Top 12 Cabernet Sauvignons of 2022
From grapes grown on the rocky red slopes of Mount Veeder, this is mountain Cabernet Sauvignon at its very best. With an extremely deep purple-black colour, the wine shows dense black fruits backed by toasty, almost ‘tar-like’ accents and delicate rose-petal and baking spices overlay. Rich, full-bodied, layered and complex with great definition and length. Compelling now, with roast venison, for example, but one can only imagine how well it will age.

An elegant and refined chardonnay, which is also surprisingly voluptuous! Classic Yarra characters of fresh melon and citrus flavours on the nose, underpinned with notes of marzipan & hazelnut. Located in Victoria’s Yarra Valley, Giant Steps is recognised as a global benchmark for cool climate Chardonnay. The winery is one of the most progressive in Australia and is known for its pursuit of site expression.

A very elegant Pinot with sweet ripe juicy strawberries and red cherries, and very fine tannins on the finish. A match for mushroom risotto, roast duck.

Wine Of The Week: 2018 Lassègue Saint-Emilion Grand Cru A special-occasion Bordeaux with a surprisingly affordable price point. Bordeaux needs little introduction, and neither does Saint-Émilion–a wee wine region within Bordeaux’s boundaries that produces otherworldly reds. One of the newest additions to the region’s Grand Cru Classé status is Lassègue, the flagship wine of Château Lassègue made predominantly with Merlot and Cabernet Franc. It’s young right now, but shows wild potential, with juicy notes of plum, blackberries, and chocolate, and undertones of earth. Powerful but vibrant and ripe. While other bottles from the region can command staggering price tags, Lassègue Saint-Emilion Grand Cru is still eminently affordable at just $60 per bottle. (Surprising, considering Ch. Lassègue’s neighbors include Château Pavie, Château Ausone, and Château Angelus.) I’d suggest you stock up — buy a few bottles, drink one now, one in five years, and one in ten. When the weather starts to chill, I want a red wine that envelops you like a hug. But this wine isn’t that. Before serving, it’s best to chill this red ever so slightly.

The wines tasted for this report, the La Crema Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir 2020 and Monterey Pinot Noir 2019 are considerable bargains for the high-quality experience they provide.
With its extended hang time, Monterey is a pinot noir paradise. Its proximity to Monterey Bay shrouds the vineyards in fog throughout much of the morning before being burned off by the sun.
The wine was bolder, richer, more brooding in nature, with plum, black cherry and blood orange flavors.
It's the afternoon winds though that give respite to the grapes, slowing their ripening as breezes sweep in off the frigid Bay.

The wines tasted for this report, the La Crema Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir 2020 and Monterey Pinot Noir 2019 are considerable bargains for the high-quality experience they provide. The Sonoma Coast and its layers of black cherry and black berry flavors were woven together by suggestive dusty dark chocolate and sweet tobacco. It's an appellation where pinot shines, because the mysterious flavors it has produced aren't always obvious. It's a moody kind of wine, where none of its characteristics are obvious. Vineyards in the Green Valley, Los Carneros, Petaluma Wind Gap and Russian River Valley are featured in the blend. They're what McAllister said are "true coastal vineyards."

One of the hottest and driest summers in the Willamette Valley produced quality Chardonnay grapes with maturity and balanced acidity. During ageing in French Oak barrels, weekly stirring of the lees created a wine with creamy mouthfeel and elegant complexity.

Chianti Classico is generally considered to produce the best Chianti wines. Riserva indicates higher-quality fruit and extended barrel and bottle aging. Gran Selezione is the highest classification, requiring 90% sangiovese, estate fruit and even longer aging.
2017 Tenuta di Arceno “Strada al Sasso” Gran Selezione rich, savory, vanilla.

Blended with 7% Merlot from the famous site, along the benchlands of the Mayacamas, this is a juicy, delicious and sophisticated wine, with impressive, complementary bolts of freshness and intensity that are fully in sync. Notes of gravel, black cherry, currant and herb ride along a structured and generous palate of memorable greatness. Enjoy best from 2028–2038.

Some of Napa’s most powerful wines come from Howell Mountain. Along with its sister brands Lokoya and Cardinale, La Jota is one of the crown jewels of Jackson Family Wines. The wines from the volcanic La Jota vineyard have what long-time winemaker Chris Carpenter calls ‘mountain power’. Deeply fruited, this explodes in a symphony of chaparral, lavender, blackberry and sage. Yet, for all its power, the wine’s violet-blue notes give it freshness. Mountain Cab Franc at its most precise and structured.

Immediately savoury, hints of wild rosemary and bay leaf referencing its fynbos-strewn home on the lofty peaks of the Banhoek. Yellow apples and creamed pear are stitched in by intricate notes of cinnamon spice, orange peel and the leesy complexity of baking bread. The palate is equally layered and savoury, with a core of peachy bright fruit wrapped in a mineral, crystallising acid. Truly distinct. 14%

Ray Guerin planted the Applejack Vineyard in 1997, and Sexton purchased it in 2013. The vines face northeast on a hillside in the Upper Yarra, yielding a sunny wine that feels open, even as there's a tight-fleshed coolness to its bright cherry fruit. That contrast plays out in a delicate, lightly voluptuous pinot, a textural pleasure that lasts on fragrance. Beautiful to drink now, this should age with grace.

Burgundian-like reduction of crushed stone and oyster shell – a certain flinty character Weerts says comes from a special site in Barrydale. Then, layers of limey, austere citrus, steel and crushed chalk. The palate is unwaveringly driven, with a tight linear acidity complemented by a skeleton of oak spice that tapers into a dry, crisp finish. 14%

Fragrant lemon balm, flowers and white citrus mark out the nose. There’s an inherent joy to this wine. On entry, a vibrant twist of freshly squeezed lime, then the freshness of nectarine stone fruits along with a compelling chalky texture and a properly mouthwatering line of saline acid. 14%

The Sexton Vineyard shares a north-facing hillside in Gruyere with Yarra Yering and Coldstream Hills; this will be the site of a new winery and cellar door currently under construction. The vines, now 25 years old, produced a meaty and intense 2021, layering the smoky earth of its tannins with spicy, bright, rose-scented fruit. Structured and lasting, this is a wine to cellar, then to serve with roast duck.

This appellation blend is a very satisfying and delicious expression of the region, rivaling many single-vineyard bottlings. Snappy aromas of raspberry and pomegranate are clean and polished on the nose. The palate is juicy and bright with strawberry flavors that are cut by minty tarragon tones.

In its bold, grapey youth, this wine needs decanting to show detail in the black fruit. Immediately fresh and clean, it turns fragrant with air, long and rich. A standard-bearer for the Yarra Valley.

High-toned red fruit encompasses the palate of this full-bodied wine, that is supple and generous in tannin and flecks of black pepper and clove. A rounded texture gives it a welcome plushness and length.

Weekend Wines
This reliable buy showcases the Yarra’s classic lemon curd combo of piquancy and richness. Well-judged oak adds gentle spice to the zesty candied peel and curd palate, enlivened by green nectarine acidity.

Fruity and focused, this lightly tangy and well-balanced wine offers clean, ripe pear, apple and lemon nuances on a lively, refreshing texture. Without barrel aging, it lets all the natural fruitiness of Chardonnay flow through.

Bright red cherry colored. Similarly bright and cherry-driven on the palate, with raspberries and tangy red cherries and cranberries, along with rhubarb, white pepper, some sage – nice herbal, spicy vibes. Smooth tannins and fresh acidity on the palate, a tart and juicy appeal with flavors of cranberry relish and juicy black cherries. Spicy, floral, fun, I get elements of earth, sage, leather and pepper, some rhubarb and dried rose petals. Really fun Willamette juice that drinks well, offers complexity, crowd-friendly appeal and bang for the buck.

Bright ruby color. The raspberry and juicy strawberry aromas of delightful, backed up with anise, black pepper, clay and tilled soil, some rose potpourri. Dusty tannins frame the palate nicely, medium acidity keeps it vibrant, and I get flavors of red plums, wild raspberries and saucy cherries. Notes of spiced black tea, white pepper, violets, clay. Fun and fresh, but sports solid complexity and depth.

Fermented and aged in both stainless steel and neutral oak, this is a fine, friendly and approachable white, that’s tropical and fleshy with underlying richness. Pineapple, mango and hints of fennel and dill give it a contrast of fruit and herb.

Thick and earthy in forest floor and black tea, this wine is spiced in integrated oak and ripe in rich, dark-cherry flavor, made in a fullbodied style that shows the site and vintage well.

Rich and ripe in style, this wine is layered in dark cherry, vanilla and bolts of tea, with underlying accents of forest and oak.