Barrel fermented and matured for 14 months in 25% new French oak, the 2021 Chardonnay Far Coast Vineyard has dynamic scents of apricot, preserved lemon and ginger, plus undertones of almonds and honey. The light-bodied palate features generous layers of ripe citrus fruit enlivened by shimmery acidity. A touch of phenolic grip balances its tangy freshness and lengthens its finish. It will benefit from 3-5 years in bottle. 270 cases were made.

The 2021 Chardonnay Sevens Bench Vineyard was barrel fermented and matured for 14 months in 14% new French oak. It has open, inviting aromas of yellow peach, panna cotta, honey, pie crust and chamomile. The medium-bodied palate is concentrated and layered, its generosity balanced by tangy acidity and flinty tones, and it has a long, textural finish. It deserves 2-3+ years in bottle. 316 cases produced.

Matured for 16 months in used French oak, the 2021 Pinot Noir MacLean's Block is scented of red cherries, rhubarb, bergamot and mint with youthful touches of cedar and nutmeg. The medium-bodied palate is concentrated and spicy with nuanced, pleasantly botanical flavors. It has a silky frame, seamless freshness and a long, flavorful finish. 170 cases produced.

Matured for 20 months in French oak, the 2019 Pinot Noir Sea Lift slowly unfurls scents of red cherry and raspberry jam, mushrooms, iodine and floral perfume, then becomes more expressive as it opens in the glass. It floods the mouth with layer after layer of perfumed fruit. It has a finely chalky texture, mouthwatering freshness and a long, fragrant finish. 325 cases were made.

Give this time in a decanter if drinking now (it'll shine with age) for it to reveal aromas of blood plum, red currant, white pepper, cedar, toasted vanilla pod, subtle florals and a slight savory meaty note. There's quiet power to the palate, a ripe roundness to the fleshy fruit, well-placed fine tannins and a tart red berry finish. Still young, it's a mouthful now, but it's set to age gracefully for a decade or more. 

Wombat is the most reductive in this producer's trio of single vineyard Chards, meaning it offers tightly wound notes of flint, toast, white spice, raw nuts and an umami character, before getting to the lemon drop and melon rind aromas. There's weight and power to the palate, countered by pithy texture and lovely acidity. The tightest of the bunch now, this may win a longevity competition and promises to reward those who wait. 

With a short time aerating, this reveals supple black currant and black cherry flecked in savory herbs with a saline, iodine base note. There's a decent lick of chocolaty cola-like oak showing here, too, clearly the hand of a barrel-loving Napa producer (namely Chris Carpenter of Jackson Family Wines). But overall it's a polished, even sexy, wine that's structured for the long haul but drinkable now, too, beside a plate of protein.

Plum, licorice, ground pepper, pencil lead and toasty baking spice notes appear with plenty of swirling in the glass. The palate is juicy fruited with a satiny texture that's tempered by chiseled tannins. Nevertheless, despite being a little reticent, it can be drunk with protein (and a decant) or cellared another decade at least. 

Supple black cherry and blood plum lead, with the tobacco and mocha-toast barrel influence creeping in behind. It's a powerful wine with a taut line of muscular, dusty tannins currently dominating. Give this time in the bottle though, and it should evolve with grace and beauty. 

Explosive aromas of raspberry and dried rose petal lift the nose of this Pinot. The palate shows rich texture with flavors of dried cherry, black tea, loam and shiitake before a finish with hints of lemon pith and feathery tannins.

Leading off the single vineyard releases, the 2022 Pinot Noir Perilune Vineyard comes from sandy soils in the Sta. Rita Hills AVA. It has a darker core of black raspberries and cherries as well as sappy flowers and spicy, foresty, bouquet garni-like nuances. It's medium-bodied, beautifully balanced, has fine tannins, and a great finish. The texture and overall balance here are beautiful, and it will shine through 2032.

Each sip starts aromas of lemon curd, buttered toast and toffee and then beams in sunlit and pure, flooding the senses with total pleasure. Roasted nuts and praline score the tightly wound, crisp-creamy centre that cascades with lemon meringue pie, buttered biscuit, orange zest and almond. This layered, vibrant white with the long, slow close is worth the money.

The 2022 Ovitelli Grenache is a wine of unexpected twists and turns ... on one hand, it aromatically offers amaro bitters and nuances of tequila sunrise (without the tequila, or perhaps it is anejo or mezcal), bitter orange and cranberry. There's a distinct biscuit character to note: Biscoff or malt. In the mouth, the wine is lean and spicy, layered with exotic herbs, graphite tannins and inflections of wet concrete and petrichor. The fruit on the mid-palate rises above its élevage and time on skins and envelopes us in raspberry and blood orange, which quickly sinks beneath a tide of clove buds and star anise and cardamom. It was handpicked from Block 20, adjacent to the High Sands block, destemmed and pressed to ceramic eggs for 150 days on skins. No pressings were utilized in the final blend. No oak was used at any stage; instead, the wine spent a total of 14 months in ceramic egg. Bottled June 2023. 14.5% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.

The cheapest of a trio of very smart Chardonnays from Graham Weerts, Silene uses grapes from four different sites in Stellenbosch. Fermented in 30% new wood with no malolactic, it's smoky, briney and intense, with minerality to spare, subtle reduction and layers of toast, citrus zest and wet stones. 2024-29

A longer ripening period during the 2023 vintage has amplified aromas, with shades of violet at the edge of ripe blood plum and dark cherry. The ripeness is also reflected in bright, luscious blood plum and dark cherry flavours in the front palate; while the combination of MV6, G5V15 and Abel clones provides a keen savoury note, with earthy bite and graphite notes. Chewy tannins give a moreish finish to a wine that already appears resolved and complete.

This site – the Primavera family’s 240m-high vineyard, planted on rich red basalt soils – provides something different for Giant Steps. Surprisingly, it’s an open and expressive front palate, with supple red cherries, raspberries and hints of blood tomato. It obtains a tight squeeze in the midriff thanks to a strong acid spine, then the smooth palate concludes with the bite of tight, crunchy tannins. Very good now; likely to improve in the cellar.

The most fragrant Pinot Noir within the Giant Steps single-vineyard collection has a nose redolent of roses and sweet red cherries. Its vibrancy is underlined by vivid colour. Flavours of cherry compote and the spicy lift of white pepper speak confidently, unmitigated by overt oak influence – after full malolactic fermentation it matures in older French oak barriques over nine months. Its tidy elegance is reiterated by neat closure enforced by tight black tea tannins. Its great trick is providing generous flavour without overt broadness or excessive boldness.

A bright, sunny personality is underlined by bright golden colour and lively tropical notes atop a pithy citrus body. It’s an honest reflection of site – mostly clone P58 Chardonnay planted at 100m elevation along south- and east-facing slopes on grey clay loam – with the cool location providing lively acidity that ensures good intensity and drive.

Dynamic and expressive, offering richly detailed cherry and red currant flavors layered with espresso and Asian spice tones as this builds polish toward fine-grained tannins. Drink now through 2033.

The Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon is a blend of grapes from three vineyards: Sycamore, Bosché, and Red Barn Ranch, a site on sedimentary and gravelly river bed stones, which is northwest of Frog's Leap winery and owned by Round Pond. 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Petit Verdot, and 2% Cabernet Franc was aged in 64% new French oak for 26 months. The style here is more black-fruited, with very compact, fine-grained tannins and the fragrant dusty mineral character so distinct to wines from the Rutherford AVA. That dustiness is on the nose and palate, nuanced by wonderful dried herb qualities. Some decadent blue fruit notes are prevalent now and will soften into more red and black with time in the bottle. A very delicious wine in its youth, with compact tannins that resolve into juicy black and blue fruits underscored by racy acidity and a spicy finish redolent of dark cocoa.

The nose on this single-vineyard expression begins with light aromas of cherry, crisp currant and tarragon, and then quickly opens into richer versions of those scents. The palate is rounded, refreshing and complex, showing red fruit, peppercorn and forest-herb flavors.

Crushed raspberry, tangerine, cinnamon and anise aromas burst from the glass of this zesty Zin. An acid-driven palate loaded with berry-lemon acidity gives way to a finish with plush tannin and lingering whispers of black pepper and licorice.

Dark, brambly fruit aromas meet with lavender, violet and turned-earth notes on the complete nose of this bottling. The fresh fruit flavors are bouncy and joyous on the palate, aligning with elegant floral tones toward the finish.

Lovely, crushed Bing cherry and rose petal aromas waft from the glass of this Pinot. The palate is plush and complex, with flavors of red raspberry, forest floor, clove and fresh flowers across the palate. The finish lingers with whispers of black tea and orange peel.

Aromas of this wine jump out of the glass, offering Meyer lemon, apricot, white flowers and river rock. The palate vibrates with pithy lemon-lime acidity, alongside flavors of marzipan, fresh baked pastry and Anjou pear. There’s an energy here that begs for a little time in the cellar. Drink 2025–2035.