A shy nose hints at dark berry and some graphite only. It is on the palate that the fine freshness, the superfine tannin, like combed, starched silk, breaks though. There is crunch, there is freshness, there is this insistent, lasting, long and pure, tart red berry fruit. This is Cab Franc the California way.

A friendly style, with creamy raspberry and plum nicely lined by light anise and sweet spice hints. Drink now through 2023.

There’s finesse in this elegant Chardonnay — it’s got some requisite “Napa heft,” but the fruit is so pure and honest it comes off more like a white Burgundy. Bright and refreshing.

From a legendary estate, this is a voluptuous and elegant Napa Cab, drinking beautifully now, the tannins ripe and present, and the fruit evolving into layers both sweet and savoury. Wonderful.

Solid, superior wine (to its Yarra stablemate) with great depth of fruit. Exciting stuff! Very long.

Very pale ruby. Quite gamey and vegy on the nose. Fresh and sweet with lots of pleasure delivered but a bit simple and maybe not the most appetising.

Solid and sturdy without lift. Concentration but not extra charm. Very stolid and a bit sweet.

Saline element and lots of fun – ready to enjoy already! A touch of appetising butterscotch. Long.

Blueberries, blackberries and crushed stones. Pure fruit. Full-bodied with round tannins that have powdery character. Creamy and round mouth-feel. Very unique. Great finish. 90% merlot, 5% cabernet franc and 5% malbec. Best from 2026.

Blackcurrant and graphite in a big way in the nose. Some asphalt and sweet tobacco, too. Full-bodied with a dense, velvety texture. Shows suppleness for such a big wine, with luxurious sensibility. Such fabulous length. Almost drinkable now, but four or five years of bottle age will bring this into its own. Try after 2026.

Incredibly spicy and aromatic with pumice and cloves. Pops out of the glass. Cedar, too. Full-bodied with soft, polished tannins adding tension and creaminess. Long and beautiful. All about class and breeding. Try after 2025.

Superb purity of fruit with crushed blackcurrants and flowers. Full-bodied with a creamy and stony texture. The fine, powdery tannins provide wonderful length and intensity. Great potential. Could be better than the 2019.

The purity of fruit with currants, spices and flowers is very impressive, as is the long, creamy texture. Full-bodied with medium, round tannins and a fresh finish. Oyster and iodine notes come through. Excellent. Drink after 2026.

Aromas of violets and blackberries with some black olives follow through to a full-bodied palate with finesse, polish and great length. Velvety tannins. Incredible finish. Great class here. Drinkable now, but better to hold for about five or six years.

This is an amazing young wine with blackcurrant, iodine, oyster shell and tile. Crushed stone, too. Full-bodied, yet bright and linear, with great depth and intensity. Tensioned and formed with superb tannins. Framed and real. Speaks of the place. Give this four to five years of bottle age. One for the cellar. Try after 2027.

Black olives, dark fruit and earth. Pumice, cloves and other spices, too. Full-bodied, yet layered and so intense. Nuanced, yet powerful. Pomerol with a flak jacket! This needs at least five or six years of bottle age.

So much crushed lead pencil, tile and dried flowers, together with blackberries and brambleberries. Full-bodied with round, polished tannins. Layered and so delicious. Black olives and graphite at the end. This potpourri of Napa cabernet character takes your palate on a tour of so many of the regions, including all the mountains, such as Howell, Veeder and Spring Mountain, as well as Atlas Peak, Stags Leap, Yountville and St. Helena. Precision and polish to the wine. Drinkable now, but better to hold.

The black-cherry, crushed-stone and citrus aromas and flavors are fantastic here, together with a white-chalk note that adds a compressed, powdery feel. Full-bodied and compact. Outstanding.

This is a beautiful barrel sample with cassis and blueberry aromas, as well as some toasted oak and coffee from the new wood. The depth of fruit and the creamy tannins are exceptional. Long finish.

Aromatic and complex with sweet tobacco, fresh and dried herbs and fresh flowers, as well as red fruit. Medium-to full-bodied with wonderful polish and drinkability, especially for the mountain fruit from Howell, Veeder, Diamond and Spring mountains. Elegance. A blend of 67% merlot, 20% cabernet sauvignon, 12% cabernet franc and a dash of malbec and petit verdot. Drink or hold

The essence of cabernet sauvignon on the nose with cassis and fresh flowers. Full-bodied with orange peel, blackberry, cassis and hints of rose stems. Creamy and powdery tannins. Needs time to come together. Try after 2026, but already beautiful.

Loads of ink and tar on the nose with incense and spices. Inky. Full-bodied and firm with velvety tannins that spread across the palate, thanks to the Napa mountain vineyards. Unique malbec. Big wine, but agile. Drink or hold.

Blackberries and black currants with grape skin, lead pencil and pine cone. Full-bodied with round tannins and juicy fruit. Tamed tannins. Bright finish. Classy and authentic. Beautiful now, but will age beautifully.

The purple fruit is prevailing, together with conifer, lead-pencil and ink-pot aromas, following through to a full body with layered, ripe tannins and lightly toasted oak at the finish. Give it three to four years to come around. Try after 2025.

This is a big wine with solid tannins that are layered and powerful, yet there’s underlying, layered fruit between the phenolics. Suppleness and good length. Tight at the end. Needs three to four years to open.