The black-cherry, crushed-stone and citrus aromas and flavors are fantastic here, together with a white-chalk note that adds a compressed, powdery feel. Full-bodied and compact. Outstanding.

This is a beautiful barrel sample with cassis and blueberry aromas, as well as some toasted oak and coffee from the new wood. The depth of fruit and the creamy tannins are exceptional. Long finish.

While Bosche has a higher water table (so more vigor) and ripens earlier, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Sycamore Vineyard comes from a lower vigor site (near Staglin) that gets afternoon shade and ripens about a week to a week and a half later than Bosche. The blend is 93% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Petit Verdot, with the aging spanning 21 months in 63% new French oak. It's a more mineral-driven, savory wine, offering a stunning core of blackcurrants, cassis, pure graphite, leather, and dried herbs and it s already nuanced and complex. These carry to a full-bodied wine that has fine tannins, a big, dense mid-palate, and a great finish.

The 2021 La Joie is a blend of 70% cabernet sauvignon, 14% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc and 6%Petit Verdot and was matured for 16 months in new French oak. Currently resting in the tank, it's surprisingly open-knit at this early stage, offering pure aromas of cassis, crushed blueberries, licorice, garrigue, earth and violet with streaks of pencil shavings. The full-bodied palate is earthy to begin, its fruit laced with truffle-like accents. Structurally harmonious, it features abundant, powdery tannins and plenty of refreshing acidity to highlight a flourish of spicy accents across the long finish.

The 2020 La Joie is a barrel-sample blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc and 3% Malbec. Opaque ruby-purple, it takes several minutes in the glass to begin to open from black cherries to lilac, licorice and cast iron. The full-bodied palate is silky and fresh, its bright acidity intensifying floral nuances on the long finish.

The 2020 La Joie, tasted as a barrel sample, is composed of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc, and 3% Malbec. Deep purple-black colored, it rushes out of the gate to reveal gregarious notes of warm cassis, blackberry preserves, and kirsch, plus suggestions of cedar chest, charcoal, and bay leaves with a touch of fallen leaves. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is wonderfully energetic and bright, with crunchy plums and blackcurrant layers and tons of savory sparks, supported by firm, fine-grained tannins, finishing long and lifted.

This old, bush-vine parcel of biodynamically farmed grenache is fermented in ceramic eggs and is delivered as a style that trades on the prowess of this parcel, to deliver a wine that is strikingly pure and ethereal. The aromas of pomegranate, wild raspberries, light dried plum and wet terra cotta are framed in light floral and herbal tones. The palate has an extremely succulent wrap of tannin, writhing in a vortex-like roll into the finish. Draws deep and long with pure, red-plum, cherry and raspberry flavors. Driving tannins. Grenache done right. Drink over the next decade. Screw cap.

USA, California, Napa Valley: 2017 — Napa's Perfect Storm This is a new barrel sample blend from what I tasted last year and it contains a bit more Cabernet Franc. This 2017 Le Désir is made up of 80% Cabernet Franc, 17% Merlot and 3% Malbec. It gives up a wonderfully perfumed nose of lilacs, wilted roses, star anise and black tea with a core of red currant jelly and blackberry coulis with wafts of pencil lead and dried herbs. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is very firm and finely grainy with tons of freshness and a proactively fragrant finish. 2,500 cases are to be made.

USA, California, Napa Valley: 2017 — Napa's Perfect Storm Harvested on September 20 this vintage, the Helena Montana vineyard turns 20 years old this year. A barrel sample with a very deep purple-black color, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Helena Montana Vineyard wafts from the glass with flamboyant black plums, warm cassis, ripe blueberries and chocolate-covered cherries with touches of licorice, violets and tar. Medium-bodied and jam-packed with energy, it has layer upon layer of black and blue fruits with firm, ripe tannins and oodles of freshness, finishing long and savory.

USA, California, Napa Valley: 2017 — Napa's Perfect Storm A barrel sample, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Helena Dakota Vineyard is very deep purple-black in color and is still a little reduced, giving way to very exciting notions of freshly crushed wild blueberries, black raspberries and red and black currants with touches of garrigue, tar, smoked meats and rose petals. Medium to full-bodied with a very firm, grainy texture and soft, seamless freshness, the palate grows slowly to a long-lingering black fruit and earthy crescendo. Very promising.

USA, California, Napa Valley: More New 2018 ReleasesThe 2018 Le Désir was tasted as a final-blend barrel sample, due to be bottled in January 2021. Composed of 82% Cabernet Franc, 12% Merlot and 6% Malbec, it will have been aged for 16 months in 100% new French oak. Deep garnet-purple colored, the nose is a little shy to begin, offering subtle suggestions of red roses, lilacs and kirsch over a core of blackberry preserves, black raspberries and red currant jelly plus a touch of cinnamon stick. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is captivatingly elegant, featuring layer upon layer of floral and earth accents among the intense black and red fruits, finishing with fantastic length and almost electric tension. Stunning!

USA, California, Napa Valley: More New 2018 ReleasesThe 2018 La Muse was tasted as a final-blend barrel sample, due to be bottled in January 2021. Composed of 90% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc, and 4% Malbec, it will have been aged for 16 months in 100% new French oak. Deep garnet-purple colored, it comes galloping out of the glass with energetic scents of freshly crushed black and red plums, wild blueberries, red currant jelly and boysenberries with hints of crushed rocks, truffles and black olives plus a waft of damp earth. Full-bodied, the palate is taut and muscular with firm, grainy tannins and bold freshness, finishing incredibly long and incredibly nuanced.

USA, California, Napa Valley: More New 2018 ReleasesThe 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Helena Dakota Vineyard (100% Cabernet Sauvignon) was tasted as a finished blend that has come out of barrel in preparation for bottling. It spent 12 months in 100% new French oak and is due to be bottled in April 2021. Deep garnet-purple in color, the nose delivers intense black currant cordial, Black Forest cake and blackberry pie notes with suggestions of cardamom, tobacco leaf, pencil lead and iron ore. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is pure decadence with layers of black and blue berry preserves intertwined with tightly knit earthy nuances, poised to break through all that fruit. The rich flavors are well-framed by firm, very fine tannins and seamless freshness, finishing with fantastic persistence. What a beauty!

A blend of 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot, the 2016 La Joie (a barrel sample) has a very deep purple-black color and is a little closed at this nascent stage, slowly unfurling to reveal crushed black currants, blackberry coulis and Christmas cake notes with touches of cigar box, pencil lead, bay leaves and espresso plus a waft of lavender. Medium to full-bodied and packed to the gills with tightly wound black fruit preserves, floral and spicy layers, it has a firm frame of grainy tannins and seamless freshness, finishing very long.

The 2021 La Joie is composed of 71% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot, and the wine was matured for 16 months in 95% new French oak. It’s exceptionally pure and layered on the nose, its scents of blackcurrant and blueberry accented by tones of lavender and cardamom. The full-bodied palate is effortlessly seamless. It features Goldilocks ripeness, loads of powdery, suede-textured tannins and bursts of mouthwatering acidity. Though its flavors are youthfully coiled, it opens dramatically over several days, and it will be epically long lived in the cellar. 2,500 cases were made.

Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2021 Helena Dakota Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon (100% Cabernet Sauvignon) leaps from the glass with opening scents of juicy black cherries, ripe plums, and crème de cassis, giving way to hints of rose oil, tar, and Sichuan pepper. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is jam-packed with concentrated black fruit flavors, supported by very firm, ripe, grainy tannins and beautifully balanced acidity, finishing long and perfumed.

The 2020 High Sands Grenache speaks of raspberry
leaf tea, matcha dust, cut fennel, star anise, cherry
seed and blood plum skin. This is the more classically
styled Grenache of the Ovitelli and the High Sands, and
it is classy to its very core. As the two wines hail from
the same vineyard, albeit different blocks (and within
that, there are differences), the density and gravitas
that is afforded this wine has to, at some point, be
attributed to the foudre component. It balances the
febrile, delicate Grenache fruit and weights it. Now,
whether that is your "thing" or not is up for discussion,
but it is clear that there is a style difference between
the Ovitelli and the High Sands. This is unerringly
elegant and svelte, polished, expressive and effortless.
It sails through the mouth. It is sensational. The
tannins are absolutely the highlight, finely milled and
poudre-like in texture. 14.5% alcohol, sealed under
screw cap. The High Sands vineyard is a beautiful,
"open-to-the-sky" bush vine vineyard that was planted
in 1946. The Block 31 section, which is where the fruit
for this wine is sourced from, is 1.7 hectares and sits
on the cap of the gentle hill upon which the vines are
planted. This is where the deepest deposit of sandy
soil is. Handpicked and sorted on the fancy table in
the winery, 50% whole berries were fermented in open
fermenters, and it was on the skins for a minimum of
21 days. It had a wild ferment and no pressings in the
final wine. It matured on the lees in a combination of
large, old French foudres and ceramic eggs.

The 2016 La Muse, a composition of 93% Merlot, 5%Cabernet Franc and 5% Malbec, is still very youthful at this stage. It has alluring scents of minerally Morellocherry, sage, desiccated rose petals and the first hints of maturity coming through as wafts of mushroom and cigars. The powerful, full-bodied palate is harmoniously balanced, with bright acidity, powdery tannins and a long, perfumed finish. It deserves several more years to develop in bottle.

The 2019 La Muse offers the purity and layering of the best 2019s from Sonoma County. The nose opens with generous aromas of mushroom, underbrush,licorice and garrigue complementing a core of Morello cherry. The medium to full-bodied palate is silky and plush with pixelated tannins. Its fruit is still somewhatcoiled, driven by graphite tones at this stage, although it offers plenty of refreshing acidity that gives a weightless, ethereal feel to the fragrant finish. It deserves several more years in bottle to unwind.

The 2020 Chardonnay Machado is slightly more tight and focused, with abundant minerality in its stone fruits, white flowers, honeyed melon, and orange zest-like aromas and flavors. It's beautifully textured on the palate, with medium to full body as well as bright yet integrated acidity. This stunning Chardonnay offers everything you could want from this variety and region. It's spectacular now but will benefit from a year in bottle and evolve for 10-15 years if well stored.

The 2020 Pinot Noir Hapgood is cut from the same cloth stylistically yet certainly has its own singular character. Blackberries, ripe mulberries, toasted spices, brambly herbs, and sappy flowers all define the bouquet, and it hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, an incredibly pure, elegant, seamless texture, building tannins, and a great, great finish. As with the other single vineyard Pinot Noir, it’s perfectly balanced and just an incredibly compelling, complete, ultra-classic expression of this site.

Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2019 Helena Montana Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon needs plenty of swirling to unlock notions of plum preserves, warm cassis, and stewed black cherries, plus suggestions of mossy tree bark, black olives, and fragrant earth. Medium to full-bodied, the palate delivers mouth-coating black fruits with a firm, finely grained texture and plenty of freshness to frame the generous fruit, finishing with brightness and a compelling lift. 793 cases were made.

The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the most finessed wines I have ever tasted here. That seems to be the direction Chris Carpenter is pursuing of late. So more than a vintage or place (Cardinale is a blend of hillside and valley floor sites) what comes through is the wine's finesse. Floral overtones lift a core of red cherry fruit, pomegranate and blood orange. I imagine the 2019 will enjoy a long life based on its spectacular balance.

A combination from two sites, the 2019 Diamond Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon is another elegant, yet concentrated, structured, and expansive Cabernet from Chris that shines on all accounts. Crème de cassis, black raspberries, graphite, scorched earth, and some floral notes all define the nose, and it's full-bodied on the palate, with terrific purity, building, ripe tannins, bright acidity, and an undeniable sense of minerality on the finish. This rich, concentrated, structured 2019 warrants 5-6 years of bottle age and will be incredibly long lived.

Composed of 82% Cabernet Franc, 12% Merlot and 6% Malbec, the 2018 Le Désir was aged for 16 months in 100% new French oak. Deep garnet-purple in color, it is a little closed to begin, soon unfurling to offer glimpses at notes of kirsch, raspberry preserves and mulberry scents, plus hints of cedar chest, crushed rocks, bay leaves, Sichuan pepper and lavender with a waft of sandalwood. The medium to full-bodied palate has tons of freshness to support the melange of preserved red and black fruits, textured by grainy tannins, finishing with a lingering peppery kick. It may require just a little more time to come around than the La Joie and La Muse, and then I suspect this beauty is going to reward the patient.