The Sexton Vineyard shares a north-facing hillside in Gruyere with Yarra Yering and Coldstream Hills; this will be the site of a new winery and cellar door currently under construction. The vines, now 25 years old, produced a meaty and intense 2021, layering the smoky earth of its tannins with spicy, bright, rose-scented fruit. Structured and lasting, this is a wine to cellar, then to serve with roast duck.

Starts off with a core of Fuji apple and pear flavors, expanding to details of salted caramel, marmalade and orange zest, which show savory details of sesame seed and toasted herb that linger. Vibrant acidity keeps the flavors fresh. Drink now.

Firm and focused, with strawberry, cherry and raspberry flavors that are juicy, fresh and focused, plus details of Earl Grey tea, rose petal and dried herbs on a poised frame. Long finish. Drink now through 2030.

Lip-smacking, featuring a core of fresh white peach, Honeycrisp apple and lemon curd, with notes of salted butter, pickled ginger, toasted herbs and green tea that linger. Drink now through 2028.

Like a brooding teenager, this Pinot has a lot going for it but patience is required. Offers notes of blueberry, stony minerality and forest floor framed by a tannic bite on the finish. Best from 2023 through 2030.

Pulsating with tension and balancing snappy acidity with simmering tannins, this offers lively cherry and strawberry flavors flanked by savory herbs, bittersweet chocolate and spice. Still coming together, but will bloom in time. Best from 2023 through 2030.

The aromas intoxicate, with notes of black tea, herb, peppery spice, cedar and plum. The palate is full feeling, delivering flavor and textural richness while never losing its poise and balance. Coffee notes linger on the finish. More
please!

Greg Brewer flexes his usual Pinot Noir muscles to tackle cool-climate Syrah in this brand, and his delicate yet fruit-driven touch shows. Lighter in the glass than many Syrahs, this offers red flower, bright berry and a hint of asphalt on the nose. The palate is spicy with white-pepper and black-pepper flavors that enliven the dark pomegranate core.

Limpid straw-yellow. Fresh pear and nectarine aromas show fine definition and take on floral, succulent herb and mineral accents with air. Chewy, penetrating and precise on the palate, offering concentrated orchard and pit fruit flavors that are given lift and spine by an undercurrent of smoky minerality. The floral note recurs on a fragrant, strongly persistent finish that leaves behind a vibrant Meyer lemon note. Fermented and matured in ceramic eggs; 60% of the final blend of this wine saw 137 days of skin contact.

Inky ruby. Powerful, spice-accented scents of ripe dark berries, licorice, candied violet and smoky minerals, along with hints of mocha and cola. Juicy and broad on the palate, offering intense black and blue fruit liqueur and cherry-vanilla flavors sharpened by a suggestion of peppery spices. Becomes sweeter and deeper with air, with no loss of energy. Finishes smooth, smoky and very long, featuring youthfully firm tannins and a strong echo of sweet dark fruit.

Light, shimmering gold. Intensely perfumed aromas of dried pear, peach and lemon pith, along with floral, succulent herb and mineral flourishes. Juicy, dry and penetrating, offering sappy orchard and pit fruit flavors and suggestions of fennel, lemon balm and honey. Turns sweeter on a long, gently chewy finish that echoes the floral and mineral notes. Raised in ceramic amphorae.

Brilliant purple. Heady, mineral-tinged dark berry liqueur, vanilla, incense and candied flowers on the deeply perfumed nose. Velvety, seamless and sweet on the palate, offering juicy blueberry and cherry cola flavors braced by a spine of juicy acidity. A spicy note lingers on the impressively long finish, which is given shape by supple, harmonious tannins.

Saturated garnet. Deep, smoke- and spice-accented red and blue fruit qualities on the nose. Smooth and fleshy in texture, offering sappy black raspberry, cherry, boysenberry, vanilla and fruitcake flavors. A peppery flourish adds spicy cut to the long, smooth finish, which features well-knit tannins and building florality.

Glistening ruby-red. Ripe red fruit and floral qualities on the perfumed nose, along with suggestions of allspice and vanilla. Juicy and energetic on the palate, offering appealingly sweet raspberry, cherry and fruitcake flavors that deepen through the back half. Fine-grained tannins build on the long, penetrating finish,which strongly echoes the spice and floral notes.

Opaque ruby. Cherry pit, blackberry, woodsmoke, vanilla, succulent herbs and pipe tobacco on the perfumed nose. Palate-coating black and blue fruit flavors show a smooth blend of power and energy. A floral pastille flourish emerges with air and carries through the long, youthfully tannic and appealingly sweet finish, which features hints of vanilla, mocha and baking spices.

Limpid, green-tinged yellow. Aromas of fresh, mineral-accented pear and white peach are complemented by orange zest and floral nuances that gain power with air. Sappy and incisive on the palate, offering bitter pear skin and citrus pith flavors that deepen and become sweeter on the back half. Fennel and ginger qualities emerge on the very long, subtly spicy finish, which echoes the orange note.

Bright red. Vibrant, spice- and mineral-accented red currant, cherry and floral scents take on an exotic blood orange nuance with air. Taut and sharply focused on the palate, offering zesty red fruit, spicecake and succulent herbs flavors that slowly turn sweeter through the back half. Shows fine definition and strong, spicy thrust on a persistent finish framed by gentle, even tannins.

Bright magenta. Aromas of fresh raspberry, boysenberry and pungent flowers are accompanied by savory herbs and allspice flourishes. Juicy and supple in the mouth, offering youthfully jammy red and blue fruit flavors that tighten up and turn spicier with aeration. The blue fruit and floral notes drive the long, juicy finish, which features fine-grained tannins and earthy candied licorice and herbal nuances.

I was doing a bit of cellar management (emphasis on “bit”) when I came across this bottle. Sure, it was in my inventory, but it was in a generic area (“My Cellar”). In actuality, it was in a rack, in the temperature-controlled cellar and, well, it was time to open up that space. Faintly hued, slightly more orange than pink, with tart cherry on the nose, with a touch of minerality and yeast. The palate is heavy on tartness, with subtle fruit, and multiple layers. Yeah, I could hang out here for a while, even a long while. Really delightful. Outstanding.

Silene is something of a bargain in the Capensis line up, sourced from the home Fijnbosch vineyard and a number of other growers in Stellenbosch. Sweetly wooded in 30% new oak, it's taut, structured and stony, with toast and vanilla top notes, lots of zip and intensity and pear and lemon zest flavours.

Ripe, but compact and restrained in feel, with a core of raspberry, blackberry and mulberry fruit keeping energy in reserve, while light sassafras, licorice and apple wood notes add range through the finish. Drink now through 2032.

The 2019 Chardonnay Signature Collection Katherine's Vineyard offers a similar bouquet of ripe stone fruits, toasty oak, white flowers, and chalky minerality. This carries to a beautifully textured, medium-bodied Chardonnay with plenty of richness and depth, integrated acidity, outstanding balance, and a great finish. It's another beautiful, incredibly impressive Chardonnay from this estate that is well worth your time and money.

The 2020 Pinot Noir Hapgood Vineyard is sleek, polished and super-expressive, all of which make it a fine choice for drinking now and over the next handful of years. Dark cherry, lavender, mint, sweet spice and floral notes all take shape, framed by silky tannins that give the wine much of its undeniable charm.

The 2019 Pinot Noir Hapgood Vineyard is packed with inky dark fruit, lavender, herbs, chocolate, menthol and dried flowers. This is an especially succulent, juicy wine from Hapgood. As such, it will drink well right out of the gate. Readers who appreciate exuberance in Pinot will enjoy it tremendously.

The 2019 Pinot Noir Julia's Signature Collection is plump, juicy and super-expressive. Black cherry, plum, mocha, new leather, licorice and dried herbs are front and center. The Julia's was fermented in barrel, which adds texture and resonance. All the elements are so nicely balanced.