In Bordeaux, nearly every chateau produces a second wine with prestigious DNA, but often at good value. At Lassegue, the 2018 Les Cadrans de Lassegue is brimming with floral and black-cherry aromas. Its medium body is wrapped in tasty blueberry and blackberry flavors that are instantly appealing and drinkable.

A sumptuous wine that manages to hold its cards of spice and flamboyant fruits close to a chest of riches. Unirrigated blocks contribute. 50% of the cuve was crushed to open-tops, resplendent with 20% whole bunches; 20 days on skins, extended time on lees and élévage in both new and used puncheons, before a blending of the best to a foundre and concrete egg. This sits on a diplomatic cushion between the Rhône-inflected contemporary styles that splay pepper, clove and blue fruits about the mouth, and a richer, more lustrous regional note. The tannins etch the cheeks and wind down the side of the tongue, keeping to the path of righteousness. Fine indeed.

Hand picked and destemmed to whole berries. Wild fermented after a brief cold soak; 21 days on skins. Pressed to classy barriques (50% new). Full bodied, suave and dense, yet does not stray into decadence. Fine drinking. Damson plum, vanillin oak, spice and a swathe of dusty tannins driving across the finish. Forward and certainly approachable already. Fine drinking. More to come?

Delicate violet scents and the suggestion of lots of fruit to come on the palate. A little sweet with a suggestion of raspberry jam. Gently made with the finest of tannins, but I wouldn't mind just a tiny bit more freshness. The wine is impressively persistent.

Ripe pear juice on the nose. Much richer than the Applejack and Wombat Creek 2021 bottlings, although there is some citrus acidity on the finish. A little bit of a putty/linseed aroma too. Quite a bit of chewiness on the end. Just a little hard on the finish at this point.

Pale garnet verging on ruby. Pale rim. A bit more meaty and savoury than the Primavera Vineyard Pinot on the nose. Light and fresh with definite sweetness, as well as the vegy savour, but more refreshing than the Primavera and with a nice lick of light tannins. Delicate texture. It tastes as though it were made with kid gloves. A definite success.

Pale greenish straw. Really very fine, alluring fruit with no shortage of acidity but a definite suggestion of creaminess. Very little obvious oak and quite enough fruit (not acid water) but the acidity will presumably always be high. Lemon is the dominant flavour. Fresh as a daisy.

Green and luscious nose with more breadth than the Applejack Chardonnay 2021. Definitely softer than the Applejack, even though the vineyard is higher – a soil effect? Floral notes. It would be easy to drink this without food. Quite long. Absolutely ready with an undertow of sweet lime. Really very fine and appealing. Great balance.

Complete nose with both minerals and citrus notes plus a hint of apple blossom. Still quite youthful but very promising. Markedly persistent with marked acidity but no shortage of fruit. Not austere but very far from fat. Neat and quite delicate. Fans out on the finish. They must be very pleased with this wine, from a hugely successful vintage.

Healthy mid garnet colour. Real texture and muscle to this wine, though still with delicate fruit and very fine tannins, that are more evident than in its two stablemate single-vineyard 2021 Pinots. Hedgerow flavours and an attractively dry finish. Relatively complex, though attractively light and fruity.

Fresh, bright and with a little freshly grated dark chocolate, white pepper and crushed rose petals and lilac alongside the intense blueberries, brambles, black cherries and crushed raspberries. There is a lovely aromatic complexity here and no discernible oak influence other than a little bit of roasted coffee bean. In the mouth we have an impressive limpidity and viscosity. The palate is dominated by the cool tranquillity of the Cabernet Franc which it is lovely to have here at 35%. There’s a touch of graphite too and a wild garrigue herbal element. The tannins are supple and svelte and this has good compactness and density. The finish is long and this exudes balance and harmony. Deeply impressive in the context of this – indeed, any – vintage.

Restrained nose, a touch of funk, cherries. Light palate, fresh, bright, cherries and cranberries.

Brilliant fresh cherry notes, sage. Crisp, restrained, tart cherries and earthy notes, fresh tannins.

A touch of honey notes, vanilla. Good acidity, good acidity, needs time.

Toasted notes on the nose, toasted bread, a touch of yeast, good acidity, crisp, clean.

From the Primavera vineyard at Woori Yallock, planted in 2001 on the same red soil as Wombat Creek. Both destemmed (55%) and whole-bunch components. Bottled unfined and unfiltered. A very bright crimson purple. So pure and perfumed with briary cherries, ripe redcurrants and freshly cut roses. Poised, juicy and energetic, the wine has so much tang and crunch, you barely notice that this is also structured finishing with long, gently puckering tannins. A wine with immediate appeal, but also one that will reward at least another 7-10 years in the cellar.

This puts down some roots. It offers a monumental spread of rich, ripe, deep-hearted fruit flavour, plums cascading over boysenberries, though there’s also enough going on around the edges to make complexity a given. The spread of tannin here, the mouth-filling volume, the way it sets flight through the finish; everything is top grade. It’s a commanding wine of emphatic quality, a blockbuster with an elegant turn.

This is a firm, chocolatey, slightly baked shiraz with asphalt and plum flavours shooting through to woodsy spice, smoked tobacco and cloves. It’s a substantial red, taut through the finish, warm and yet well balanced. The wine’s mix of tobacco and chocolate is both distinctive and attractive, though it’s slightly baked feel robs it of some freshness. Most won’t mind the latter. Volume of flavour here is important but the real quality markers are the fine strength of the tannin, and the svelte mouthfeel.

The inaugural release of Gran Moraine Winery’s 2014 Blanc de Blancs Estate Sparkling Wine is that. From the Gran Moraine estate in Willamette Valley’s Yamhill-Carlton district, known for delivering fruit with a note of minerality, beautiful texture, vibrant acidity, and luscious flavor, the 100% Chardonnay sparkler is aged for 5 yrs, 9 months, en triage, or on the lees in the bottle before disgorgement. The time on the lees (yeasts) lends toasty, fresh-baked bread notes to the bubbly, melding harmoniously with lemon cream, soft herbs, ripe melon, pear, and tangerine. A wine to enjoy as an aperitif, and carry you through dinner with a nice gastronomic profile, showcasing anything from poached lobster or salmon, lemon risotto, spring souffle, or, of course, caviar. Only 152 cases of this beauty were produced. Let’s hope we see more in the future. #Cheers

You can tell immediately that this is Napa Valley merlot, unmistakable for its darker, resinous and brewed reds, edging into the black fruit spectrum. Feels like more wood than the cabernet sauvignon with its black tea, soy and hematic swells, followed by an almost iodine inkiness. A tonic triad if you will in which the intervals are repeats of that third note, the ensanguined crimson fruit that seems to ooze in and out of every crack. Chalky tannins at the finish indicate the best years have yet to truly begin.

Raise a Glass!
This incredibly sippable wine is creamy, citric and nutty, with lovely mineral undercurrents. This powerhouse Chardonnay matches fabulously with summer’s squash bounty — squash ravioli or even baked delicata squash with parmesan. We say Chardon-yay!

This pale white-gold colored Sauvignon Blanc from Matanzas Creek really impressed the Tasting Panel. It opens with a mild grapefruit, white peach, and hay bouquet with hints of lime and raw green beans. On the palate, this wine is medium bodied with integrated medium acidity. The mouthfeel is balanced, round and savory. The flavor profile is Bosc pear and gentle ginger blend with notes of yellow grapefruit. We also detected some with hints of dill and lime. The finish is dry, and its acidity and flavors linger and last for quite a while. The Tasting Panel would pair this Sauvignon Blanc with Thai rolls or a chicken Caesar salad.

GREAT VALUE
Kendall-Jackson Low Calorie Chardonnay 2021
(2 stars)
California, $16
Think of this as a slimmed-down cousin of Kendall-Jackson Vintner’s Reserve, one of the country’s favorite chardonnays. It’s got the same pineapple and peach flavors, but only 85 calories per 5-ounce serving. Compared to what? Well, we don’t have that on the label, but most wines tend to be around 110 to 120 calories, depending on the alcohol level. By reducing the alcohol to 9 percent, the winemakers have lowered the calories without a dramatic loss of flavor. Some stores may still have the 2020 vintage, labeled with the proprietary name Avant.

Under-$15 Chardonnays that Overdeliver for the Money
Let the naysayers claim that too much of this wine is produced to be any good, because here's the thing: It's really well-made, generous with tropical fruit, honeysuckle, candied ginger, and cinnamon-vanilla baked apples. Impressive.

The 2011 Mt. Brave Cabernet Sauvignon is positively brilliant. Deep, dense and voluptuous, with no hard edges, the 2011 possesses terrific balance and tons of class. Black cherry, gravel, plum, spice, licorice, menthol and chocolate build in a Cabernet endowed with remarkable depth. There are no hard edges or awkward contours in this beauty from Mt. Brave and Chris Carpenter.