumin flavors through a long clean finish. I was surprised at its flavors and long finish due a medium purple color which suggested a less complex wine.

Refined, rich and powerfully structured flavors of cherry, currant and dried raspberry are tensile, supported by firm acidity and tannins. Ends with a minerally flourish on the firm finish, with notes of savory herbs. Best from 2022 through 2027. From California.

The 2018 Chardonnay Journey is fabulous. Rich, unctuous and beautifully layered in the glass, with notes of lemon confit, white flowers and marzipan that give the 2018 stinking texture. The 2018 Journey is silky, with notable creaminess, depth and textural resonance, all in an understated style that holds tons of appeal.

The 2019 Chardonnay Upper Barn Vineyard brings serious richness and depth yet still has a more mineral-laced, pure, balanced style. Ripe tangerines, white currants, brioche, honeyed minerality, and toast all dominate the bouquet, and this beauty is balanced, with nicely integrated acidity and a great finish. It doesn't match the vibrancy and precision of the 2017 and is more in the softer, more rounded style of the 2018.

The 2019 Zinfandel Hartford Vineyard is cut from the same cloth yet seems to have a touch more purity and precision than the Highwire release. Blueberries, candied strawberries, toasted spice, graphite, and spicy wood notes define this beauty, and it's medium to full-bodied, with a wonderful sense of purity, ripe tannins, and a great finish.

The 2019 Zinfandel Jolene's Vineyard Old Vine is another beauty. Revealing a ruby/purple hue as well as a beautiful nose of ripe blueberries, red plums, flowery incense, and sandalwood, this outstanding red hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, a pure, elegant, layered texture, perfectly integrated tannins, and a great, great finish. It’s already hard to resist, but I think it has the balance as well as the density to keep for at least 5-7 years, if not upwards of a decade if you’re so inclined. There’s certainly no need to delay gratification, though.

The 2018 Pinot Noir Land's Edge Vineyards is another Sonoma Coast release from this great producer. Medium ruby/purple-hued, with an exotic bouquet of black cherries, blueberries, candied violets, and flowery incense, it hits the palate with medium-bodied richness, a juicy, racy mouthfeel, supple tannins, and a great finish. It will benefit from a year in bottle and drink brilliantly through at least 2030.

Coming from the Anderson Valley, the 2018 Pinot Noir Velvet Sisters has textbook savory, herbal, mineral style as well as wonderful darker cherry and exotic blueberry fruits, medium to full body, loads of floral and violet nuances, no hard edges, and a great finish. It's up-front and fruit-forward, yet it has plenty of tannins as well as remarkable purity and freshness. Drink this singular Pinot Noir over the coming 7-8 years.

Slightly more pear and honeyed peach fruits as well as honeysuckle, sappy green herbs, and a subtle sense of minerality emerge from the 2018 Chardonnay Fog Dance Vineyard, a more focused, elegant wine from the cooler Green River section of the Russian River Valley. The purity of fruit is spot on, I love its overall balance, and this crisp yet rich 2018 is going to keep for 5-7 years, if not longer.

The 2018 Chardonnay Three Jacks Vineyard, which comes from the cooler Green Valley portion of the Russian River, offers a very clean, pure, complex style that's already a joy to drink. Notes of honeyed orchard fruits, spice, brioche, and floral nuances give way to a powerful, concentrated Chardonnay that has good acidity, plenty of mid-palate depth and richness, and a great finish.

I always seem to find a tropical slant in Chardonnay from Carneros, and the 2018 Chardonnay Sevens Bench Vineyard has it in spades, with ample pineapple, honeyed peach, pear, and toasted spice-like aromas and flavors. This is another balanced, rich, medium to full-bodied Chardonnay from this estate that's loaded with character. Drink it over the coming 5-7 years.

This has a rich, red-plum, red-berry and pastry nose with some stony elements on offer, too. Offers perfume and an almost chalky edge and the spice is starting to build here. The palate has exceptional tautness and a lively, crunchy texture. Red and dark-berry flavors abound. Long finish. So smoothly resolved and powerful. From biodynamically grown grapes. Drink or hold. Screw cap.

This packs in lots of dense yet sleek blackberry, mulberry and black currant fruit flavors, while anise, sassafras and violet notes add range throughout. There's plenty of structure embedded as well, though it tilts to the zesty, acid-driven side of the ledger, further enlivening the fruit. This has a serious oak treatment, but it's very precise and fine-grained. For the cellar. Best from 2022 through 2038.

Jam-packed with bright and juicy cassis, plum preserves and raspberry reduction notes, this pumps along nicely, with sleek licorice and graphite notes adding support. Flashes of sweet bay leaf and violet skitter through, and there's serious coiled-up energy on the finish, so a little patience will be rewarded. Best from 2022 through 2038.

Medium to light red/purple colour. Very floral and rose-petally, with a tinge of lavender. Highly aromatic pinot. The palate is light to medium-weight and finely-textured, with a sheen of firm but fine tannins adding grip and structure. The aftertaste has a brothy umami savouriness and a lingering aftertaste. Compact and focused. An excellent Yarra pinot but if anything just a bit light. (Site is 230m, similar altitude as Applejack but the difference is the soil, which is red basalt)