The 2015 Grenache High Sands is meaty and savory, with a core of freshness on the palate.
This is more in line with some other Grenaches I have seen outside of Yangarra this week—
i.e., perhaps is less "Yangarra-like" in its styling. But all elements of it are impressive,
especially the length of flavor. It's a sleeper, perhaps. This came from low yields and has a
low pH, and the wine looks quite like Nebbiolo in that it is structural and intense, but it is
super fine. There are notes of asphalt, petrichor and rose petals. There's an effortlessness
here that I find most beguiling. It's silky.

The 2016 High Sands Grenache was Australian wine critic James Halliday's Wine of the
Year in 2019, and it caused a stir in that it was the first time a Grenache had attracted the
accolade of Best Wine of the Year. The 2015 was named Grenache of the Year the year
prior, which caused a stir in itself. It's a wine used to these kinds of accolades, and for good
reason. Here, the wine is silky and composed, with great restraint and finesse. The tannins
coalesce at the back of the palate, and this is a beautiful wine, polished and powerful and
great. There are notes of pomegranate molasses, raspberry, blood plum, licorice, fennel
and leather

The 2018 High Sands Grenache comes from a warmer year, and almost all the red wines
made in South Australia have a powerful fruit presence that appeals to me. 2018 is perhaps
a little less complex than other vintages within that decade, but that attribute takes a back
seat to the pleasure and texture I find, almost across the board. This wine exactly typifies
the conditions of the 2018 season: it is powerful and effortless in its thrust of fruit flavor,
and I find it difficult to care that it doesn't have as many variations of "rose" or "asphalt" as,
say, the 2017, 2016 or 2015 tasted before it. It's just straight-up delicious, and it's polished
too.

I won't re-review this 2023 High Sands Grenache, as I have only just published its score and
note at the end of May 2025, but for the purpose of context in this vertical of 2012–2024,
the wine exudes all the fragrant perfume of the 2023 vintage. I like the 2023s more and
more, and I find them to be fine, firm, fragrant and finessed. What I will say is that perhaps I
undercooked the potential drinking window, which via this vertical has now revealed itself
to be around the 30-year mark. This, in the trio of cold vintages (2011, 2017, 2023), is my
preferred vintage by a margin.

Lokoya's 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon Diamond Mountain combines fruit from two sites:
Rhyolite Ridge, a south-facing site at 800 feet above sea level with powdery volcanic soils,
and Wallis Vineyard, about 300 feet higher, characterized by more sedimentary rock.
Scents of crushed stone and pencil shavings accent notes of sage, bay, cassis and
blueberry on the nose, while the full-bodied palate is creamy and lush, framed by finegrained tannins and revealing great intensity and length on the finish.

A very elegant, well-balanced and silky merlot, full-bodied but sleek and complete. Aromas of cherries, raspberries, violets and cedar meet flavors of red currants, star anise, cloves and dark chocolate. Fine tannins and subtle oak spices last from the mid-palate through a lingering, delicious, cinnamon-spiced finish. The blend contains 6% malbec and 4% cabernet franc. Aged in all-new French barrels. Drinkable now and best from 2032.

Broad, mouth-filling, ripe and rich, with dark fruits like blackcurrants and blueberries on velvety tannins. A full body carries generous chocolate and dark spice flavors, showing impressive breadth and a meaty, almost chewy texture. Expands in power on the palate without losing balance, and lingers long in the finish. Made from cabernet sauvignon and lesser portions of cabernet franc, merlot and petit verdot. Drinkable now and best from 2032.

The 2022 Le Désir is a blend of 80% Cabernet Franc, 9% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Malbec that matured for 16 months in 95% new French oak. It demands plenty of time in the glass before revealing pure, complex aromas of red and black cherries, tobacco, garrigue, grilled meats, soy sauce and lilac perfume, plus compelling ferrous undertones. The full-bodied palate features enveloping, detailed flavors. It has a seamless structure of velvety tannins and bright acidity and a long, layered finish. It should be long lived in the cellar.

Based on 100% Pinot Noir that was not destemmed and was aged 15 months in 100% neutral
oak barrels, the 2023 Pinot Noir Perilune is another Vosne-Romanée look-alike, offering riveting
red and black fruit, leafy herbs, underbrush, and rose petals, with that telltale iodine/marine-like
character of the appellation. It's beautifully textured, medium to full-bodied, polished, and
seamless, expanding gracefully on the finish with velvety tannins. This is an absolute joy to drink
and should have 10-15 years of longevity. Drink 2025-2040.

Raised 15 months in 100% neutral oak barrels, the 2023 Chardonnay Perilune offers exotic citrus, kumquat, flower oil, and chalky, crushed stone and oyster shell nuances. Incredibly complex, medium-bodied, and layered, with beautifully integrated acidity and a clean, crisp, yet rich and lengthy finish, it's a remarkable Chardonnay in the vintage to drink over the coming decade. Drink 2025-2035.

Bright, lifted, vibrant and engaging, with lots of charm and personality. Floral, with a lovely signature of iris. Incense and cordite too. And a little spark of flint. Plump damson and bramble fruit. Maybe not quite as fresh as some vintages of this but La Muse in 2022 is sapid on the finish and very enticing nonetheless.

Reserved, powerful, super complex nose, smoky, spicy, citrus oils and juice, into stonefruit, into an earthen aspect. This is for the cellar and this is super. Aftertaste brings grapefruit and apple skins, texture, mineral, stones. Outstanding Applejack Chardonnay. Intense and pure but with layers of character. Reserved power. One of the most characterful Applejack chardonnays I’ve tasted. No new oak. It’s not exaggerated or in your face but this just has all the extras.

Ribena/blackcurrant cordial aromas laced with humus and smoked oyster from generous oak with bottle-ageing. The wine is rich and savoury, very dry tannins on the finish and nice balance, appealing length, with quite a grip of oak tannin lingering.

Smoked meats and cedar, smoked oyster, dried herbs and mossy/tobaccoey nuances; a very complex bouquet! The wine is full bodied and rich, generous and firm with elegance and a certain stern authority. There's some of the cedary character of the Trueman cabernet sauvignon of the same vintage here. An expertly put together blend that showcases what cabernet shiraz can be. A ripping wine that's destined for a long and distinguished life.

Very harmonious nose which doesn't shout either cabernet or shiraz. It's balanced and elegant, with complexity yet promising much more detail if cellared a while. The tannins are fine, firm and long, running the full length of the palate, the shiraz tannins complementing the cabernet tannins. Such an impressive wine, but will deliver even more pleasure in the future.

Lively aromas of damp spearmint, eucalyptus leaf and loamy soil give tremendous depth to
the refreshing cherry sorbet core on the nose of this bottling. A fiery acidity powers the
peppery flavors of the pallet, where brilliant red fruit and zesty mint-like sensations
converge.

This is a very intense and excellent bottling, an exemplary example of Greg Brewer's unique
style. Aromas of cherry, raspberry, thyme and bay leaf pop on the nose. The palate is
vibrant in energy and wrapped in sappy tannins that frame berry, sansho pepper and
eucalyptus leaf flavors that are refreshing and thirst-quenching.

Planted in 1982, Upper Barn is, in my opinion, one of the most distinctive Chardonnay sites in Sonoma. It’s a vineyard that naturally leans into an expressive herbal character, delivering a wine that’s unapologetically itself. The 2022 opens with a very aromatic profile: wild chamomile, lemongrass, citrus oils, and a savoury thread of mountain herbs. The palate is rich yet layered, with a nutty note reminiscent of Spanish turrón and a lift of orange water, accompanied by a gentle phenolic grip. The texture is silky with a finish that is long and lifted.

“The model here is La Jota,” says winemaker Chris Carpenter, “an approachable mountain
wine for restaurants, made from Cabernet Sauvignon—but from Mount Veeder instead of
Howell Mountain.” And that’s exactly what this wine delivers. It’s the right bottle for a
steakhouse or a night at home with your best salted, dry-aged ribeye or New York strip. It
opens with a rush of youthful, ripe black and blue fruit, layered with classic notes of
graphite and pressed wildflowers. But just as the juicy fruit washes across the palate, the
tannins rise—sooner than expected—and they soar. Not as lofty or intense as the Lokoya
wines, but still powerful and refined. There's plenty of room to enjoy this in its youth with a
good decant, and it offers more immediate pleasure than in some other vintages, thanks to
the warmth of the season and the generosity of the tannins. A great Cabernet that will age
gracefully for decades, but doesn’t require a long wait to deliver a thrilling experience.

Winemaker Chris Carpenter explains that La Jota’s wines tend to offer more generous,
approachable tannins—making them ideal for restaurant lists. That accessibility, he notes,
comes down to thoughtful decisions around clone, rootstock, and site selection. Some
vineyard blocks naturally yield softer, more inviting tannins, as opposed to dense, palateetching structures. He seeks Cabernet Sauvignon expressions that are powerful and
present, yet have a gentler texture. This blend was aged for 22 months in 77% new French
oak. The 2022 is exceptionally approachable, with generous, plump, velvety tannins that
still carry mountain intensity, but are beautifully integrated. The wine boasts a vibrant core
of juicy mulberry fruit, perfumed with notes of thyme, rosemary, and sage. It finishes with a
precise ironstone minerality and a subtle saline edge, reminiscent of pink Himalayan salt.

Since 1995, Lokoya has produced Cabernet Sauvignon from its Veeder Peak Estate, located at 548 meters on the rugged western ridges of the Mayacamas Mountains. In 2022, this wine is a true shape-shifter. Its effusive floral aromatics and rich red fruit might lead you to believe it's a graceful, delicate wine—and in many ways, it is. But beneath the surface lies formidable power. Soaring, iron-laced tannins build slowly and then grip the palate in all directions. They’re multidimensional, intense, and demand a proper decant. Once they begin to resolve, the wine’s lifted florality reemerges, joined by chalky minerality and wild herbal nuances. It's a wine of tension and elegance—complete, compelling, and deeply expressive despite the challenges of the 2022 vintage. Hats off to Chris Carpenter and the team for crafting something so refined and resonant under pressure. Lokoya, owned by the Jackson Family, is dedicated exclusively to single-appellation, 100% Cabernet Sauvignon wines from four Napa Valley mountain AVAs: Mount Veeder, Diamond Mountain, Howell Mountain, and Spring Mountain. The winemaking is consistent across all four wines— native yeast fermentation, hand pump-overs, malolactic fermentation in barrel, and 22 months of ageing in 85% new French oak. What sets these wines apart isn’t technique, but terroir. Carpenter notes that Napa Valley Cabernet is defined not just by soil, but by the rhythm of Pacific breezes that cool the region—moving south to north in the evenings, and north to south in the mornings. Above the fog line, the mountains experience more moderated diurnal shifts, allowing fruit to ripen slowly and evenly. It’s this rare equilibrium of sun, soil, and wind that gives Lokoya’s mountain Cabernets their unmistakable identity— and in the case of the 2022 Mount Veeder, a thrilling duality of grace and grip.

Sourced entirely from the estate-owned W.S. Keyes Vineyard at 556 metres elevation, the
2022 Howell Mountain Cabernet is a bold yet strikingly composed wine. Winemaker Chris
Carpenter notes that Howell Mountain is the warmest of Napa’s mountain AVAs, where
tannins are typically softer, pH levels slightly higher, and the acidity more savoury. This fullbodied Cabernet brims with black and blue fruit, underpinned by powerful Howell
Mountain tannins that show a decidedly chocolaty edge in this vintage. Framed by paprika,
coriander, and bright brown and red spices, the wine remains brooding and densely
structured, yet more approachable than in more rigid, tannic years. It's full-throttle, but
finely tuned—like a sports car flying smoothly along the motorway at top speed. It’ll make
you feel like a million bucks. Honestly. Lokoya, owned by the Jackson Family, is dedicated
to single-appellation, 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from four mountain AVAs: Diamond
Mountain, Howell Mountain, Spring Mountain, and Mount Veeder. Winemaking is
consistent across sites—native yeast fermentation, hand pump-overs, malolactic
fermentation in barrel, and 22 months of ageing in 89% new French oak. What
distinguishes each wine is terroir. Carpenter points to the cooling Pacific breezes and
gentler diurnal shifts above the fog line as key elements in shaping these mountain-grown
Cabernets. At altitude, balance comes naturally. Sun, soil, and wind conspire to create
wines of depth, grace, and unmistakable place.

In the 2022 vintage, the Lokoya Diamond Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon may be one of the
most immediately approachable wines in the portfolio. Its up-valley location brings
warmth, which softens the tannins and makes this wine especially enjoyable right now. For
collectors, 2022 is a gift from the heavens—a vintage with upfront appeal and generosity,
without sacrificing depth. While Lokoya Cabernets always benefit from a good decant, in
2022, the tannins don’t soar into the stratosphere. Instead, they hover—like the vineyard
itself—at the peak elevation of Napa’s mountain fruit, around 2,600 feet. The result is a
wine that’s accessible now, especially when paired with well-salted braised meats. A
medley of bright herbal tones mingles with blackberry, black cherry, and mulberry, while
the tannins carry a chocolatey edge. Beneath it all, a persistent mineral thread of ironstone
and wet river rock grounds the wine. It’s fresh, inviting, and powerful—built to cellar for
decades despite the vintage’s warmth. The structure is sound. This wine is sourced
primarily from two sites: the 6.4-hectare Wallis Vineyard and the 7.2-hectare Rhyolite
Ridge, both rooted in volcanic soils that define Diamond Mountain’s rugged, rocky terrain.
Winemaker Chris Carpenter notes that Diamond Mountain is the warmest of Napa Valley’s
mountain appellations, which yields softer tannins, slightly higher pH, and more savoury
acidity. Lokoya, owned by the Jackson Family, is devoted exclusively to 100% Cabernet
Sauvignon wines from four of Napa’s mountain AVAs: Diamond Mountain, Howell
Mountain, Spring Mountain, and Mount Veeder. The winemaking is identical across all four
bottlings—native yeast fermentation, hand pump-overs, malolactic fermentation in barrel,
and 22 months of ageing in 85% new French oak. What distinguishes the wines is not style,
but place. Carpenter believes the signature of fine Napa Valley Cabernet isn’t only in the
soils, but also in the influence of Pacific breezes that roll through the region—cooling the
valley from south to north in the evenings, and from north to south in the mornings. Above
the fog line, the mountains experience more moderate diurnal shifts, allowing fruit to ripen
slowly and steadily. That balance of sun, soil, and wind is what shapes the identity of
Lokoya’s mountain-grown Cabernets—and in 2022, Diamond Mountain speaks with clarity
and confidence.

A blend of Gingin and Bernard clones planted in '97 between 100 and 200m in Gruyere. 20% new oak and 10% mlf. Another salivating and seductive Sexton Chardonnay with its bouquet of stone fruits, preserved lemons, freshly ground coffee beans and roasted hazelnut. The beautifully balanced and tightly coiled palate is underpinned by its concentration and intensity. Finishes saline and extremely long. It's all here and needs another five to seven years, at least, to reach its zenith.

From Lou Primavera's '01-planted vineyard at 300m on red volcanic soils in Woori Yallock. 35% whole bunches. A bright crimson red. This always highly seductive and perfumed wine has aromas of raspberries, orange peel and cranberries as well as a little musk stick and rose bush. There's a gentle succulence on the palate that's nicely balanced by the wine's supple tannins and fine-boned acidity. Long, lovely, now and over the next six to eight years.