This is simple stuff with a modicum of varietal character. Soft and a bit herbaceous, it leads with some candied black cherry, followed by black licorice, and mocha vanilla. A mid-week red and my choice match would be grilled hamburgers or flank steak. Ready to drink. The mix is 95% cabernet sauvignon, 2% syrah, 1% merlot, 1% petit verdot, and 1% cabernet franc.

Blackberries, foresty earth on the nose. Cherries, plum, currants and earth on the smooth palate, with a lingering finish. Good plus.

Round and rich like dark chocolate, but also not wanting for either vibrancy or the Mount’s signature structure. Damned fine job here.

Consistently one of the most powerful, complex and long-lived merlots made anywhere. Exceptional.

This lower-alcohol version of America’s best-selling Chardonnay has much of its older sibling’s appeal, just a lighter feel. Mixing pink grapefruit and peach with vanilla and toast, it’s a classic Chardonnay in taste, if not as full as the real thing when it comes to the texture.

Last year, we debunked the myths surrounding why you may hate chardonnay. In summation, you likely hadn’t had the right one. If you’re going to try one this year, let it be Gran Moraine. Located on the western edge of the Yamhill-Carlton subregion of Oregon, the winery explores the difference between sub parcels within the region. Nerdy? Perhaps, but it gives them an exacting knowledge of how to make a dang good chardonnay. Apricot and eucalyptus on the nose lead into notes of lemon pith, Maldon salt and brioche — bright, heady and cool. There’s a touch of new oak, but it’s beautifully integrated, adding just a hint of roundness to the palate without restricting the levity of the wine.

Deep-ish red-purple colour, bright and glowing; the bouquet is reserved but is spicy, earthy and red-fruited with hints of Turkish delight, and the wine comes into its own in the mouth, where it's full-bodied and powerfully structured, with excellent concentration, drive and persistence. There is density and richness, fleshy extract, masses of tannin and a big finish. A grenache of real gravitas

Medium-depth purple-red colour with a reserved but fragrant bouquet of red fruits and floral overtones, a note of blackberry pastille, a subtle lacing of fresh herbs, and a sheen of firming tannins coating the palate from start to finish. Long and promising: a very smart grenache

Medium-depth colour with a reserved nose, a mite restrained at this stage, with aromas of plum pits and skins, background spices, the same in the mouth, where it has good depth of intense and compact flavour but seems a tad latent. This is puzzling: it almost certainly needs more time, but it's hard to see the value at this moment. An elegant style of grenache for sure, and less exuberant than some earlier vintages

Deep red-purple colour with a sweetly ripe, charmingly fragrant bouquet, the palate backing up with good intensity of flavour and rather firm, taut tannins imparting a solid grip. A robust wine with a future. Right now, it needs some protein

Sublime. What a gorgeous Grenache! Prettiness and class all in one package. Sourced from the certified organic and biodynamic block adjacent to the famed High Sands, the vines were planted in 1946. Fermented in ceramic eggs and on skins for 176 days, this is Grenache purity at its best. Glorious fruit, sizzling weight, it's just marvelously executed. Easily my favourite Grenache in the Yangarra Estate range, juicy raspberries run riot with flashes of blueberries. Superfine exotic spices frame the edges and push long to a persistent and ever moreish finish. So bright and vibrant in the glass, it feels so luxurious with its silky touch. The High Sands is the flagship of the range but I'd easily take three of these to one of those. Just brilliant! Drink to eight years.

Blended with 21% Merlot, this wine shows lots of varietal character, nuanced in red fruit, toasted oak and compelling baking spice. Elegant throughout, it conveys power within the context of sophisticated complexity and mannered tannins. Plenty of structure allows the wine to age further. Enjoy best from 2029–2039.

From a site at an 1,800-foot elevation, this wine is oaky and spiced, with an opening of lush apple, nutmeg and tropical flair. Minerality enters in the form of crushed rock, with well-hewn structure and high acidity at play.
A note of butterscotch lingers on the finish

This concentrated and complete wine offers luscious dark cherries, red plums, dark chocolate and an intricate layering of subtle spices including nutmeg, cinnamon, cedar and mint. These start in the nose and last through the velvety palate and lingering finish. Grown at a 2,800-foot elevation, the wine should drink best from 2025–2035.

Brooding and intense aromas of cassis, plum and asphalt are dark yet not overly ripe on the fresh nose of this bottling. The palate also exhibits that intense concentration without being too ripe, offering fresh purple fruit and flower flavors as well as light spice.

Savory in black pepper, smoked meat and cigar box, this wine is high-toned aromatically, with lovely hints of violet and dried herb, sage and bay leaf. Mountain-sturdy tannins give it structure, power and room to age, with lasting acidity to keep it fresh. Enjoy best from 2029–2039.

Made from the producer’s estate Monument Ridge, blocks that rise from 400 to 2,400 feet, this balanced, elegant wine is refined and savory, with classic structure. Crushed rock, mountain sage, pine and dusty tannin support a core of juicy currant and cassis.

Made in a hearty, tannic and concentrated style, this wine nonetheless captures the variety’s ability to project the environment in which it’s grown, which in this case means sage and freshturned earth. Black fruit, iron and oak dominate but show the ability to integrate over time. Enjoy best from 2029–2034.

This stainless-steel, no malolactic fermentation wine sourced from Chalk Hill Vineyard showcases the floral earthiness of the variety. Woody cedar and dried herb, with just a hint of bell pepper, accent dense red currant and
balanced acidity.

This wine is elegant and austere in style, refined in tannin and blue fruit. The oak is subdued and adds spice to the other earthy notes of dried herb and clove.

Light and acid-driven, this wine is subtle in style, with layers of wet stone, lemon zest and forest. It shows varietal integrity and lasting notes of black tea and baking spice.

Leading in savory red fruit, cedar and clove, this light-bodied wine offers persistent freshness and edgy flavor.

Aromas of fresh Asian pear, Meyer lemon, and hints of bread dough are followed by flavors of Granny Smith apple, lime, and hints of pie crust. The 2017 vintage from Saralee’s Vineyard presents balanced acidity and a mouthwatering finish

A monument to the grape and its mountainside vineyards. Deep black-purple color; intense and concentrated, cassis, blackberry and blueberry; whole dimensions of graphite, dust and loam; piercing minerality above lavender and licorice, deeply rooted elements of hillside herbs and flowers, briers and underbrush; terrific impact on the palate yet beautifully balanced and integrated. 14.5 percent alcohol. Try from 2023 or ’24 through 2031 to ’34. Consistently one of the most powerful, complex and long-lived merlots made anywhere. Exceptional.

Opaque black-purple infused with magenta; tremendous in power and poise, revealing its mountain origin in notes of sage, thyme and heather; dusty graphite, oolong tea, forest floor; raspberry, blueberry and smoked plums; a core of lavender, licorice, violets and bitter chocolate; huge presence, lithe and supple; a thread of granitic minerality and notable tannins expands through the finish. 14.5 percent alcohol. Consistently one of the best merlots produced in California. Try from 2024 through 2030 or ’32. Excellent.