Bright ruby. A highly perfumed bouquet evokes fresh dark berries, incense, cola and potpourri, and a lively mineral overtone builds in the glass. Sweet and expansive on the palate, offering juicy cherry and black raspberry and spicecake flavors and a suave vanilla accent. Shows solid thrust and spicy lift on the strikingly long, gently tannic finish, which leaves sappy berry preserve and floral pastille notes behind.

Limpid ruby-red. Suave, spice-and smoke-accented aromas of black raspberry, cherry cola, pungent flowers and incense reveal a subtle mocha nuance. Sappy and expansive on the palate, offering appealingly sweet boysenberry, cherry, spicecake and floral pastille flavors that show impressive depth and an undercurrent of energizing minerality. Delivers power as well as vivacity on a long, penetrating finish framed by velvety, slow-building tannins. 59% new oak.

Limpid ruby-red. Expressive red and blue fruit preserve, cola, candied rose and baking spice scents are complemented by a smoky mineral overtone. Concentrated and sappy on the palate, offering appealingly sweet, oak-spiced black raspberry, boysenberry, cherry liqueur and floral pastille flavors that spread out slowly through the midpalate. Conveys a deft marriage of concentration and energy and finishes with sneaky tannins and strong, spice-driven persistence.

Top 20 Shiraz of August 2020A more conventional expression of McLaren Vale Shiraz in context – a wine that lovers of traditional McLaren Vale Shiraz are going to adore. Includes 3% Malbec, intriguingly. Dark dense and chunky – it’s a wine of fudgey ripe flavour and shows it’s alcohol and ripeness more than any other wine in the range, the overall effect a wine of unquestioned impact but a bit simple and warm compared to the others. I’m comparing everything to a high mark, a higher expectation for McLaren Vale reds – when this is ultimately a superb, impactful, highly polished full bodied wine. Best drinking: now to twenty years. Would I buy it? I’d share a bottle.

Dark garnet color in the glass. The nose opens slowly to reveal enticing aromas of blackberry, blueberry-pomegranate, earthy flora and a hint of oak. A flood of blue and black fruits envelope the palate in a mid-weight plus style. The layers of fruit saturate the taste buds, creating a magnetic attraction, yet the wine is not cloying or sweet. There is admirable harmony with a favorable compliment of oak. The fruit really hangs on through the long, long finish that is symbolic of a special wine.

Good luck finding a better Bordeaux at this price! Les Cadrans de Lassegue delivers the goods from a Grand Cru site at half the price or less of any worthy competition, with rich, earthy character complementing classic Merlot aromas and flavors seamlessly. Additionally, the inclusion of 10% Cabernet Franc isn’t lost in the mix, showing cherry and mild herb hints, particularly in the finish. Nicely done!

This was purchased by me on release back when it was merely expensive. Today, this is one of the top guns of the Kendal Jackson empire and the pricing has gotten prohibitive for the newer releases. If trying this blind, a good guess might have been a 1999 Bordeaux, maybe Graves or maybe even 1998. it was quite good and certainly just about at peak. A 60/40 blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Purple/ruby in color with just a hint of browning at the rim. The nose has some brett but plenty of cassis, cherries and an earthy funk too. On the palate, this is complex. Layers of fruit (cherries and black cherries), with earth and tobacco. Just the slightest remnants of tannins. Nice finish. Very tasty yet also contemplative. It drinks fine on its own but is better with some food. Stews or casseroles but a steak would be fine. This should be drunk sooner than later but well stored bottles should have five to seven more years before slowly moving downhill.

Hearty and robust, this wine tastes of tropical honey, brioche and caramel. Thickly concentrated, it retains enough acidity to balance and complement the richness, deftly represented by a lasting character of lemon meringue.

Opulent and spicy, this medium-bodied wine shows tempting dark spices of clove and toasted oak along with ripe black-cherry flavors and a velvety texture. A good structure of fine-grained tannins adds an appetizing grip. Bestthrough 2027.

An enticing aroma of violets and dark chocolate leads to concentrated, deep flavors that are beefy, berry-like and a bit peppery, giving the wine lots of complexity and interest. Fine-grained tannins add nicely to the mouthfeel. Best from 2024.

Santa Barbara: An In-Depth Look at the 2018sThe 2018 Chardonnay Radian Vineyard offers a beguiling mix of exuberance and energy. Lemon confit, tangerine oil, mint and butter notes are nicely pushed forward, and yet there is enough underlying minerality and acidity to balance some of the wine's natural overtness. The Hartford Radian is a bit more generous in feel than most wines from the far western coast of the appellation. That is not a bad thing, just a specific interpretation of site.

Santa Barbara: An In-Depth Look at the 2018sThe 2018 Pinot Noir Fiddlestix Vineyard is a pretty, elegant wine. Crushed flowers, sweet red berry, white pepper and chalky notes give the 2018 its distinct, lifted personality. Readers will find an ethereal, intensely aromatic style in the 2018. Bracing mineral and saline notes add a good deal of energy to round things out. Best of all, winemaker Jeff Stewart has succeeded in eliminating the gamy qualities that can make Fiddlestix Pinots feel a bit rustic.

Santa Barbara: An In-Depth Look at the 2018sThe 2018 Pinot Noir John Sebastiano Vineyard is another superb wine in this range. Rose petal, sweet red berry fruit, mint and blood orange bring out a bright, citrus driven set of aromas and flavors. On the palate, the John Sebastiano is gracious and translucent, but don't let that fool you, there is plenty of substance here.

Santa Barbara: An In-Depth Look at the 2018sThe 2018 Pinot Noir Nielson Vineyard is gorgeous. Deep and classically built, the Nielson is marked by a backbone of acids and tannin that gives it shape and feeling of drive. The Nielson is not as approachable today as many wines in the range are, but it offers superb focus in an understated style that needs time to fully emerge. Lavender, licorice, dried herbs, graphite and blueberry linger. This is such a pretty and expressive wine.

Santa Barbara: An In-Depth Look at the 2018sThe 2018 Pinot Noir Q Block Bien Nacido Vineyard is bright, effusive and full of character. A burst of sweet floral notes leads into a core of red/purplish berry fruit in a Pinot endowed with terrific energy and verve. Medium in body and super-expressive, the 2018 is incredibly vivid today. A closing flourish of floral and savory notes leave a lasting impression.

Santa Barbara: An In-Depth Look at the 2018sThe 2018 Syrah Ex Post Facto is bold and beautiful. Dark plum, blueberry, lavender, licorice and cloves give this dark sepia-toned Syrah much of its dark expression. Time in the glass brings out hints of citrus and black pepper that brighten up the flavor profile nicely. The 2018 has real depth and intensity, not to mention tons of character. Greg Brewer gave the 2018 45-60 days on the skins, with virtually all whole clusters, followed by 18 months in barrel.

Santa Barbara: An In-Depth Look at the 2018sThe 2018 Chardonnay 3D is the most powerful of the wines. Tropical, dense and plush, the 3D possesses notable richness, yet retains the energy that runs through all these wines. The 3D is marked by a real sense of oiliness and texture. The mix of Wente and Mt. Eden clones work so well here.

Santa Barbara: An In-Depth Look at the 2018sThe 2018 Chardonnay Machado marries textural depth, aromatic brightness and structure. Citrus peel, mint, savory herb and orchard fruit are supported by bracing mineral notes that lend energy. This is such an elegant style. The cooler growing season yielded a Machado that is a bit more vibrant than is often the case.

Hand-picked, whole-bunch pressed using a basket press, wild-fermented in used French oak, 7 months in barrel with lees stirring. The wine has wonderful texture, and enjoyable fruits that suggest some brioche may be around the corner.

The 2018s from Santa Barbara CountyFrom a great site in the Sta. Rita Hills, the 2017 Chardonnay Radian Vineyard from Hartford Court reveals a medium gold hue as well as a rich, powerful bouquet of mulled stone fruits, nectarines, toasted bread, and sappy flowers. Medium-bodied, nicely balanced and concentrated on the palate, with the more focused, tight style of the vintage, it's going to benefit from a year in bottle and should see its 10th birthday in fine form.

The 2018s from Santa Barbara CountyThe 2018 Pinot Noir Nielson Vineyard comes from the Santa Maria Valley and was all destemmed and brought up in 65% new French oak. As with all these wines from Byron, it has wonderful purity of fruit as well as complex spice, peppery herb, and earthy aromas and flavors. Fresh, focused, beautifully balanced, and elegant on the palate, it's another winner from this estate.

The 2018s from Santa Barbara CountyFrom a vineyard outside of Santa Maria, the 2018 Pinot Noir Julia's Vineyard was all destemmed and spent 17 months in 70% new French oak. Rocking levels of black raspberries, toasted spice, and floral notes all emerge from the glass, and it's medium to full-bodied, with a fresh, focused texture, wonderful purity of fruit, and just a kiss of background oak. I like it today, but the oak adverse should give bottles another year or so. It's going to evolve for a solid decade.

The 2018s from Santa Barbara CountyMore iron, leafy herbs, and forest floor notes emerge from the 2018 Pinot Noir Bien Nacido Q Block (which is classic Bien Nacido). It has a core of red (almost blue) fruits, a touch of violets, medium-bodied richness, bright acidity, and a great finish. It's another beautiful Pinot Noir from this estate.

The 2018s from Santa Barbara CountyStarting with the Chardonnays, the 2018 Chardonnay Sta. Rita Hills is a winner and is ideal for readers looking to understand the Sta. Rita Hills as well as the style of the wines at Brewer-Clifton. Medium gold, with a great nose of Meyer lemons, caramelized orchard fruits, hints of sappy herbs, and a touch of seaside-like salinity and minerality, it's medium to full-bodied and has a rounded, elegant texture, nicely integrated acidity, and a clean, classy finish.