The vines were just over 70 years old at harvest. The grapes were well treated in the winery. The price is $35. Australian wine is a lovely place sometimes.
The beauty of redcurrant and liquorice. The woody spice notes, splashed generously about. The tannin, firm and fine but commanding. Whole bunch influences are sensed as the fruit gushes through. I don’t really need to go on. This is a tip top terrific grenache, without a shadow of a doubt.

This 2020 Brooks Road Shiraz is littered with rendered lamb fat, BBQ char, clove bud and licorice on the nose. In the mouth, the wine is defined by red fruit, and it is savory and fine. This is not at all a big wine. It is medium-bodied and carries its fruit and freshness well. Much of this cuvée is from the 1971 plantings outside the house I am sitting in right now (in Clarendon). Saline acidity curves through the fruit, and the tannins shape the course of the finish. Lovely wine. Classy. (The plus sign in the score relates to the fact that I am sitting here also tasting the 2014 alongside, and if anything, it's a better wine, as it has gained momentum in the spice and character department; so, it follows that this wine will only improve in time.)

The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon is composed of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot, and 1% Malbec. Deep garnet-purple in color, it features bold notions of warm cassis, plum preserves, and mulberries with touches of tree bark, dried mint, and chocolate box. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has wonderfully fine-grained tannins and bright acidity supporting the vibrant, crunchy black fruits, finishing long and energetic.

The Wombat Creek Vineyard is the most southerly in the collection and the highest altitude too, at 400 meters. It was planted in the 1980s as a source for cool-climate, Upper Yarra sparkling base. In the last 10 to 15 years, the site has emerged as one of the more exciting table wine sites in the area. Wild fermented and and made with 100% whole bunch, the 2021 Wombat Creek Vineyard Pinot Noir underwent carbonic maceration for a total of three weeks on skins. On the nose, there are notes of fennel flower, red apple skin, fig, lavender, quince and pork fat, shaped in the mouth by mineral/lead pencil/graphite tannins. This was bottled without fining or filtration. It is bright, sappy and crunchy, with a cavalcade of exotic spice complexity. It actually looked a lot better after an hour or so in the glass, suggesting that if you must drink it early, do the right thing and decant it.

Not only is Wombat Creek the vineyard with the highest elevation in the collection (100 meters up the hill from Applejack, circa 400 meters elevation), it is also the most southerly. Planted to the I10V1 clone, this is an interesting (understatement) pigeon pair to the Applejack, in that it boasts the same clone and the same winemaking yet is a higher, cooler site on red dirt instead of gray clay. Fruit for the 2021 Wombat Creek Vineyard Chardonnay was picked a full 10 days after Applejack, "and it was just a matter of waiting until the fruit was ready," says Steve Flamsteed (a.k.a. Flamo). "We had no rain events or botrytis stress at all." Approximately half of the wine went through malolactic fermentation. "By the time we got around to picking it, some of the malic acid had respired," Flamo explains. And it goes a long way toward softening the wine, lending it a nutty, savory character. Pork crackling comes to mind, and in combination with the white orchard fruit and taut saline acidity, it gives the wine an extra dimension of complexity and interest. I think this wine needs some time to unfurl and evolve—I'd love to see it again in a year's time...

The 2021 Applejack Vineyard Chardonnay is a fascinating wine, and I clicked part of the way through tasting it that the Pinot Noir from the same vineyard is usually the wine that turns my dials—a realization that made this tasting all the better. Fruit is from the Applejack Vineyard, just "down the hill" from Wombat Creek Vineyard (actually about a 10-minute drive up a winding, hilly road, taking you up about 100 meters in elevation). This is taut, linear and shaped by firm yet supple phenolics that show an array of characters on the mid-palate and beyond: white miso, red apple skins, cheesecloth and musk. This, again, like the other Chardonnays, is salty and littered with preserved lemon, crushed nuts and orchard fruit. It's a brilliant wine and one that will only get better as it ages and gathers spice momentum.

Savoury, black olive, earthy toasty and spiced wood. Red fruits, open weave earthy tannin, rosehip, tannin shovels through on the back palate, which is long. A little oak tannin on the finish. Very savoury to close. Pretty brooding and coiled up as at now, but plenty of potential.

Gorgeous crème de cassis, plums, graphite, crushed stone and tobacco all emerge from the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon, another rich, medium to full-bodied, concentrated, dense, and incredibly impressive 2019 from this estate. It opens up nicely with time in the glass, but there's enough depth and structure here to warrant a solid 2-4 years of bottle age.

USA, California, Napa Valley: More 2016s Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Rockfall Vineyard offers up confident, bold scents of warm blackberries, ripe blackcurrants, licorice and charcoal with hints of crushed rocks, cigar box and violets plus a waft of licorice. Medium to full-bodied, the palates signs of energetic, crunchy black and blue fruits, with a solid backbone of ripe, grainy tannins and bright freshness, finishing long and earthy. 737 cases were made.

USA, California: More Napa & Sonoma New Releases Pale to medium ruby-purple colored, the 2017 Pinot Noir MacLean's Block gives up exuberant baked black cherries, warm raspberries and cranberry sauce scents plus suggestions of cinnamon stick, cloves, lavender and incense. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is completely filled with black and red berries plus loads of earthy accents and a finely grained texture, finishing long and layered.

USA, California: More Napa & Sonoma New Releases The 2017 Chardonnay Far Coast Vineyard leaps from the glass with vivacious lemon curd, key lime pie and fresh grapefruit scents plus wafts of honeysuckle, mandarin peel, struck flint and fresh ginger. Medium-bodied, the palate is packed with zip and zing, delivering layer upon layer of citrus and mineral notions, finishing on an enticing tropical fruit note.

Wild ferment, whole bunches, whole berries, classy oak but only where it’s needed. Beautiful expression of shiraz. Just so effortless. One sip and you just know. Black berried fruits, spices here and there, ultra-fine tannin, impressive length. Great value in the overall scheme. Class written all over it.

Grown on vines planted in the 70s and 80s and matured in all-French oak, mostly barriques but also foudre. Oak fragrance and flavour is strong here but so too is overall quality. Indeed it may well be medium in body but this is a merlot that plants its feet firmly. Big cracks of tannin, explosive berried fruit flavour, creamy vanilla and smoked cedar wood flavours all combine here to fantastic effect. Structure. Shape. Seduction. This wine is a definitive quality statement.

A new wine in this range, emerges from a site in Pine Mountain-Cloverdale Peak planted a handful of years ago. Dark and brooding in power, the 2018 has so much to offer. Huge mountain tannins enshroud a core of black cherry, scorched earth, licorice, menthol and chocolate. I won't be surprised if the Poet's Peak Cabernet quickly becomes a flagship wine in this range, as it is truly fabulous.

From a great vintage for the entire North Coast, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Speciale is all varietal that was brought up in a mix of new and used barrels. Lots of sweet cassis, candied violets, vanilla oak, and lead pencil notes define the nose, and it actually reminds me of a wine from Ridge with its focused, mineral-laced, well-oaked style. Playing in the medium to full-bodied end of the spectrum, it has plenty of tannins, beautiful purity, and outstanding length. It needs plenty of air to show at its best today and will be best with 2-4 years of bottle age. It should have 20+ years of overall longevity.

Napa Valley’s 2018sLastly, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain is another backward, brooding wine that’s going to need bottle age. Dark chocolate, graphite, wood smoke, violets, and lead pencil notes as well as ample red and black fruits dominate the bouquet, and it’s rich, full-bodied, and concentrated on the palate, with ripe tannins and a big, rich, chewy finish. This is classic Howell Mountain Cabernet, with serious tannins, yet ample mid-palate depth and length. Hide bottles for 4-5 years and enjoy over the following two decades.

Napa Valley’s 2018sThe 2018 Cabernet Franc is all varietal and offers a rich, medium to full-bodied style with plenty of dark, chocolately fruit as well as notes of tobacco, leafy herbs, and graphite. It has some upfront appeal, with beautiful fruit, but there are ample mountain tannins, and it’s going to benefit from a solid 2-4 years of bottle age.

USA, California, Napa Valley: More New 2018 ReleasesMade from 100% Merlot, the 2018 Merlot Mt. Veeder was aged for 22 months in oak, 80% new. Deep garnet-purple colored, it rolls effortlessly out of the glass with notions of stewed plums, baked blackberries and sautéed herbs plus hints of beef drippings, cloves and pencil lead. Full-bodied, plush and decently generous, the finish delivers compelling black fruit layers with loads of freshness.

USA, California, Napa Valley: More New 2018 ReleasesMade from 100% Cabernet Franc, the 2018 Cabernet Franc Mt. Veeder was aged for 22 months in oak barrels, 80% new. Deep garnet-purple colored, the nose delivers fragrant, perfumed notes of black and red cherries, mulberries and black raspberries with hints of lavender, pencil shavings and cinnamon stick. Full-bodied, the decadently fruited palate has beautifully ripe, fine-grained tannins framing the black fruit, red berry and floral layers, finishing long and graceful.

USA, California, Napa Valley: More New 2018 ReleasesComposed of 89.5% Merlot, 5.5% Tannat and 5% Petit Verdot, the 2018 Merlot Howell Mountain was aged for 22 months in oak, 74% new. Deep garnet-purple colored, it opens with earthy notes of truffles, tilled soil and mossy tree bark with a core of warm cassis, blackberry preserves and fresh plums. Medium to full-bodied, firm and grainy with fantastic freshness and loads of crunchy black fruit flavor layers, it finishes on a lingering mineral note.

USA, California, Napa Valley: More New 2018 ReleasesThe 2018 Pinot Noir Arrendell Vineyard was aged for 16 months in French oak barrels, 44% new. Pale to medium ruby-purple colored, it needs coaxing to reveal notes of crushed stones, tilled earth, fallen leaves and unsmoked cigars with a core of Bing cherries, raspberries and red currants, plus a waft of dried Provence herbs. Medium-bodied, elegant and with fantastic finesse, the palate is silky and refreshing, finishing long and earthy.

USA, California, Napa Valley: More New 2018 ReleasesThe 2018 Chardonnay Fog Dance Vineyard was 100% barrel fermented in French oak barrels, 32% new, and aged for 15 months. It rocks up with open-knit scents of peach cobbler, apple crumble and gingersnap with suggestions of white pepper, almond croissant and oyster shell. Medium-bodied, the palate reveals loads of nuanced layers with a lively line lifting the stone fruit and apple flavors to a long finish.

Medium ruby-purple, the 2018 Pinot Noir Dropstone offers up touches of cinnamon, potpourri and earth, slowly segueing to tangerine, cranberries and blueberry fruit. The medium-bodied palate is powerful, firm and fresh, with elegant, expressive fruits and a long, floral-laced finish. It's very pretty now but will improve with another 2-3 years in bottle.

The 2018 Chardonnay Yamhill-Carlton offers singular aromas of green pineapple and herbs layered with beeswax, roasted almonds and saline. The delicately styled, silken palate reveals itself slowly, offering more savory and nutty nuances with time, and it finishes very long and lifted. This will have more to offer with another 2-3 years in bottle.

The One That Feels Racy. Tight and lean, skeletal and firm, barely there citrus characters, mineral water, saline notes. Whips across the palate in a green, cool, almost minty breath of precise and ultra fine, needle thrust of chardonnay. Blink and you’ll miss it kind of style but has the finesse and tension many seek from Australia’s uber chardonnay revolution. Despite its attempt at acid-forged finesse, there’s just a lick or a breath of yeasty nuttiness in there too. Nicely done in its style, where laser-like precision is the motif.