The 2022 Pinot Noir Machado is a pretty wine with understated density and terrific balance. Dark red/purplish fruit, lavender, rose petal, mint, spice and blood orange fill out the layers. Machado is the most reticent of the vineyard designates. It will be interesting to see what time brings here.

The 2022 Chardonnay (Sta. Rita Hills) is a fabulous introduction to the range. Served last in this series of Chardonnays, the appellation Chardonnay is perhaps a bit more floral and lighter in body, but other than that, it is in no way inferior to the vineyard designates. This is beautifully done.

The 2022 Chardonnay Katherine’s Vineyard is a very pretty, gracious wine. Light tropical accents, tangerine peel, white pepper and chamomile all grace this airy, lifted Chardonnay. In 2022, winemaker Jill Russell opted for more lots aged in steel and less oak to match the lighter style of the year.

The 2022 Pinot Noir Element is redolent of crushed red berry fruit, cedar, mint, spice, tobacco and dried herbs. Aromatic and medium in body, the Element is classy to the core. It hails from a single block on the property and was aged entirely in neutral oak.

The 2022 Pinot Noir Julia’s Signature Collection is an intriguing wine. Dark cherry, spice, new leather, blood orange and anise lend an exotic flair. Clone 23 Pinot on this hillside block yielded an especially inward, driving Pinot in 2022.

The 2023 Syrah Tepusquet Vineyard is a tasty, mid-weight offering from Cambria. Black cherry, cloves, black pepper, licorice and dried herbs are nicely pushed forward. This shows a good energy and fine balance, with and attractive combination of forward fruit and whole-cluster savoriness.

The 2022 Pinot Noir Perilune is a tense, nervous wine. White pepper, slate, crushed rocks, orange peel, mint and dried flowers abound. The 2022 is an attractive wine, but the limits of this challenging season are evident, especially for these young vines planted in 2017.

The 2023 Viognier Tepusquet Vineyard is a very pretty wine endowed with lovely freshness and nuance. Tangerine peel, white flowers, apricot and mint are nicely lifted. Bright acids perk up the finish.

The 2023 Viognier Tepusquet Vineyard is a very pretty wine endowed with lovely freshness and nuance. Tangerine peel, white flowers, apricot and mint are nicely lifted. Bright acids perk up the finish.

The 2022 Syrah is all from Perilune, done with 100% stems. Aromatic and gracious, the 2022 is a charmer. This is an especially floral, delicate Syrah, with lovely aromatics and a distinctly red-toned fruit profiles as opposed to the darker leanings of past releases, which reflects the shift to all Perilune fruit.

The 2022 Pinot Noir 459 emerges from blocks in Machado and Hapgood planted with Jura clone. It offers lovely aromatic presence to play off its generally lighter personality. I find the finish a bit short. Othervise, it’s nicely done.

A smoky, flinty note adds complexity to the smooth, lush flavors of grilled lemon and peach, with spicy accents of clove and nutmeg, plus a touch of toasted brioche. A salted butter detail lingers. Drink now. 454 cases made.

Offers a seamless mix of peach preserves, fresh apricot and lemon curd on a plush frame, with a touch of salted caramel, plus details of nutmeg, dried mango and lemon meringue on the long finish. Drink now. 750 cases made.

52/48% cabernet sauvignon/shiraz from 1971 contour-planted vines; cabernet matured for 15 months in Bordeaux barriques, the shiraz in one- to two-year-old French and Austrian puncheons for eight months, then 10 months in a French oak foudre. The classic Australian blend rendered by the twin powers of winemakers Peter Fraser and Chris Carpenter, with shiraz and cabernet respectively. Named after John Peake, who established the first vineyard in Clarendon, and is also fittingly the peak of the range. The melding of the two varieties here is superb, a seamless intertwining, with shiraz gently flexing and cabernet calmly tensioning. A sophisticated note of oak seasons with ground coffee, clove and allspice over black and blue fruits, the wine building impressively with air. Excellent.

From the original contour planted 1971 vines; 20% whole bunches, 30% destemmed and berry sorted and 50% crushed; matured for seven months in 30% new French puncheons, the rest in one- to two-year-old oak, then racked to older French and Austrian 2500L foudre for 12 months. This is amply generous, with blackberry tart, raspberry compote, tapenade and black plum, but picked at the right time and made with a typically deft touch by Peter Fraser. It’s a wine of intensity, verve and impressive harmony, with an elegant sheen of oak tastefully applied.

From the original 1971 contour-planted vines and a 2002 block; crushed to open fermenters; a minimum of 21 days on skins; matured in French barriques (60% new) for a total of 18 months. It’s a cabernet of deep and brooding properties but not girth or heft. Indeed, there is considerable refinement here. Cedar and currant, ripe mulberry, cassis, plum and olive, the pitch of leafiness keenly judged, with proper ripeness achieved at modest alcohol. An equally refined but effective line of tannins draws effortlessly long, with oak a key player but stylish about it. An excellent release.

From six estate blocks, split between ironstone and sand, destemmed with half left as whole berries; élevage in French puncheons, with 25% new and the remainder 1–3-year-old oak. This is remarkably pretty upfront, bursting with red berries and cherries, underneath a bedrock of ferrous minerality – the split of soils writ large – along with baking spices and rosy florals. Trademark Yangarra tannins kick in swiftly and carry the flavours long through a savoury finish. This is charming, but it’s also built for food. Seems like a very fine year for shiraz at this address.

From across the estate’s 13.3ha of '46-planted bush-vine grenache. Half whole-berry ferment with gentle pumpovers and extended maceration on some parcels (up to 10 months); matured in older French puncheons, foudres, ceramic eggs and amphorae. Structured and compact, with a pervasive line of acidity, this requires considerable air to amplify its charms. Once achieved, the flavour set remains savoury but with more levity. Dried cranberry and cherry, faded red florals, cracked earth and pepper, the tannins mouth-puckering and sandy – nebbiolo-like. This needs ample time and will age extremely well.

From block 208, contour planted in '73; destemmed and some lightly crushed, with 21 days on skins; matured in 100% new French oak for 15 months. This is showing some maturity but still has fruit-forward notes and a lifted perfume, with tobacco, green peppercorns, tomato leaf and bay, along with Worcestershire sauce, crème de cassis, blackberry and currants. Tannins are still impactful, with more time, no doubt, bringing even more rewards.

A blend of 87/11/2% cabernet franc/merlot/malbec. From a block planted in '13; crushed fruit fermented with native yeast; 16 days on skins; 15 months' maturation in French oak (60% new), then blended and matured in old oak for two months. This is an expressive take on cabernet franc, but as with all the wines in the '22 range, elegance and varietal clarity are prized, with this clocking in at moderate alcohol and with refined structural drive.

From two blocks planed in 1976 and 1989. Crushed fruit, ambient ferment, with 16 days on skins; matured in French barriques (60% new) and foudre for 12 months. Merlot has had a tough trot in this country, but Californian winemaker Chris Carpenter is well schooled in the ways of the grape. This harnesses a more rounded fruit profile, but also with proper linear tannins and drive. It’s a relatively elegant expression, though with a depth of plum and mulberry, subtle florals, graphite, roasted hazelnut and a balanced gloss of classy oak.

The 2021 Pinot Noir Slope is impossible to ignore. A cascade of crushed blackberries and cherries reaches up, followed by notes of cola, lavender pastille and lifting hints of pine. This shows abundant energy, splashing across the palate with a juicy wave of ripe wild berry fruits and sour citrus, all neatly framed by tactile mineral tones toward the close. Blood orange and inner sage notes flourish through the finish, all over a bed of fine tannins. The 2021 tapers off dramatically long and beautifully balanced.

The 2021 Pinot Noir Pas de Nom takes its time in the glass, at first understated and coy, as swirling brings about an undeniably attractive yet nuanced blend of violet pastille, blood orange, incense and rum-soaked cherries. It’s energetic and spry, with cool-toned acidity and crisp wildberry fruits that sweep across the palate, leaving a tinge of sweet spice and lavender toward the close. The 2021 finishes with firming tannins that add a classically dry sensation, repeating blue and purple florals and cola trace. Simply breathtaking. The Pas de Nom is a barrel selection of different vineyards that can change from vintage to vintage.

A pretty blend of dusty rose, ground cloves, sage and wild strawberries makes the 2021 Pinot Noir Ʃ The Sum impossible to ignore. This is more savory than sweet and full of zesty character, with depths of saline minerals and exotic spices that cascade across the palate. Waves of tart blackberry slowly saturate. The 2021 leaves a web of fine tannins that flex upon the sense, finishing with medium length and a pleasantly bitter tinge that resonates. The Sun is produced using about 50% whole cluster fermentation.

The 2021 Chardonnay Pas de Nom blossoms in the glass with an array of dusty dried flowers, stone dust, incense and spice. This is sleek and racy in feel, with a pleasant inner sweetness contrasted by saline minerals and exotic spice. Crisp orchard fruits combine with tactile mineral tones to create a crunchy sensation toward the close. The 2021 tapers off with fantastic length and a salty tinge, leaving hints of sour melon and lemon sorbet to mingle on the palate. This is beautifully integrated, having refined in 45% new French oak.