This straw-colored Chardonnay is very impressive. It opens with an inviting pineapple and lemon zest bouquet with a hint of green apple. On the palate, this wine is medium bodied, well-balanced and very smooth. The flavor profile is a gentle mineral and mild oak influenced pineapple. I also detected hints of green apple and butter mixed in. The finish is dry and its flavors linger nicely. This Chard would pair well with a chicken and wild mushroom ravioli in a light butter cream sauce.

La Crema gathers chardonnay grown in vineyards across Monterey, Calif., to produce this fresh and nicely layered chardonnay. Warmer vineyards in the south offer more tropical fruit flavours, while cooler northern vineyards provide pure peach and citrus notes. Those fruit flavours take centre stage here and are nicely rounded out with some subtle creamy and spicy notes from aging in oak barrels. Drink now to 2023.

Top 6 in the 6ix – Rosé All Day!California knows how to party and their fabulous Rosé wines are no different! La Crema Pinot offers a beautiful bouquet of strawberries and cream alongside pink floral notes with a wonderful finish.

All the four single vineyards combined their powers here. Fermented in clay eggs here. “Something in the vessels seem to fill the palate with texture, additional glycerol or sense of tannin or something”. The higher acidity fruit suits all this too.Convincing, outstanding wine of strength and sublime texture. Slightly wild, a super saline minerally core, green apple, faintest fino notes, plenty of detail and complexity here with striking drinkability in tow. Impressive length, clean lines, great character. A katana thrust. Chardonnay done fancy, but cool.

Sour cherry, tart pomegranate characters, lots of red fruitines and a light dusting of spice and minty herbal notes, Crisp texture, lighter feel but multi-dimensional in its layers of flavour and detail. Tannins wash over the wine and build gently to a tightening chew. Quite a floral wine here. Very appealing.

“Possibly the most delicate of all the 2020 pinots”, Steve Flamsteed tells us, “needs time to relax too”.So fine boned, tiny needle work points of acidity and sour cherry, the smallest pinch of alpine herbs and white peper. A mouthful of glass shards and sour cherry-kissed mineral water of the finest pedigree. A little smudge of walnut paste in finish? Barely. Anyways, beautiful, fragile, refreshing, edgy, pure feeling. Wonderful expression on the edge.

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.

The Tasmanian excursion for Giant Steps. Coal River Valley site. Whole bunch portion for one clone of the two used here. Taut and tense, dry and edgy. Sour cherry, tart cranberry drink characters, a bit of game meat, clove, meat drippings, paprika too with graphite notes in the mix. The tannin of paprika powder here too. Brooding but also kind of light too. Grippy and with this pleasing sour-bitter note through it all. Strict pinot, done well.

Supple, soft, spicy pinot noir, an almost gamay-freshness and light, lithe feel here. Cherry juice, dried cranbery, clove, cumin piquant notes and smoky notes. Bouquet and palate match well. Feathery tannins tickle the palate but with judicious grip and pucker in tow. A bit dust and overly drying to finish, slightly breathy, but pleasing is the main message.

“It was a cold, wet vintage, from spring all the way through summer and into the growing season. We were scratching our heads saying ‘are we going to make wine here?’ January turned things around somewhat, though there was botrytis to deal with. Fruit set was low, yields were low. A tiny bit of wine, but what’s there is precious. Beyond this, all the wines seem to amplify their personality of their place”, says Steve Flamsteed.Has some generosity, depth, glide and zest. A plucky, perky chardonnay full of tension in fresh-feeling and getting-ripe stone fruit characters, light mealy notes, licks of talc and faint pumice-like texture. Light on its feet but not without depth, layers of fruit, cinnamon spice, faint yeasty-sourdough savouriness. Feels pretty darn good.

The personality of Sexton with volume turned up from the wet, cool 2020 year. Lemon-ginger tea scents and flavours, yuzu fruit, cumquat sweet-sour tang. Exotic citrus, hey? Flinty notes, some sizzling saline acidity in the core, slick, liquid spice cinnamon-clove oaky layering. A leaner style but not without flavour and vitality. Long and dart shaped then starburst of citrus tang to close. Good gear here.

Whiffs of plain yoghurt, decaying flower, dried apple, wet stone, cheesy notes, salt marsh aromas too. An exotic array to bouquet. Palate is quite taut, quite gingery in spice flavours, sizzled butter-corn notes in there, slightly mulchy character, cabbage leaf and the like, a bit of gummy-citrus oil too. It’s an OK drink.

A marginal vineyard in a marginal year. Sparkling wine chardonnay clones. All went through malolactic fermentation here. “The cool years will always challenge these sites”, offers Steve Flamsteed.Has some ripe stone fruit, chicken soup characters, slightly buttery, a touch of truffle and mushroom in there too. Good texture, plush and round, concentrated, a core of very saline, delicious, minerally acidity through the core, finishes salty saline but with puppy fat and gummy texture around that sizzle and tang. Missing some composure, but the minerally, saline feel is great.

The aroma of this gorgeous, lighter-weight red wine leans heavily on distinctive Central Coast black cherry and herb elements. The entry is seductive, with soft and generous fruit flavors and a handsome and structured mid-palate in which the tannins play a very minor role. If this wine had come from a more prestigious area of California, its price point would be approximately twice as much. As it is, some discounters are carrying it for less than $20. A startling value.

The Murphy-Goode Zinfandel paired with the Chardonnay Smoked Salt & Cocoa chocolate. The briary, rich ripe fruit notes of the wine and the smokiness of the chocolate were in balance and the chocolate increased the length of the wine’s finish.

The Cambria Estate Julia’s Vineyard Pinot Noir from the Santa Maria Valley paired with the Tart Cherry & Cocoa chocolate. The wine with tart cherry, cranberry, red fruit, and baking spice notes was in perfect harmony with the Tart Cherry & Cocoa. Together the cherry flavors exploded in the mouth.

The Kendall-Jackson Vintner’s Reserve Chardonnay paired with Almonds with Pink Himalayan Salt. The wine has notes of tropical fruit, baking spices, and vanilla. I loved the nuttiness of the chocolate to match the richness of the wine and the saltiness of the chocolate to cut through the richness and highlight the acidity.

The La Crema Rosé of Pinot Noir from Monterey paired with the Dark Chocolate. The wine has wild strawberry, watermelon, and citrus aromas, bright crisp flavors, and fresh acidity that paired beautifully with the smooth dark chocolate. But, the Rosé was also enjoyed with the Tart Cherry & Cocoa chocolate as the fruit notes of the wine and chocolate were in harmony.

The best deal of the summer. Simply sit poolside and sip this amazing bargain. Look for a future column on a wine loaded with interesting spice, earth, and black cherry on the nose. The tobacco and spice rack flavors play off the loamy earth notes. Black cherry and sweet raspberry swoop in on the finish.

This release from the Seillan family is a blend of 60% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, picked between September 14th and the 30th. It has a dark core, and a vibrant crimson rim. On the nose I find smoked black cherry, blackberry, blackcurrant and currant fruits, scented with rose petals, charcoal and toast. The palate presents a bed of softly polished and creamed fruit mirroring the nose, with great energy and a fresh lift from the acidity, with fine texture, peppery vivacity and some softly creamed tannins with a firm bite at the edges. Long with a ripe grip, I see plenty of primary substance here, and lots of potential too.

Powerful, dense and velvety, with star anise and salty black licorice flavors that show whiffs of smoke, bay leaf and black tea, mingling with currant, spiced stewed plum and cassis on the long, expressive finish. Drink now through 2036.

Distinctive, with dried sage, rosemary, cigar box and hinoki oil, complimenting the ripe plum and cherry cobbler flavors that are harmonious and savory on the finish, with feltlike tannins. Drink now through 2032.

An elegant red, offering understated cherry, berry and cranberry flavors that gain momentum, with green tea, forrest floor and blood orange details and silky tannins. Ends with notes of cedar and tobacco on the long finish. Drink now through 2035.

Showing off its inky color, the 2017 Mt. Brave Cabernet Franc exudes class with its silky mouthfeel and great mid-palate depth and concentration. Full-throttle tar, anise, creme de cassis and loganberry cordial flavors all come together with minerals and loamy soils on the palate. High-toned dark florals add to the enjoyment as this outstanding new bottling has another fifteen years to go. Drink 2021-2038

Smoky, ripe strawberry and warming Christmas cake tones, complemented by rosehip, sappy cherry fruit and chalky minerality.