Though clearly a product of a hot, dry year, the Riserva Strada al Sasso – the predecessor of the Gran Selezione – has a marked finesse. It’s made from the best 35 barrels of the 11ha La Porta block and has reached a glorious point of maturity. There’s lovely fresh strawberry interplaying with animalic leather notes, blood orange, rosebuds and a hedonistic whiff of torrone. The entry is flush with soft glycerol that begins to feel excessively oily before the fat falls away to reveal a lovely translucency. Initially assertive acidity dissipates into the body on the mid-palate, but emerges on the back for a refreshing close that’s grazed by sueded silk tannins.

From a Green Valley hillside on Goldridge soil, this pinot noir has an enticing scent of pomegranate and a briny, kelpy seaside note. The tannins deliver on the promise of the scent, completely wrapping the dark, foresty cherry fruit in their cool, stony abrasion.

The even split of Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris adds a youthful joie de vivre and a fruity freshness that might not be immediately apparent. Silky tannins and elegance abound in this lovely, round blend. Rainier cherries, pomegranates, raspberries - a whole host of red fruits - go down like melted butter. It's remarkably plush and velvety.

The Zena Crown vineyard sits directly east of the Van Duzer Gap, making it a windier site than most in the Eola Amity Hills. This Pinot offers aromatics marked by black tea, clove, candied cherries and orange peel. The palate is fleshy and lush, with flavours of crushed basalt, refined notes of black cherry, mocha powder and earthen minerality.

A deep electric ruby hue, the 2021 Pinot Noir Pas de Nom is a barrel selection blended from across multiple vineyards. It’s expressive and lush, with layered notes of red and black fruit, fresh pressed flowers, and forest herbs. Full-bodied, it retains a plush texture, with ripe sweet tannins, fresh underlying acidity, and a mineral-tinged finish. Juicy and primary, it’s giving and generous now but should have a solid drinking window over the coming 6-8 years.

From their 15-acre estate vineyard, the deep ruby-purple 2021 Pinot Noir Estate Vineyard is forward with aromas of graphite, black cherry liqueur, and dark spices of anise. Full-bodied but not weighed down, it retains its pure dark fruit through the palate, with ripe tannins and a savory edge that’s quite attractive. It is another wine where its primary fruit makes it quite appealing now, but it will have a solid 5-6 years of prime drinking ahead.

A rich golden straw color, the 2020 Chardonnay Dropstone is a barrel selection from the two top blocks of the estate vineyard. Its ripe perfume of tangerine, vanilla custard, ripe apple, and frangipane is followed on the palate by a medium to full-bodied white with a nice balance of richness between its fresh texture of orange pith and light, savory touch of saline. It’s in a good place now for fresh early drinking, although it will become more yellow-fruited and savory over the next 6-7 years.

Dark and mountainous in its personality, the 2021 Pinot Noir Upland is darker red and offers notes of scorched earth, blackberry, lavender, and toasted sage. Full-bodied without being heavy, it is forward with ripe fruit and is deceiving in its approachability, with generous fruit balancing more ripe, meaty tannins and a rocky texture on the finish. It offers the darkest, most brooding profile in the range and will do well to age another year or two before drinking 2025-2035.

The 2022 Chardonnay (Santa Barbara County is stellar. Powerful and textured, the 2022 is super-expressive from the very first taste. Even with very short élevage and blocked malolactic fermentation, the 2022 possesses tons of depth. Lemon confit, marzipan, white flowers and tangerine oil are all beautifully amplified. All of this fruit is from Mission Hills in Los Alamos. Greg Brewer did a fabulous job with the 2022. With a production of 17,000 cases and a price of just $25, the Diatom Chardonnay is both delicious and a tremendous value. Bravo.

The 2021 Pinot Noir Element is a fruity, boisterous wine. Ripe red cherry fruit, kirsch, cedar, mint, white pepper and sweet spice are nicely pushes forward. This exuberant Pinot is a total charmer.

The 2021 Pinot Noir Machado opens with a good burst of fruit, but then loses much of that intensity on the majd palate and finish. Dark red/purplish fruit, lavender, rose petal and crushed rocks. This soft, very pretty Pinot Noir offers good depth in the understated style of the year.

The 2021 Pinot Noir Hapgood is a powerful wine, but it is also the Pinot in this range with the most pronounced stem character. Blue fruit, sage, leather, spice and dried flowers fill out the layers. Theold personality of this site and the year are very much in evidence.

Opens with captivating sandalwood and incense aromas, then moves into a wine with fresh, lively flavors of cherries, blueberries, lavender, and earth ending with a whoosh of minerals and a salty/peppery “bite.” Very structured. Very nice balance.

The 2021 Brooks Road
Shiraz is incredibly perfumed,
with field flowers, herbal tea,
graphite, pencil box, spiced
blood plum, aniseed, clove
and Peking sauce. In the
mouth, the wine is medium
weight and dark, dark, dark,
littered with exotic black
things. A nighttime wine.
14% alcohol, sealed under
screw cap.

The renaissance at Freemark Abbey continues under the Jackson Family Wines banner, and in 2018, even the fruit cooperated. Winemakers Kristy Melton and Ted Edwards are behind his classic rendition of Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. Fragrant, mouthfilling, and awash in perfectly ripe fruit doused with cigar, cedar, and baking spices that linger forever on the palate. The tannins are dense but supple, providing just the proper structure for a wine you can drink now if you must. That said, it’s going nowhere for the next 20 years. What is more a reserve style red, 2018 mixes 87% cabernet sauvignon, 14% merlot, 6% petit verdot, 2% malbec, and 1% cabernet franc. The fruit comes from all over the Napa Valley, including the east and west valley floor and mountain sites. Primary vineyards include Keyes on Howell Mountain, Stagecoach Vineyard on Atlas Peak, and JFW Oakville Vineyard, with a smattering of cabs from Oakville, Calistoga and Rutherford. It all aged 27 months in French oak barrels, of which 40% were new.

A vivid, deep-gold color
concurs with ripe, buttery aromas and sunny pineapple and mango flavors in this soft, smooth and
deceptively light-bodied wine. While low-ish in
alcohol, it is beautifully balanced by a rich, melted
texture. —J.G.

Fascinating aromas of Asian pear, lime and white rocks create a cohesive combination on the nose of this bottling by Greg Brewer. The palate is tremendously tense and lively, using crushed seashell and yuzu flavors to offset the tropical hints of guava peel and spicy pepper touches.

The 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon Helena Dakota Vineyard was picked on September 11 and matured for 13 months in 90% new French oak. It has broody aromas
of blackcurrant, damp tobacco, aniseed, clove and lavender, offering up more detail as it spends time in the glass. The full-bodied palate is light on its feet with
rounded acidity, clay-textured tannins and a fragrant, graphite-driven finish. 595 cases were made.

The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Knights Valley is the second vintage of Anakota's second-label Cabernet, meant for drinking in the near term rather than the cellaring required for the Helena Dakota and Helena Montana. "I may make more in the future where I can, but it depends on the vintage," assistant winemaker and second-generation vigneron Hélène Seillan says. It's blended with 10% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot and was matured for 12 months in 30% new French oak. Already bottled, it offers pretty aromas of blueberries and cassis with tones of violet, coffee grounds, earth and mushroom. The medium-bodied palate is supple and juicy, with ripe yet not over-the-top fruit and a long, graphite-laced finish. There's a lot less new oak on this cuvée, and it really works! Around 1,500 cases were made.

Wild strawberries, sappy flowers, rose, and earthy
mineral notes define the 2021 Pinot Noir
Soberanes Vineyard, another terrific Santa Lucia
Highlands release from this estate. It has beautiful
purity, fine tannins, and a great finish. Fermented
with 15% stems and aged in 40% new oak, it will
evolve nicely for 7-8 years.

Savory cherries, dried herbs, spices, and hints of
iron all emerge from the 2021 Pinot Noir Sierra
Mar Vineyard, a medium-bodied, concentrated,
wonderfully balanced, elegant Pinot Noir. It shows
the cooler, elegant style of the vintage and is well
worth seeking out.

From one of the great sites in the Santa Lucia
Highlands, the 2021 Pinot Noir Rosella's Vineyard
has a bright, juicy, medium-bodied style as well as
perfumed red fruits (strawberries, cherries), lots
of floral nuances, nicely integrated acidity, and
fine tannins. This cuvée was completely
destemmed and was brought up in 40% new
French oak. I love its purity and elegance.

Black raspberries, tart mulberries, scorched earth, and leafy herb notes all emerge from the 2021 Pinot Noir Perilune Vineyard, a tighter, more structured Pinot Noir from a site in the Sta. Rita Hills. I like its balance, and it opens up nicely with time in the glass. It's going to benefit from 2-3 years of bottle age and keep for a decade.

A blend of various vineyard sites, ranging from 122 to 732 meters in altitude. Raspberry and blueberry meet tart red berries and creme de cassis on the nose and palate. It’s a rather floral Cabernet, with rose petals and violets, which gets counterbalanced with dried herbs, graphite, and mineral notes. Tannins read as sweet and voluptuous but acidity itself throughout.

Aromas of cherry chocolate, dried orange peel, rose petals and nutmeg on the nose, following through to a medium body with crunchy tannins and polished texture. Hints of fresh cherries and dried flowers with crushed stone character at the end. Drink or hold.