The 2021 Pinot Noir (Sta. Rita Hills) is such a beautiful wine. The appellation Pinot is often one of my favorite wines in this range, as it is again this year. The purity and exuberance of this fruit is compelling. Floral and savory nuances develop in the glass, but earlier bottling and a bit less whole cluster influence work well to accentuate the textural presence and intensity of the fruit. This is such a gorgeous wine.

The Hickinbotham wines are
routinely classy expressions
from the eponymous
vineyard in Clarendon, in
McLaren Vale, planted 1971.
This 2021 Mr Grant Malbec
leads with peppercorns,
purple flowers (lavender,
violet, etc.), cinnamon sticks,
star anise and blackberry pip.
In the mouth, the tannins
wrap around the fruit, the oak
is sweet and dusty (good,
like cocoa power), and the
draw of flavor across the
palate is long and deep. This
is an excellent wine. It is
poised, rocky and mineral,
with some graphite and brick
dust. Very impressive. 14%
alcohol, sealed under screw
cap.

There is a lighter touch to this than in past vintages, although it's still a dense, compact and richly flavoured wine. A stellar vintage and a gentle extraction (20 days) on skins in oak foudre helped. Pointed northern Rhône-like aromas of blueberry, violet, white pepper, dried nori, black olive and clove. An undercarriage of briar and hedgerow imparts a welcome savouriness. The sinewy tannic mettle suggests this will age well and grow with stature in time.

Ripe cherries, mulberries, creme de cassis and a hint of asphalt and tar on the nose. Medium to full body on the palate with fine, velvety tannins and a long and juicy finish that goes on and on. Drink or hold.

At $39, a steal of a wine. Greg Brewer, a former French Literature teacher, has been influenced by Japanese art and Buddhism. He says he is motivated by “negative space” and a “dread of the explicit.” This is a silk-meets-satin Pinot with notes of violets, blood oranges, and spices, plus a lovely saline whoosh at the end.

The 2020 La Muse, a blend of 95% Merlot and 5%Malbec, was harvested September 9-16 and matured for 15 months in new French oak. It's youthfully coiled and requires plenty of time to open its aromas of cherry pie, desiccated violet, tobacco, coffee and aniseed. The full-bodied palate is velvety and seamless, with restrained, mineral-driven fruit. It's very shy and will require plenty of time to come around.1,100 cases were made.

One of the more up-front, perfumed, and complex
releases, the 2021 Pinot Noir Hapgood Vineyard
has great cherry, mulberry, and framboise notes
as well as some sappy herb, floral, and subtle iron
and marine nuances. I love its palate as well as it's
medium-bodied texture, and it has a silky, elegant
mouthfeel, fine tannins, and a great finish.

Lastly, the 2021 Pinot Noir Garys' Vineyard offers a translucent medium ruby hue as well as a rocking nose of lifted cranberries, mulberries, peppery herbs, and orange blossom. It's one of the bigger, richer wines in the lineup and is medium to
full-bodied, has a round, layered mouthfeel, and a great finish. Drink bottles over the coming 7-8 years.

Moving to the single vineyards, the 2021 Pinot Noir 3D is slightly deeper hued yet is still translucent ruby in color. Savory red and black fruits, baking spices, toasted nuts, and baking spice notes all define the aromatics, and this beauty is medium to full-bodied, with a pure, layered texture and outstanding length. It shines for its incredible complexity as well as its texture.

‘Great nose’ was the first thing that came to mind with this wine. First whiffs reveal raspberry, cassis, and mocha, but beef jerky barbecue spice rub aromas quickly emerge. There’s also a mineral, almost saline tinge to both the nose and palate. There’s a great energy to the wine as it moves across the palate, leaving a long, juicy finish in its wake.

A supple, fluid red marked by flavors of macerated cherry, raspberry and boysenberry. Well-structured, with flashes of graphite and tobacco as this builds to the long, compact finish. All the components are there, this just needs time. Sangiovese and Merlot. Best from 2025 through 2042. 6,100 cases made, 4,453 cases imported.

Ripe cherries, mulberries, creme de cassis and a hint of asphalt and tar on the nose. Medium to full body on the palate with fine, velvety tannins and a long and juicy finish that goes on and on. Drink or hold.

Attractive aromas of dark cherries, grilled herbs and smoked Mediterranean spices. Some violets, too. Juicy, full and caressing on the palate, showing nice crunch and volume with excellent length and purity at the end. Merlot. Drink or hold.

A very well-balanced wine with a vibrant nose of lemon, melon, and gooseberry. The palate explodes in flavors of lemon-lime, kiwi, and white peach with hints of lemon grass and wet stone. Pleasing textured palate due to lees stirring. 100% sauvignon blanc, aged 10 months in neutral French oak barrels.

Vibrant and snappy aromas
of pomegranate and strawberry are topped with snipped thyme and green sage on the nose of this crisp bottling. The palate adds raspberry and dank herb flavors to the experience, proving juicy while
complex. —M.K.

Melon rind, citrus pith and a hint of dairy are woven into a cohesive nose on this bottling. The palate is layered in an all-consuming texture that comes in long waves of tannin,framing tangerine peel and meringue with a persistent acidity deftly tucked into the folds

Medium straw with a tinge of silver, the 2021 Sauvignon Blanc is attractive with thedelicate perfume of passionfruit, candied citrus, and fresh fl owers. Ripe and juicy, thismedium-bodied white is fresh and round up front and juicy with ripe peach that’sfollowed by savory chive herbs on the fi nish. It’s a stunning style of white, with fresh butnot harsh acidity and a bit of fl inty minerality as well. Not your average Sauvignon, this isanother impressive white from winemaker Fabian Krauss. Drink it over the next 5-6years.

Also a youthful golden appearance, the 2020 Chardonnay Gravel Bench Vineyard is savory with aromas of key lime, fresh herbs, wet stones, and melon rind. Full-bodied, it has a more viscous and waxy texture, with notes of hazelnut, ripe apricot, and vanilla. It’s long on the palate, with toasted spice lingering on the back. Drink 2024-2032.

The 2020 Chardonnay Bear Point Vineyard lifts from the glass with a touch of flinty earth, with lemon-lime citrus, and fresh pear. Taking things up a gear, the palate is
concentrated with fresh pineapple and balanced with a snap of fresh acidity and wellmanaged oak spice. It’s long on the palate with a bit of almond and a slightly pithy texture on the finish. Drink 2024-2034. It’s one of my favorites of these Stonestreet whites.

The 2021 Pinot Noir Parsons' Vineyard pours a pure ruby and offers attractive aromas of red cherry, menthol, and fresh flowers. Medium-bodied, with a seamless, elegant feel, it has fine tannins and a silky texture. It remains fresh with acidity and is more evenkeeled, with wonderful balance. Its notes of raspberry, orange peel, and dusty earth are well-woven, and while it offers a lot of charm and approachability now, it will be lovely over the next 8-10 years.

The deep ruby 2020 Pinot Noir Afleet Estate Vineyard is spicy with dark cherry, dark
earth, and pine. Full-bodied, it packs gripping structure in its notes of forest herbs, ironrich minerals, red plum, and tea leaves and has a meaty texture. It’s an outstanding wine that should offer great longevity. Drink 2025-2035.

An enveloping perfume unfolds in the 2020 Pinot Noir Stormin' Estate Vineyard with a
more luxurious sheen of polished cedar, lavender, black raspberry, and anise. It delivers round fruit up front on the palate, with a more apparent structure coming through in its ripe tannins and notes of orange peel, red cherry, and turned earth. It needs some time to settle but has a lot of depth to offer. Drink 2025-2035.

Deep purple with pink highlights, the 2021 Zinfandel Fanucchi-Wood Road Vineyard is
highly aromatic in its floral perfume of candied violets, pink peppercorn, and black and blue berries. Full-bodied, with a meatiness to its texture, ripe tannins, and a fleshly mouthfeel, the palate is full of notes of dark black cherry as well as a plummy black inkiness and a hint of dark soil. Drink 2025-2035.

The 2021 Chardonnay Stone Cote Vineyard is also a youthful golden hue, with aromas of fresh peach, flinty earth, and lemon rind. Full-bodied, it boasts a supple and soft texture,with round fruit up front and fresh lift on the finish. Offering up a luxurious feel on the palate, with well-managed notes of sweet baking spices, honeydew melon, and wet stone,it’s long on the palate and has a good finish. Drink 2024-2030.

A more opulent style with a richer golden hue, the 2021 Chardonnay Sevens Bench
Vineyard takes on more tropical ripe fruits in its notes of golden pineapple, baking spice, and orange zest. Full-bodied, with a rich yet clean, viscous texture, ripe peach,
honeysuckle, and citrus oil, it’s long on the palate and has nice balance. Drink it now or
over the next 6-8 years.