The 2015 Blanc de Blancs takes on more toasted rounded aromas, with oak spice, brioche, caramelized citrus, and baked apple. The palate is tension-filled, with great concentration, a chalky texture, and notes of pear and lime. Drink 2022-2030.

The 2019 Pinot Noir Yamhill-Carlton is perfumed with savory fresh pine, grapefruit, cedar, and incense as well as black cherry fruit. The palate is dry, revealing notes of black raspberry, tobacco, and dusty earth. Drink 2023-2032.

Based on the 2018 vintage, the NV Brut Rose is a pale salmon hue, with aromas of fresh white strawberry, peach, and flowers. The palate is ripe with fresh apple and dry, offering ripe fresh fruit, more peach, and a soft texture. Drink 2022-2025.

Showing some green, but otherwise totally on-point for a full-figured SBC.

Big time cherry, big time tastiness.

Slightly burly, heavy with cola notes, moving into chocolate territory later in the game. Cherry pits give this a light almond touch, though the wine turns a touch green at times, becoming almost piney on the back end, albeit a touch doughy as the wine finishes.

Earthier than either of the above, but heavy with black cherry notes that temper some of the savory elements. Touches of cloves and green olive spice things up, adding complexity while leaving room for brighter notes of cherry and raspberry to emerge in time. My favorite of the bunch.

Soft and fruit-forward, this wine is gripped with notes of licorice and tea leaf, with a slightly bitter cherry note blanketing the experience. A moderated and slightly thin body props up a pinch of gingerbread, punctuated with just a touch of gritty pepper.

Utilizing 13 year old clone 777 and 4 Pinot Noir clones, the 2018 ‘The Sum’ is beautifully weighted, high-acid Pinot Noir that is built for aging. Sour cherry, cranberry and orange rind flavors combine with forest floor and wild mushroom undertones on the palate, with soft tannins holding everything in place. Gorgeous to consume now, this has another fifteen years in front of it. Drink 2022-2035

The 2018 ‘Slope’ is a gorgeous bottling that comes from Zena East Block 5 and Zena West Block 6. The wine yields serious tension and weight once on the palate with layers of orange rind alongside guava, pine needles and stony undertones. Gorgeous to consume now, this rich and mineral-driven wine has a long journey ahead of it. Drink 2022-2035

The 2018 ‘Conifer’ is sourced from Zena West 1A, 6 and Zena East 12 blocks, as vines are set on a wide range of soils from Jory to Helmick. This wine saw 15 months in French oak before bottling. This full-bodied, warm vintage effort displays plenty of finesse as bright red fruits collide with pine needles, citrus embers and salty undertones. This beauty has at least another ten years in front of it. Drink 2022-2034

I get the feeling that 2020 in McLaren Vale was better for Shiraz and Grenache, over the Bordeaux grape varieties. Spice, paprika and pepper, blue and black fruits, meaty and more than a little nutty. It’s meaty and savoury, dried herbs, some aniseed perfume, a fine chalky chew to tannin, a little vanilla/cedar oak, a whole lot of dry spices, and black olive, with fresh acidity and a saline and pepper-laced finish of excellent length. Slightly baked in flavour profile, but convincing all the same.

Just looking through the box that arrived, I went to grab a bottle of The Peake (Cab/Shiraz) and pulled out another bottle of The Trueman, which made me double take, and question my sanity. Turns out there’s no Peake, but two Trueman. Lucky me! So I’ll leave that one to CM or MB to review. It’ll be Peake CM, if he does it. It’s a little wheaty and squishy in profile, feels slightly truffle-edged and baked plum, along with nougat and cedar oak, and some tobacco, and sage. Medium-bodied, tobacco and truffle, fine-grained milk chocolate tannin, though there is some firmness and grip here and ironstone feel, and some sun dried tomato and raspberry on a finish of dry tannin and good length. It’s a good wine, though I feel slightly off the pace this vintage.

Says 14% on the bottle, and 14.5% on the tech specs. Either way. This is from a block planted in 2013, and takes 50% new French oak. Ripe blueberry, mint, paprika and cedar/nougat oak. It’s plush and savoury, all tobacco and chocolate, with a some black olive and tomato, some fleshy chew to tannin, and shows a little alcohol on a finish of saline and savoury flavour. Lacks some freshness and vigour, but still a good wine.

Merlot from 1976 (50%), 1989 (35%) and 2013 (3%, but Petit Verdot). Tastes like Australian Merlot, with that lemon zest and green olive note, also plum and poached strawberry, cedar/vanilla oak in tow. Medium-bodied, kind of sappy and zesty, with light powdery tannin, sour cherry and rhubarb, and a fresh finish of good length, all tobacco and raspberry. Nice wine. A different style of South Australian red.

Happy Pinot Noir Day!!
The cool climate Santa Barbara Pinot Noir, using fruit primarily grown in the prestigious Sta. Rita Hills shows loads of black fig, plum, and blackberry with toasted brown spice and woody herb.

Happy Pinot Noir Day!!
The Siduri Willamette Valley Pinot Noir, from fruit grown primarily in the Yamhill-Carlton region of Willamette, shows more red fruits, like wild berry and cherry, with earthy dried leaves and mushrooms. Both are delicious, but each showcases the regional characteristics that make winemaking so exciting.

Siduri Wine Equals Pinot For All
The final wine I tried was from Santa Barbara. It threw me for a loop as it was the most full-bodied and most savory with graphite, pepper, herbs, earth, and blue and black fruits. After finally tracking down the tech sheet, I saw that there was some whole cluster fermentation (which adds earthiness and structure) which at least helped me to realize I wasn’t completely crazy.

Siduri Wine Equals Pinot For All
By far the lightest-bodied of the four wines I tried was the Willamette Valley Pinot. It also seemed softer on the palate (which was a bit of a surprise for me). It had brighter, fresher red fruits compared to the dark fruit of the others.

Siduri Wine Equals Pinot For All
The Russian River wine had some dark fruit as well, but also had cranberry, more red cherry, mushroom, and herbs. It also had a touch more body.

Siduri Wine Equals Pinot For All
The Anderson Valley wine (which I incorrectly guessed to be the Santa Barbara wine) was my personal fave. At least on this day! I loved the combo of fruit and savory characteristics. Black plum, black cherry, baking spice, and forest floor.

A meld of 3 blocks, strewn with lighter silts, screes of ironstone and clay loams. Hand picked, cold soaked; pumped over in open-top fermenters. A minimum of 21 days on skins before élévage in French wood (50% new) for just over a year. As always, an immensely classy and richly flavoured wine, shaped as much by a curl of juicy, precise and beautifully alloyed tannins, as it is by the sheath of blueberry, currant, sage, graphite and dried herbs. The frame of cedar oak, all class. The finish is tenacious, ferrous and densely packed with a nascent energy auguring for much more to come. Bury this.

Sourced from a propitiously sited single plot, where sand meets ironstone. Sorted abstemiously following hand picking. Wild fermented on skins for 16 days. Élévage in a combination of new and older French puncheons, in addition to a 25L foudre following a barrel cull and blending. Density and pliancy, the calling cards. All offset by the juiciest red cherry-skinned tannins flecked with violet, blueberry, rose petal and spice, directing the fray. Tactile barely describes this, so moreish and conducive to the next glass, as it draws the saliva in preparation.

Giant Steps continues to produce benchmark single-vineyard Yarra Valley chardonnay and this is a stellar example. Pale straw, bright and youthful in the glass. Complex and lifted aromas of grilled nuts, nougat, nectarine, green melon, wet stone and white flowers. Pinpoint and precise on the palate, really fine and focused flavours of just-ripe white peach, mineral, grapefruit pith and some nuttiness. Zesty and crunchy acidity brings cut and drive and there’s a touch of phenolics bringing savouriness and texture. Top notch Aussie chardonnay.

This is softer and easier perhaps, than in the recent past. Lilac, chilli, blueberry and a sapid thrust of red fruit, vanilla-pod oak and cedar oak, applied impeccably. Beautifully done. Polished, plush and certainly not devoid of personality. Australia meets Napa. Milk-chocolate layering. Bury this and believe.