The 2017 vintage was wet and cool, and this 2017 Roux Beaute Roussanne is spicy and a
little minty—sweetmint—with beeswax, fennel, white rose, white chocolate and caper
brine. It's a beautiful wine, and having enjoyed a few glasses of the 2015 Roux Beaute
Roussanne last night, this is right in the zone. This has a long life ahead of it, but potentially
not as long as the 2015!

A terrific example of age-worthy Merlot, the 2022 Merlot Mt. Veeder features sage,
blackberries and black cherries, even a bit of blueberries, all underscored by hints of
mocha. It's full-bodied and bright, those acids underscoring the wine's fine-grained
tannins. Concentrated and long on the finish, it seems capable of evolving positively for up
to two decades.

A mountain wine from volcanic soils, La Jota's 2022 Chardonnay W.S. Keyes Vineyard is all barrel-fermented and matured in a mix of puncheons and barriques, with about 12% of the volume seeing new oak. Malolactic fermentation is intentionally blocked, resulting in a medium-bodied wine that brings notes of crushed stone, pencil shavings and white peaches and balances those with tart, citrusy notes. Nicely textural, silky and long, it's a beauty that should age reasonably well.

The 2022 Cabernet Franc is 81% Cabernet Franc and 19% Merlot. The Cabernet Franc comes from an array of mountain vineyards, while the Merlot comes exclusively from Yverdon, on Spring Mountain. There is a Spring Mountain sense to the wine, marked by hints of violets, sage and bay leaf, as well as ripe red and black cherries. Medium- to fullbodied, velvety and concentrated after 22 months in 63% new French oak, it finishes long and elegant, with some softly dusty tannins bringing up the rear.

Based on 100% Chardonnay and aged six months in stainless steel vats, the 2024 Chardonnay has a medium to light gold hue and offers exotic citrus, minty herbs, and subtle tropical flower notes that all define this clean, crisp, remarkably pure Chardonnay. It puts on weight and richness with time in the glass and is a terrific mix of both richness and freshness. This is a no-brainer purchase for those who love Santa Barbara County Chardonnay, and I love its purity. Drink 2025- 2030.

The 2023 Pinot Noir Element is a beautifully finessed, polished wine. Sourced from a single block of 667 clone and aged in entirely neutral French oak, it's a seamless, polished wine with plush, ripe tannins and a good bit of dark-toned spice character to the dark berry fruit. A bitter tea leaf character accents the finish attractively. The Element impresses with its complexity.

The 2023 Pinot Noir Hapgood feels like it's wearing a beautiful ball gown—finesse for days. Graphite, tobacco and floral-tinged red fruit gain intensity as the 2023 releases its beguiling aromatics. A wine of suppleness and elegance, the Hapgood checks all the boxes, wrapped up on the close with an attractive bite of fine tannin.

The 2023 Pinot Noir 459 is a more overt wine within this range. Cheerful red cherry fruit, spice and fresh berry tones stack up in a friendly, full-bodied package without an iota of excess. Expressive and open-knit, this is a very approachable o

The 2023 Chardonnay Machado offers more natural aromatic richness and expressiveness than the other Chardonnays in the range. Lifted notes of jasmine, tropical fruit, honeysuckle and apricot propel the perfumed, spice-laden finish. Precision, clarity and balance are, as expected, never called into question. Another excellent wine from Greg Brewer.

Spicy and tarry on the nose with nice brightness and a bit of earthy development. Old school palate is spicy and tarry with nice acidity, some spiciness and some softness on the mid-palate. Ripe, sweet blackcurrant fruit with some sweet cherry and strawberry notes. In a really nice place now, showing development.

Grippy and focused with sweet blackcurrant fruit and some appealing berry notes. Firmly structured with a hint of mint and some nice grippiness, with gravelly notes and tar and pepper savouriness on the finish. Still quite grippy.

Concentrated, dense and textural with sweet black cherry and blackberry fruit, showing some notes of tar, ash and spice. Real concentration here: rich, spicy, vivid and bold. There’s a real concentration to this wine, and a core of sweet fruit.

The second vintage of this cuvée from the Eola-Amity Hills, the 2022 Chardonnay Desiderium pours a bright straw hue and opens with flinty, matchstick reduction, citrus zest, lemon balm, and salted pineapple rind. Medium-bodied, it has refreshing acidity and subtle savory depth, with notes of almond and hints of beeswax. It’s well-balanced, with a clean, savory finish. Drink 2025-2033.

Preserved cherries, crushed violets, cedar, and rosemary emerge from the 2023 Pinot Noir Pas de Nom, which is a barrel selection and pours a ruby red color. Medium-bodied, it’s refined and expands across the palate, featuring velvety tannins, a refreshing spine of acidity, and a gently tapering finish. It's got fantastic potential to drink over the coming 15 or more years.

The 2023 Pinot Noir Estate Vineyard is forward and expressive, with bright, peppery spice jumping from the glass, followed by notes of wild raspberries, dusty earth, fresh flowers, and dried orange peel. The palate has lovely energy that propels this medium-bodied wine, with fine tannins and refreshing acidity. It's a total charmer now and should also improve over the next few years. Drink 2025-2040.

The 2022 Pinot Noir Upland is bright ruby and refined, with spiced cherry, dark stone, anise, and purple flowers. Refreshing and structured, it offers mouthwatering acidity and citrus notes layered with baked earth. Drink 2025-2040.

A darker red color, the 2022 Pinot Noir Gran Moraine Vineyard is ripe with brooding notes of licorice, black cherries, dark spices, and fresh sage. The palate offers a lovely contrast, with some red-fruited highlights shining through, along with medium to full-bodied richness, a silky, even texture, and refreshing underlying acidity to keep it light on its feet. It’s a very appealing wine to drink over the next decade.

Discreet spices and black fruits on the nose, traces of tar and ironstone rock. Firm and full-bodied with richness and generosity, the finish lasting a long time. Fine balance and still has quite a grip of tannin. 

Full-bodied and deeply structured but retains a sense of handsome elegance, with deep flavors of blackberry and cherry laced with mineral, cedar and orange peel notes as this builds richness and tension toward broad-shouldered tannins. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Best from 2027 through 2035

This 2023 Pinot Noir comes from a scenic site on the southern part of the appellation, set on rocky sand soils. The wine was stored in 40% new French oak for 14 months, this offers salty soils alongside bright guava and red currant fruit flavors with Mandarin orange zest. Drink 2025-2038

The 2023 ‘Skycrest’ is a hillside Vineyard that is set on a mountain hillside with southwestern aspect that delivers small berries. The Pinot Noir was stored in 20% new French oak for 14 months before bottling. Light tannins frame a really good core of bright red and dark fruits with damp/salty soil accents. Enjoy now and over the next ten plus years. Drink 2025-2038

The 2023 ‘Edmeades’ is the first vineyard planted in this region. Shades of dark truffle shavings and peat moss fill the nose alongside wild blackberry. The palate is soft and robust with refined tannins and beautiful damp earth tones. Enjoy now and over the next ten plus years. Drink 2025-2038

The 2023 ‘Grand Moraine’ comes from several clonal selections and was given a small amount of whole cluster fermentation. Stored in 30% new French oak for 14 months before bottling, this offers red currants and tobacco on the nose alongside stony minerals. This is marvelously salty stuff with loads of bright red fruits alongside compost and orange peel notes. Drink 2025-2040

Salted lime, yuzu and Meyer lemon flavors are fresh and focused on a crisp and smooth frame, with aromatic pops of green tea, wild fennel, lemon basil and lemon balm. The intensity crescendos on the long, mouthwatering finish. Drink now through 2039.—M.W.

Offers a wonderfully savory thread of dried lemon thyme, sweetgrass and shiso leaf, with a core of Key lime, orange sherbet and lemon curd. There’s plenty of acidity and a succulent texture, with concentration and generosity on the finish. Drink now.—M.W.