This brand’s familiarly juicy red-fruit aromas of candied pomegranate, red cherry and strawberry lure the nose deep into this bottling, which also offers red spice and light herb. The palate is fresh, fun and delightful, with snappy red-fruit
flavors as well as more complex notes of lemon rind and rooibos tea.

Ripe cherry aromas with underlying hints of herb and mace are fresh and fun on the nose of this appellation expression. The delicious palate offers baked strawberry compote, dark mint cream and concentrated hibiscus flavors.

Inky purple. Ripe black and blue fruit, floral and spice qualities on the deeply perfumed nose; incense and smoky mineral nuances emerge as the wine opens up. Sweet and expansive on the palate, offering concentrated cassis, cherry preserve, blueberry and violet pastille flavors given spicy bite by a jolt of cracked pepper. Youthfully firm tannins add grip to a very long, chewy finish that leaves spice and dark fruit liqueur notes behind.

Dark, vivid magenta. Vibrant, spice-tinged red and blue fruit and floral scents show fine detail and mineral lift. Juicy and energetic in style, offering appealingly sweet Chambord and boysenberry flavors that deepen steadily with aeration. Smooth, slowly emerging tannins add shape to a very long, spicy finish that strongly echoes the berry notes.

Saturated violet. A complex bouquet evokes spice-accented red and blue fruits, pungent flowers, vanilla and exotic spices, and a smoky mineral flourish emerges with aeration. Juicy and well-concentrated but lithe as well, offering appealingly sweet black raspberry, cherry and mulberry flavors underscored by a vein of zesty acidity. Shows fine definition and spicy lift on the youthfully tannic finish, which strongly echoes the blue fruit and floral notes.

Deep ruby. Lush cherry-cola, blackberry and mocha qualities on the deeply perfumed nose, which is complemented by suggestions of candied rose and vanilla. In a round, generous style, offering sweet dark berry and fruitcake flavors that are supported by an undercurrent of juicy acidity. Pliant tannins frame an impressively long, sappy finish that strongly repeats the cherry and floral notes. 50% new French oak.

Deep ruby. A highly perfumed bouquet evokes cassis, cherry and blueberry, and smoke and vanilla nuances build in the glass. Sappy and precise on the palate, offering appealingly sweet dark fruit and floral pastille flavors that show liqueur-like depth and surprising energy. Closes on a gently tannic note, with excellent clarity, repeating spiciness and strong, spicy cling. Raised in new and used French oak barrels for 15 months.

Inky magenta. A deeply perfumed, oak-tinged bouquet evokes black and blue fruit preserves, cured tobacco, incense and mocha. Alluringly sweet and expansive on the palate, offering concentrated blackberry, cherry-vanilla and bitter chocolate flavors braced by a core of smoky minerality. Finishes impressively long, with strong, spicy thrust, a resonating vanilla note and round, slowly building tannins.

Glass-staining violet. Mineral- and smoke-accented red and dark berries, vanilla and potpourri on the deeply perfumed nose, along with a hint of cracked pepper. Juicy cherry liqueur, black raspberry and fruitcake flavors are supported by an undercurrent of smoky minerality that adds energetic lift and cut. Shows a suave floral nuance on the impressively long finish, which is framed by smooth, harmonious tannins. 30% new French oak.

Light, glistening yellow. Vibrant, high-pitched citrus and orchard fruit aromas are complemented by smoky mineral, jasmine and anise flourishes. Juicy and tightly focused, offering intense lemon zest, green apple and quince flavors that pick up a spicy ginger nuance on the back half. Finishes with outstanding clarity and mineral cut, leaving sappy Meyer lemon and floral notes behind.

Shimmering red. Fresh red fruit and floral qualities on the incisive, highly perfumed nose. Lithe and finely etched on the palate, offering juicy raspberry, red currant and bitter cherry flavors and a sweetening touch of candied rose. A zesty blood orange note adds bite and cut to a very long, lively finish framed by subtle, fine-grained tannins. There's no fat on this Pinot's bones but it doesn't come off as austere. Think Pernand-Vergelesses, and a really good one at that.

Vivid straw-yellow. Pungent, mineral-accented citrus pith, pear nectar, white peach and iodine aromas, along with subtle fennel and jasmine notes. Subtly chewy and focused on the palate, offering intense orchard and citrus fruit flavors and deeper marzipan and buttered toast flourishes. Closes very long and smoky, with a spicy ginger note and building florality.

Deep, glistening ruby-red. Ripe, mineral-accented red and blue fruits, incense, musky earth and candied flowers on the seductively perfumed nose. Sappy and alluringly sweet on the palate, offering juicy cherry, black raspberry, savory herb and vanilla flavors along with an exotic Asian spice nuance. Fine-grained and seamless in texture, delivering round, slowly building tannins and an impressively long finish that leaves kirsch and floral notes behind.

Translucent ruby-red. Intensely perfumed Chambord, cherry cola, incense and potpourri aromas show fine definition and hints of woodsmoke, vanilla and succulent herbs. Blends fruity and savory character with a deft hand, offering earth-tinged red fruit, spicecake, botanical herb and floral pastille flavors that turn sweeter through the back half. Fine-grained tannins add shape to the impressively long finish, which echoes the floral and spice notes.

Limpid ruby-red. Vibrant, mineral- and spice-tinged red fruit and floral scents show fine clarity and hints of musky earth and incense. Energetic raspberry, bitter cherry, red currant and exotic spice flavors steadily deepen and turn sweeter as the wine opens up. Closes very long and precise, showing outstanding clarity and resonating mineral and floral notes.

Refined and polished yet deeply structured, with expressive red currant, dried herbs and hints of stony minerality that build tension and richness toward big but polished tannins. Drink now through 2030.

Medium deep crimson. Fragrant pure blackberry, musky plum aromas with underlying vanilla notes. Well concentrated and ultra-ripe blackberry, spicy/ hint cloves flavours, some stone fruit notes, fine looseknit chalky textures, very good mid palate volume and underlying vanilla, mocha notes. Finishes slinky and long. Plush fruit, elegant structure. Fascinating wine. Maturation in 30% new and seasoned French oak puncheons for 10 months and then 25hL foudre and a 18hL concrete egg for 8 months. Drink now – 2030

An international style of Chardonnay with a subtle South African accent, Fijnbosch comes from a steep north-facing, clay-rich site in the Banghoek Valley. Dense and concentrated, with honeysuckle, fynbos and saffron aromas, cream, toffee and lemon and lime flavours and lots of extract.

High Sands is Yangarra’s Holy Grenache Grail, capturing the essence of their prized old vines. From their McLaren Vale Blewett Springs estate, this biodynamic High Sands block is perched at the top of the ridge, with gnarly old bush vines from 1946 rooted in deep silica sand soils. This was destemmed with 50% whole berry, native fermented, and kept in older French oak for 11 months, prior to bottling without fining. This certainly achieves the trinity of intensity, lightness of being, and structure, with a quiet confidence and nonchalant restraint that lets the finessed purity of this wine shine. Fragrant plum, wild blueberry, sweet wild strawberry, gum tree, and a wash of mineral salts flood the palate, shockingly fresh and finessed for its 14.5%. Tannins are long and lissom, sticky just enough to pin in the fruit to a lingering finish. Though there is a gently ripe sweetness here inherent in grenache, there is a savoury saltiness that rises to match, in the end creating a memorable harmony. Drinking beautifully now, this will certainly continue to hold in your cellar over the next few years.

Another Santa Lucia Highlands release, the 2019 Pinot Noir Sierra Mar Vineyard has a more mineral-laced, earthy style while still bringing killer amounts of fruit. Black raspberries, dried herbs, flowers, and some spicy notes all flow to a medium to full-bodied, ripe, opulent beauty that has supple tannins and a great finish. It's impressive as well.

One of the standouts here, the 2019 Pinot Noir Rosella's Vineyard has a gorgeous core of ripe raspberry and cherry fruit, notes of sappy herbs and flowers, medium-bodied richness, and a round, supple, seamless texture. It brings lots of ripeness, but it’s balanced and just a sexy, seamless, pure Pinot Noir loaded with charm.

The appellation Pinot Noir from Brewer-Clifton is always a winner, as well as one heck of a value. The 2020 Pinot Noir Sta. Rita Hills reveals a medium ruby hue to go with a gorgeous perfume of red and blue fruits, peppery herbs, underbrush, and a touch of iron. With notable richness, medium body, ripe tannins, and integrated acidity, it has a terrific mix of Old World complexity and structure with plenty of California fruit. It will drink brilliantly for a decade.

The 2020 Chardonnay Katherine's Vineyard is bright and wonderfully saline, with plenty of mineral and savory accents. Citrus peel, mint, white pepper, chalk and dried flowers open nicely with a bit of time. There's terrific energy and plenty of cut. Most of this fruit is sourced from the own-rooted vines first planted in 1971.

The Diatom 2021 Chardonnay (Santa Barbara County) is another home run from Greg Brewer. Stunning in its depth and overall intensity, the 2021 is bright and mineral, with plenty of citrus and floral character, but also a good amount of textural depth to keep things in balance. Time in the glass brings out the wine's layers and overall pedigree. As always, the style here favors cold fermentation, no malolactic fermentation and very short aging in steel prior to bottling. In 2021, all of the fruit is from Los Alamos. Best of all, the 2021 is a fabulous value.

The 2020 Pinot Noir Hapgood is all class. Silky tannins wrap around a core of sweet red berry fruit, sage, crushed flowers and mint. Light on its feet and wonderfully refined, the 2020 is seriously impressive and absolutely gorgeous.