“Given the cooler conditions, much of the whole-bunch quotient has shifted to whole berries. Still, 20%. The semi-carbonic approach exudes floral perfumes, red to blue pastille, red apple skin and rosewater. Mid-weighted, sappy, nicely crunchy and joyous. An earlier drinking wine in the context of the site. Really delicious. Drink or hold.”

Focused and intense, this has a wonderful savory thread, with salted preserved lemon, yuzu, fresh-grated ginger and hints of toasted sesame seed, along with grilled Meyer lemon flavors on a crisp frame. On the finish, the primary flavors fan out to reveal elegant, detailed length, while notes of lime and matcha emerge. Drink now.

After short time in glass, this Pinot blossoms into a graceful, multifaceted wine. Bright and fruity, it offers delicate blueberry and raspberry fruit threaded softly with clove, vanilla and rose petal notes. The palate is elegantly structured with sandy-textured, fine tannins, juicy acidity and a long tangy finish. Harmonious and capable of aging for seven to ten years, this wine is equally delicious now. Jackson Family Wines.

Like other wines in Giant Step’s suite of Pinots, this vibrant, juicy red-fruited Pinot has both drink-now appeal and the ability to age. A bright cherry-juice color, it offers heady aromas of strawberry tart and cherry blossom, with earth spice and an umami mushroom nuance. A touch of vanillin oak shows but should dissipate with time. The midweight palate is mouthcoating while still being fresh and elegant, framed in fine, chalky tannins, with a savory, mineral core. Drink now through 2033. Jackson Family Wines.

Small but mighty describes the 2021 vintage in Victoria. This may be Giant Step’s more affordable Pinot from a multi-vineyard blend, but it’s as delicious and delightful as the single-vineyard stuff. Fleshy primary cherries and strawberries are underpinned by white spice, vanilla bean and soft florals, with a mineral core. The palate is crunchy and vibrant, with a silky lusciousness, purity of fruit and a long finish. Elegant but also highly crowd-pleasing, the wine has a tannin struc ture that means it could age gracefully through 2028 to 2030. Sovereign Wine Imports.

Juicy and detailed aromas of black-raspberry compote, crushed cherry, a hint of lavender and nutmeg cream make for a heady, appealing nose on this bottling. The boysenberry laced palate is layered in earth, meat, soy and oak elements, combining to present an exotic spice note through the finish

Winemaker Matt Revelette manages to make his appellation blends sing. This bottling is wonderfully ripe and juicy with red-fruit aromas but also cinnamon brioche and loamy earth on the nose. The texture is tense and the acidity tingles on the palate, where juicy black cherry, baked strawberry and cocoa-spice flavors work in harmony.

While this is Siduri’s “regular” Pinot, it’s a real standout. Charming fruit and spice aromas seem perfectly aligned with the complex, layered, intricate flavors that follow. The wine is firm textured, concentrated and impressive, offering everything from bright raspberries to rich black cherries to cedar and clove accents. Best from 2025-2032

Fat and juicy with a burst of acidity and wonderfully round fruit

Elegantly textured, with fleshy white peach and pineapple flavors at the core, featuring mouthwatering acidity and details of lemon thyme, tangerine, white flowers, fresh ginger and a minerally thread. On the energetic finish, a touch of apple skin adds an appealing punctuation point. Drink now through 2031

A study in balance this Pinot from two blocks of the Zena Crown vineyard in the Eola-Amity Hills delivers energy and depth with mastery. Inky sois bois aromatics flirt with hints of dark stone minerality and savoury green herbs. The palate has real verve and freshness, while blue and red fruits merge with soy, umami and balsamic notes, highlighted by fresh eucalyptus. The texture is fine, with elegance and richness fused in a lengthy, contemplative finish.

Aromas of dried strawberry, cedar, black chocolate and dust. Medium-bodied with creamy and refined tannins. Spicy and citrusy at the end. Drink or hold.

So much energy and brightness to this with sliced lemon and lightly ripe apple. Lime and fresh ginger. Salty. Rich and ripe yet taut on the finish. Drink or hold.

From a 4.5-acre parcel of ironstone gravels, the vines planted in 1999 and certified organic since 2012, this wine’s beautiful mineral structure builds complexity into fresh fruit. It’s brisk and floral, with sweetness in all the right places. Sour cherry fills the earthy mineral savor with fragrance. Magical wine.

The 2019 Chardonnay Estate Cuvée boasts alluring scents of whitepeaches, quince, acacia and coriander with undertones of roastedalmonds and beeswax. The medium-bodied palate is dynamic, withits concentrated, savory fruit enlivened by energetic acidity, and itfinishes long and layered. It drinks beautifully now, but its depth offlavor and energy suggest it will develop well in the cellar over thenext decade.
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Medium ruby-purple, the 2019 Block 6 Pinot Noir features wafts of burnt orange, pipe tobacco, flint and bay leaves complementing acore of red and black cherries. The medium-bodied palate hasalluringly powdery tannins and restrained, savory fruit balanced by energetic acidity that calls you in for another sip on the long, spicy finish. This offers power and concentration without extra weight.

The 1995 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Speciale has a medium garnet color and the alluring desiccation of a fully mature wine,with scents of mushroom powder, struck flint, dried violets, old leather and bouquet garni. The palate offers a supple core of driedblack fruit and a flourish of graphite and tobacco, its powdery,softened structure enveloping the palate and calling you back for another sip. 1,700 cases were made.

The 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Speciale matured for 23 months in French and American oak barrels and was bottled without fining or filtration. It has a deep garnet color and expressive aromas of dried lavender, cast iron, charcuterie and spice, maintaining a core of dark berry fruit. The palate is powderyand seamless, its gently desiccated fruits balanced by tertiary, iron-like character, and it finishes with ethereal perfume. It's holding onwell but won't improve past this point, so drink up! 1,610 caseswere made.

Pale ruby, the 2018 Pinot Noir Willamette Valley is deeply scented of cranberry sauce, aniseed, potpourri, orange peel and woodsmoke. The medium-bodied palate is seamless, silky and refreshing with slowly unfurling spicy accents defining the longfinish. It's a very classy appellation-wide bottling

A newly released premium blend of the Rhône varieties about which winemaker Pete Fraser is so passionate, this is a complex and utterly delicious bottling that changes over days and open in bottle. Subtle peach, waxy lemon and white-flower blossom ride a wave of raw, saline minerality. The texture is like concrete and skins, the flavor delicate but persistent to the salt-flecked finish. There's potential here for outstanding bottle age over the next five to seven years, but this is also a highly food-friendly drop now.

This vintage of King's Wood is densely packed with layers of savory herbs and spices, licorice root, succulent black cherry and blackberries, with ground pepper an a floral nuance. The palate, while still young, is juicy, fresh and linear, with a silky line of fruit and muscular, granular textured tannins. With poise alongside the power, this should cellar gracefully for another 10–15 years.

First made in 2015, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville is a tiny production release (roughly 500 cases) that sports a deep purple hue as well as a gorgeous nose of blackberries, currants, tobacco, camphor, and sandalwood, with some classic Cabernet herbal notes emerging with time in the glass. This full-bodied, elegant, yet concentrated 2019 is perfect for drinking over the coming 15 years.

Light bright green-yellow; fresh but savoury aromas, elusive cedar, white-pepper and almond-meal traces, the palate very dry and crisp, and finishes with a peppery aftertaste. Intense and long-lasting, and one senses it could even age happily, rewarding some cellaring. Impressive wine.

The Tenuta di Arceno 2019 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Strada al Sasso (made with 100% Sangiovese) is a balanced wine, and it also possesses great intensity with dark cherry, plum, light spice and sweet tobacco. The wine is supple and richly textured but not in a heavy or over-extracted manner. In fact, it feels silky throughout. This special wine reflects the warmth and sunshine of Castelnuovo Berardenga in Tuscany. 12,500 bottles were released.

Modern winemaking is at play here in the single vineyard 2020 Roux Beauté, which is all fermented and aged in ceramic eggs, partially on skins. This has created an exotic and textural wonder with honeysuckle, creamed cashews, apricot and gentle floral aromas. The 2020 builds in the mouth with a more savory profile and significant grip to drive a lengthy finish. Expressive now and promises plenty over the coming years.