Now that we’ve tasted the 2017, that seems even more apt because this was such an awesome food wine. When we opened it, it looked young and fresh, like blackberry or black cherry juice. It had those fruits on the nose, too, along with some minerals. “It smells like it’s going to be more giving than the first two,” Dottie said, and she was right. It was filled with fruit, good tannins, integrated oak and a bit of bittersweet chocolate, but – even with all of that – had a medium weight that created elegance. “There’s layers and layers of stuff in here,” Dottie said. We picked up basil and rosemary, which made John say: “Stuffing!” It’s hard to imagine a wine that would be better with Thanksgiving dinner. “This cries out for food,” Dottie said, and, indeed, with her pork with capers and green olives, it was a weep-worthy pairing. As we continued to drink, the finish became dryer and dryer “like it’s vacuuming my mouth,” Dottie said. It picked up some anise and crushed lavender. Two hours after opening, the wine had more black olives and lean tannins. It was beautiful and ready to drink now, although it should age beautifully. There’s nothing obvious about this wine, which is 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Petit Verdot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 3% Merlot.

As usual, the Mt. Brave Merlot 2018 displays all the hallmarks of vines grown at 1,400 to 1,800-foot elevation — a dense, dark ruby-purple hue; notes of cedar, tobacco, sage and chaparral; threads of intense and concentrated blueberries, black currants and plums, permeated by graphite and flint-like minerality; a few moments in the glass tease out hints of violets and lavender, bitter chocolate and loam; the structure is monumental, mountain-like, and tannins embody the old Napa Valley adage about the iron fist in a velvet glove; the finish deep, granitic, supple. Try from 2023 through 2032 to ’35. Exceptional.

The 2018 Penner-Ash Chardonnay shows ripe honeysuckle tones on the nose with baking spice laced sourdough bread and bright melon tones. The palate is fresh and viscous with a great beam of tension as saline dusted orchard and citrus fruits greet you alongside undercurrents of wild mushroom. Really good to enjoy right now, this has another eight plus years ahead of it.

The 2019 ‘Estate Vineyard’ Pinot Noir is a medium-bodied Pinot Noir that is already nicely evolved. Ripe teaberry and red raspberry flavors mingle with minerals and flinty undertones with shades of tangerine rind on the palate.

Done in a fresher style, the 2019 ‘Willamette Valley’ Pinot Noir shows off a polished texture with layers of marionberry and black cherry that mingle with tilled soils and shades of peat moss on the palate. Enjoy this medium-bodied effort over the next seven years.

Pinot purity right here, folks. There’s a certain precision and definition too. A delightful combo of joy and complexity: rhubarb and freshly grated beetroot, sweet red cherries, florals and warm spices, with the oak neatly tucked in. Superfine tannins, laser-like acidity and terrific length seal the deal.

Fruit from 5 single vineyards with each parcel whole-bunch pressed to 675L clay egg-shaped fermentation/aging pots. The lids are sealed with clay so there’s no lees stirring. Fermented with wild yeast and 2 lots went through spontaneous mlf. It’s quite astonishing how these vessels shape the feel and taste of the final blend. This chardonnay is tight, linear and superfine with its acid profile. Yet it has plenty of flavour with hints of citrus, lemon salts and a smidge of creamed honey. It’s refreshing and pulsating with energy. A super drink.

This collection wouldn’t be complete without at least one Yangarra Grenache, although I’ve covered the big dog releases from this McLaren Vale high flyer a month or so back. This is a deep, moody, quintessentially savoury release of the ‘standard’ Grenache too, maybe to the point of being unapproachable. All sourced from the 70-year-old bush vines, with open ferment and typically extended macerations. Matured in older oak and amphora. Despite the whispers of purple colour, this pitches with blood and bone and dark earth, the fruit more mulberry, the tannins rough-edged and a little astringent. I admire the concentration and power here, even if it’s hardly an easy wine, with all the notes of extended maceration giving this serious structural bite, but at the cost of some fruit expression. Best drinking: I’d consider giving this at least 12 months to come together.

Opened to murmurs of pleasure around the table this Pinot Noir has it all. Silky smooth notes of dried rose hips, balanced fruit and cedar spice. Created using a blend of Burgundian and Californian techniques this comes from Jackson FamilyWines, a founder of IWCA.

South African Chardonnay Will Blow You AwayIn 2014, Jackson Family Wines entered into a partnership with Antony Beck of Beck Family Estates. Today, they jointly manage the Fijnbosch farm in Stellenbosch, with the goal of making Chardonnay wines that can rival the top Grand Crus of Burgundy. Released at $80, their inaugural 2013 vintage of Capensis thrilled the critics with its crystalline fruit, subtle oak, and delicate textural richness. It is a brilliant wine, although Capensis is something of an outlier; the vast majority of Cape Chardonnay is never that expensive.

Amazingly fresh and vibrant aromas of strawberry and currant meet with hints of hibiscus, carnation and tobacco on the nose of this brilliant bottling. The palate begins with a flash of acidity, priming the smashed peppercorn, black raspberry and dried ginger flavors, with tingling sansho pepper on the finish.

This wine is both crowd-pleasing and elegantly complex. Focused aromas of strawberry, ripe cherry, hibiscus and spearmint make a punchy start on nose. The palate is loaded with minty herbs, bright strawberry and sizzling acidity. Drink through 2039.

Ripe cherry, black tea, delicate spice and layers of herb make for both a hedonistic and intellectual entry to the nose of this delicious bottling. A firm texture and refreshing acidity frame the cherry, strawberry and herb flavors on the sip, which is bright, juicy and still quite young.

Tenuta di Arceno’s history goes back to 1504, when the first plot of land was bought by the Del Taja family. The late Jess Jackson and his wife Barbara Banke of California bought the estate in 1994. The winery produces wine under the DOCG seal as well as Toscana IGT. Arcanum is sourced primarily from the L’Apparita and Belvedere blocks of Cabernet Franc, on sandy clay soils. Susan Hulme MW: Intense blackcurrant, very leafy, cassis-like notes, very varietal, very firm but fine and compact tannins along with fresh acidity. Andrea Briccarello: Clean, with great signs of evolution, loads of tertiary notes, tobacco and spices, leather and balsamic, great freshness and length. Annette Scarfe MW: Blackcurrant pastille with violets – cooked prune notes with an earthy finish. Shows complexity and finesse.

A sumptous, inviting nose leads the way into this gracefully balanced and complex white. Rich layers of tropical fruit, vanilla and lemon meringue are dusted in baking spice and caramel, finding cohesion and resolve on the finish.

From a site in the cool-climate Sebastopol Hills, this is a cohesive and broadly opulent wine, with threads of acidity running throughout. Meaty in style and texture, it has a touch of flint that compels, the mineral complementing and contrasting deliciously with bites of green apple and nectarine.

Powerful fruit flavors, a brisk texture and subtle oak accents drive this wine. Vivid and concentrated red and black cherries, raspberries and cranberries light up the palate while moderate tannins and racy acidity frame them for maximum balance. Best from 2026.

This svelte and sleek wine offers wonderful, beautifully integrated red and black fruits, forest floor nuances and dashes of earth and wood smoke. It’s fascinating and complex but also harmonious, elegant in texture and memorable in flavor.

There’s a detailed softness to the nose of this bottling, ranging from warm butter and cake batter aromas to lemon zest and egg souffle. The palate is much more firm and vibrant, offering sharp lime and grapefruit, a chiseled structure and then warmer flavors of toasted nut toward the acid-washed finish.

Floral, with edgy acidity, this white is made from a block within the Durell Vineyard that is rocky. The rock shows through on the palate, adding texture and complexity to the highlights of apple skin, pear, stone fruit and oak, the finish loaded in spice.

Delicious fruity richness comes with bracing underlying acidity in this full-bodied, generous, creamy but well-balanced wine. Lemon, almond, ripe Bosc pear and toasted baguette flavors give it more than enough to savor.

There may be no better bang for your buck in Russian River Valley Chardonnay. Rich, unctuous and velvety, it is expansive and balanced, with lush layers of peach and pear dusted in nutmeg. The oak is well-integrated and contributes cohesive elements of baking spice.

Smoky complexity and good depth of flavor make this medium-bodied and ultrasmooth wine a standout. Light wood smoke, toasted almond and grilled peach flavors are lifted by fresh acidity for excellent balance, and the finish is lingering.

Focused fruit flavors are at the core of this well-balanced, lively, almost nervy wine as it gives up light caramel, Bosc pear and toasted almond aromas followed by lemon, butter and crisp apple on the palate. Best from 2025.

Hints of ripe peach, Pink Lady apple and lemon coast under a veil of tart dairy on the nose of this bottling. The palate is tightly woven, with orange-like citrus notes riding a penetrating acidity that rises through the sip, proving to be an engagingly sharp wine.