This estate wine is remarkably elegant, with scents of smoke, olive and cola all wrapped around a plum compote core. The sleek and soft texture, with tannins as suave as pipe-tobacco, suggest a pairing with braised beef, like Bourguignon.

It’s easy to anticipate the concentration of this wine just by looking at its dark purple color. It smells of pine and dark plum, then tastes of spiced cherry, rye and peppercorn, with terrific acidity that keeps the wine on point.

The Conifer designation is right on as there is a pine-tar accent streaking through the bright red-berry and cherry-fruit flavors here. The full body characterizes this excellent vintage, and the extra details of texture and length, along with highlights of truffle and toast, keep this wine interesting through the lengthy finish.

Sourced from specific blocks on the estate, this aromatic wine mixes potent blueberry and blackberry fruit with sharp lemony acids. It’s powerful and blocky, punching those flavors on through a long finish. More bottle age should help to fully integrate all components.

An aromatic mix of toasted hazelnuts, blackberry fruit spread, nutella and peanut butter opens into an inviting palate with generous fruit and well-tempered tannins. The moderately low alcohol in no way detracts from the flavor, and subtle details of spice and herb that higher alcohol often conceals are here to discover.

This is a smooth, medium-ripe wine that’s been fermented and aged in 20% new puncheons. The mouthfeel is firm—almost glossy—with tight apple and pear fruit. There are hints of honeysuckle, jicama and a bright pine-needle note shining through.

This wine offers sizable tannin and power, within a framework of earthy structure and oak. Cedar, dried herb and red-currant and cherry flavors combine effortlessly along a textured palate of richness seasoned in baking spice and caramel.

Well integrated in blackberry, vanilla and with a hint of molasses, this wine offers moderate weight and balanced richness, with fine tannins giving it a lush texture. Juicy on the finish, it shows the power of the appellation and vintage without ever becoming overbearing on the palate.

Steely, fresh and resolved on the palate, this is a cool, coastal white with textures and flavors reminiscent of oyster shell and wet stone. The fruit is crisp and crunchy—a mix of green apple and pear adorned in just a hint of oak.

Hickinbotham’s 2018 release of Cab Franc is a savory and quietly expressive wine. There are dusty herbal, tobacco, black olive and iodine notes wound up in plump black cherry and plum fruit and framed by chocolatey oak. There’s a lovely crunch of acidity in the mouth amidst powdery tannins. The tangy fruit and driedherbal flavors flow to the finish. Typical to this label, this is a full-bodied style unafraid of power and oak influence, but it’s skillfully made with the ability to age until around 2028.

Savoury nose with bramble, clove and a tick of cigar box. Classy on the palate, with refined tannins and a lengthy finish.

Floral nose of violets, smoky notes and ripe blackberry with hints of leather. It combines ripeness with elegance on the palate.

Rich and ripe aromas of blackcurrant and baking spices. Good drive and energy, with tight tannins and long savoury finish.

An elegant and restrained style with blackcurrant, even redcurrant, fresh acid and supple tannins. The finish is long with vanilla and savoury notes.

Lovely aromas of savoury fruit, ripe blueberries, vanilla and green bell pepper notes. Great energy and poise in the mouth.

Dark and quiet, this wine opened beautifully over two days of tasting, becoming smoky in its thick-skinned savor and dark purple fruit, with a hint of dashi in the background. Decant and serve with smoked trout.

This bears the Greek symbol Epsilon (the letter E), which the winery translates as “the sum.” Three-fifths of the ferment used whole clusters, which puts a frame of drying tea type tannins around the finish. The fruit mixes red plum and berry and the overall balance is spot on.

This is the first release of a vintage sparkling wine from Gran Moraine. Half was barrel fermented, bringing a light but welcome toasty note around the crisp and fresh apple fruit. The wine was disgorged early in 2021. Aromatic, with bright acidity, it should drink very well for a decade or longer.

This is a blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot made from a selection of vineyards, including the high-elevation Alexander Mountain Estate. Earthy in sage, cedar and dried herb, it shows a wealth of mountain power and tannin, with wisps of tobacco and blackberry dappled in oak.

This wine has strong layers of structure and tannin, bold swathes within an otherwise elegant, restrained style of graceful complexity. Plum, graham cracker, currant and leather combine in dense bolts of concentrated intensity and length.

Dark-red-fruit, singed wood and unique nutty aromas show on the nose of this bottling. The chestnut quality runs through the palate too, where toasted wood, burned herb, spicy peppercorn and rich red-fruit flavors align.

Dark-boysenberry, star anise and licorice aromas show on the nose of this lush and powerful Pinot Noir. The palate packs into ripe, dark fruit, with loads of hard spices, as a blood-orange-rind element adds tart balance and texture.

Aromas of dark-cherry, black-raspberry, incense and charred wood converge for a compelling and elegant nose on this bottling. Dark-red-cherry flavors also come through on the sip, which offers a uniquely woody streak.

This is an intensely structured, mountain-powered white, made in small amounts and built to show power and grace. Slate, stone and flint give it a mineral edginess amidst plenty of depth and length.

This medium-bodied, barrel-fermented wine offers light, toasted oak aromas, attractive baked apple flavors and accents of butter and vanilla. Good balance keeps it going sip after sip, revealing spice and almond nuances.