An 80-20 blend of Cabernet Franc and Merlot, Caladan's 2021 Cabernet Franc is largely drawn from Jackson Family vineyards on Spring Mountain and Diamond Mountain, with adjuncts from Howell Mountain and Mount Veeder. Scents of red raspberries are joined by hints of roses, dried herbs, cedar and mocha on the nose, while the palate is medium to full-bodied and framed by dusty tannins yet with some mouthwatering ripeness on the long finish.

A jeweled, rich ruby color, the 2022 Pinot Noir Skycrest Vineyard was aged for 14 months in 20% new French oak and offers concentrated aromas of blackberries, mocha, mountain herbs, and sappy earth. It has a robust structure and a full-bodied slanting feel, with ripe tannins, brooding depth, and roasted notes of toasted cedar lasting on the finish. It is going to do well with another year or two in the bottle. Drink 2026-2036.

Heading north to the Anderson Valley, the 2022 Pinot Noir Edmeades Vineyard comes from the 667 and Calera clones and is a youthful magenta/ruby color. It shows off notes of raspberry liqueur, nutmeg, violets, and mossy earth. I really like the structure in this win, which is medium-bodied and has well-defined tannins and a mouthwatering spice on the palate, with fresh acidity that holds on. Drink 2025-2035.

A deep magenta/ruby color, the 2022 Pinot Noir Parsons' Vineyard comes from a small 8- acre vineyard and is more introspective on the nose, with notes of tarry earth, black cherry, pine, and deep root beer spices. Medium-bodied, it has a broader feel om the palate, with ripe tannins and a long finish. There’s good persistence in this wine, and it’s more expressive on the palate. It will likely improve with another 6-12 months in bottle.

A youthful magenta/purple color, the 2021 Merlot Jackson Estate Jackson Hills comes from the clay and gravelly hillsides in Bennett Valley and leads with decadent aromas of graphite, plum, boysenberry, fresh tobacco, and crushed violets. Raised for 18 months in 53% new French oak, it’s full-bodied and builds in structure, with ripe tannins, a hearty and more robust, mountainous feel, and a rather long finish. It’s quite firm in the glass at this youthful stage and deserves another couple of years in a bottle. Drink 2026-2040.

The 2021 Pinot Noir Hapgood is expressive and detailed. The nose opens with ringing tones of tangerine and pomegranate, plus nuances of tobacco leaves, mossy bark and dark spices. The light-bodied palate has a silky texture and softly tangy acidity that adds a shimmery quality to its core of spicy fruit, ending with an ethereal finish. It will benefit from 2-3+ years in bottle.

The 2021 Chardonnay Hapgood is scented of toasted meringue and apricot with accents of beeswax, cashew and citrus blossom. The light-bodied palate has a rounded texture which tempers its tangy acidity, and it has a deep core of youthfully reticent, saline-driven fruit. It will benefit from several years in bottle to unfold.

A whole lot of blue and black fruit, some violet perfume, and no shortage of creamy mocha oak, also some iodine and crushed dried herbs. It’s full-bodied, rich in flavour, a Turkish coffee feel to tannin, chocolaty oak, dried blueberry and raspberry, lavish silty tannin to close, with oak and fruit having a fair old crack at each other, though the density of the fruit is probably the winner. It’s a bold wine, inky and ferrous, with no shortage of stuffing. It’s a throaty, almost Napa style of wine, and kind of showy in that way, though there’s no doubt it’s high quality.

Expressing a more tension, the dark ruby 2021 Pinot Noir Zena Crown Vineyard is more reserved aromatically but also more focused, with delicate incense, black raspberry, and violets. The palate has a fresh spine of acidity, with ripe fine tannins, and a nice citrus-tinged lift on the finish with a hint of toasted earth. It’s a very pretty wine from winemaker Kate Ayres to drink over the next 6-8 years.

Fresh perfumed, fennel seed, white flower and vanilla perfume, ripe lemon. Rich and almost creamy, maybe a little under-powered, but full of character. Airy kind of feel to it, and a good finish. Tasty. In evolution, but fine now too.

Sexton Vineyard is planted on shallow gray dirt over mudstone. The elevation is 220 meters and shows the magic of a warmer part of the Yarra in a relatively cool year. Plum skin, chinotto, fig, blueberries and exotic spices form the backdrop to the bright strawberry/cherry fruit. The 2021 Sexton Vineyard Pinot Noir is structurally quite different from the other vineyards, in that the tannins are more grainy and gravelly and provide more framework from which the fruit can hang. It is perhaps more obvious in its display of fruit and tannin, but with that comes a sonorous baritone of tannin and flavor. Impressive.

Sourced primarily from the Yverdon Vineyard on Spring Mountain, the 2019 Cabernet Franc features stunning floral aromas of rose petals and violets, plus sage and raspberry scents. Blended with 21% Merlot, this medium to full-bodied wine is taut and focused, silky textured yet mouthwatering, long and imbued with plenty of dusty tannins on the finish. Give it a few years in the cellar, then maybe my initial rating will begin to look stingy.

Seeing 20/20 – Sonoma & Anderson Valley New ReleasesThe 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Monte Rosso Vineyard is another very pretty, elegant wine in this range. Crushed flowers, mint, sweet red berry, pine and mocha give the 2016 striking aromatic dimension. I would cellar the 2016 for at least a few years, as it needs time to come together.

USA, California, Napa Valley: More 2016s The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Bear Point Vineyard is deep garnet-purple colored and comes sashaying out of the glass with beautiful kirsch, blueberry compote, warm cassis and fresh plums notions plus suggestions of rose hip tea, tilled soil, yeast extract and tobacco leaf. Medium-bodied, the palate has impressive grace with a quiet intensity of black fruits and earthy sparks, supported by firm grainy tannins and lovely freshness, finishing on a persistent mineral note. 434 cases were made.

Santa Barbara: Present & Future The 2018 Chardonnay Santos Road is the most open-knit and creamy of the Chardonnays in the Diatom range. Lemon peel, tangerine, white flowers and a touch of reduction give the 2018 tons of character. A Chardonnay of distinction and class, the Santos Road is also an example of the diatom style at its very best.

Santa Barbara: Present & Future The 2017 Pinot Noir 3D is a deep, powerful wine endowed with tremendous intensity. Next to the other Pinots in the range, the 3D feels quite virile. White pepper, crushed rocks, savory herbs and chalk give the 3D a beguiling upper register to play off its dense fruit and imposing structure. Veins of salinity give energy and brightness. This is such a compelling and promising wine.

USA, California, Central Coast: The 2017 Vintage in Santa Barbara County The 2017 Chardonnay Hapgood begins with fresh pear and quince, opening to hazelnut, crushed shell and sweet hay with warm white peaches and white blossom hints. Light to medium-bodied with a lovely interplay of ripe fruits and mineral notions, it has seamless acidity and a very long, energetic, honey-nut finish.

USA, California: More Napa & Sonoma New Releases The 2016 Proprietary Red Wine is composed of 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Petit Verdot, 9% Merlot and 1% Cabernet Franc. Deep garnet-purple colored, it delivers fragrant underbrush, cloves and cinnamon stick notes over a core of warm cassis, blackberry pie and cedar chest plus a waft of Sichuan pepper. Full-bodied, the palate packs a powerful punch of black fruits with loads of spicy accents with a plush texture, finishing long and toasty.

USA, California: More Napa & Sonoma New Releases Pale to medium ruby-purple in color, the 2017 Pinot Noir Muldune Trail reveals gregarious notions of raspberry tart, Morello cherries, wild blueberries and lilacs plus nuances of cracked black pepper, baking spices and root beer. Medium-bodied, the palate delivers impressive elegance and energy with loads of restrained red fruit and earthy nuances, finishing long and plushly textured.

USA, California: More Napa & Sonoma New Releases Already bottled, the 2018 Chardonnay Four Hearts Vineyard features bold baked pears, fresh Golden Delicious apples and lemonade scents with touches of chalk dust and allspice. Medium-bodied, the palate has a racy line lifting the apple and pear flavors, finishing on a chalky note.

Napa Valley's 2017s The 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon is a richer, broader, more concentrated wine, yet it also has a serious amount of tannins. Lots of dark chocolate, blackcurrant, forest floor, and espresso notes all emerge from this full-bodied, concentrated, impressive effort that’s going to benefit from 4-5 years of bottle age and have 20+ years of longevity. The blend is 94% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% each of Malbec, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot.

2017 & 2018 Napa Valley In Depth The 2017 Cabernet Franc is fabulous. Bold and dramatic in scale, the 2017 hits the palate with serious fruit intensity and tons of pure richness. Super-ripe red cherry, red plum, menthol, wild flowers, chocolate and mocha build as this racy, voluptuous wine shows off its alluring personality. The 2017 needs time in bottle to develop its full range of aromatics, but it has a ton of potential.

Lean but flavoursome, if that is possible. Textural and intense but rapier-like through the finish. Needs time but has it going on. Citrus and stone fruit, steel and cedar. The most subtle of lactose notes. This will shine in time.

A nest of cabernet franc.Strong fruit, strong tannin and strong oak. It’s balanced within its own world but this is a heavy hitter. A big serve of resiny vanilla, mint, chocolate, steel and redcurrant, with plum notes drenching the palate. Dry, rusty herbs, the leftovers from a couple of summers ago combine with florals, old too, dried too. Less oak would have been good but this is a wine set up to age. Strong arms, this one. Ropes of tannin territory.

The 2018 Pinot Noir Docker Hill from a site in Mendocino, is brisk, finely cut and full of character. Bright red/purplish fruit, blood orange, cinnamon and spice are all finely sketched. Deceptively medium in body, the 2018 has terrific energy and tons of class. It is a typically nervy Pinot from this part of Northern California.