The inaugural vintage with the West Sonoma Coast designation, the 2021 Chardonnay Tidal Break is briny and savory, with reserved aromas of citrus blossom, fresh pear, and sea spray. More expressive on the palate, this medium-bodied white is fresh and lifted with mouthwatering salinity as well as notes of ripe white peach, hay, and golden melon. It’s attractive now, but it will take a couple of years to open and show at its best. Drink
2024-2030

A deep youthful purple/red, the 2021 Cabernet Franc Taylor Peak is attractive with ripe black raspberry liqueur, graphite, and candied lavender. Full-bodied, with firm structure, it has gripping tannins and crunchy fruit and is fleshy with game. Meaty with black cherry, wild herbs, and turned soils, it has great aromatics, it’s going to take time, but this is very well done and is going to be exceptional. Drink 2026-2038.

Taking on a touch of darker fruit, the 2021 Pinot Noir Anderson Valley brings forward aromas of black raspberry, red cherry, cinnamon, and candied flowers. Medium-bodied, with supple texture and a touch more plushness on the palate, it reveals ripe berries, fresh pine, and turned soil. Its ripe tannins come through on the finish cleanly, offering a lot of charm. Drink over the next 5-6 years.

Deep purple, the 2021 Syrah Hawks Butte Vineyard offers a more lifted and floral profile aromatically, with black raspberry liqueur, lavender, and fresh cracked black pepper. It’s attractive and full-bodied though with a more linear feel and has a mix of red and black fruit and a wild floral perfume carrying throughout. Revealing ripe, angular tannins and a
fresh seam of acidity, this is a lovely wine to drink 2024-2036.

Pouring a deep red, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Knights Valley includes a small addition of 2% Malbec and offers aromas of cassis, roses, leather, and cedar. Full-bodied, with a wonderfully detailed and refined structure, it has fresh acidity, with wild black cherry, and great purity for the entry to the range. I love the freshness and ripe structure this has to offer along with its well-balanced oak spice. Drink 2025-2032.

A blend of three distinctive vineyards from the sandy and clay-loam northern rim of the Sta. Rita Hills, this wine offers ripe forest fruit, mushroom, and baking spice aromas. The palate is rich and broad, with an earthy core framed by black cherry, ripe pomegranate, and chai tea.

Intensely perfumed, with Turkish delight and spicy nutmeg to the vibrant lolly-like raspberry and blueberry fruit. The tannins are a constant – not aggressive, but currently sitting a little apart from the fruit. Always picked a week after Applejack, this Upper Yarra vineyard was planted in 2001 to the MV6, 115 and little-known G8V3 clones by Lou Primavera. The north-, north-east- and south-facing red clay loam slopes sit at 230m.

More about palate structures than aromatics, but that’s not to say this white isn’t fragrant. It’s just a builder rather than a punch around the head, just a flow. Lemon, a little barley, some red apple Roussanne poking through. It never feels large at all, rather refined, really. There’s a flor-like phenolic line through the middle, but it remains a wine of fruit and, importantly, cascading textures. I rather like how it’s nuanced and gently creamy and wheaty. Maybe not profound, but an interesting, appley sort of drink. Hard to escape how the low acid makes this more palatable and so moreish.

This aims to express red fruit character, and leads with 115 clone. No whole cluster here. 10% new oak. This is focused and quite taut with lovely structure. This is nicely dense with some pretty red cherry and raspberry notes, with some restraint. Lovely red fruit focus here with nice weight on the palate. It’s not heavy, but there’s a good concentration here.

Deep, dark and chocolaty, this silky yet concentrated wine feels light on the palate while delivering delicious, intense black fruits, baking spices, cedar and cloves. Made from mostly Petite Sirah and Merlot grapes, the wine offers complexity and a polished, fine-grained texture that’s a treat to experience. Best from 2026–2032.

This has developed beautifully with lovely toast, marzipan and butterscotch notes as well as some bread and spice. There’s a richness here with some citrus and peach fruit, as well as nice acidity. Lovely complexity.

Drink now to 2028. A unique blend of white grapes from the Southern Rhône, 73% Grenache Blanc, 27% Roussanne. Certified organic and biodynamic, 43% of the final blend skin contacted. A frivolous nose filled with ripe stone fruit, white pepper, ginger, warming spices and armfuls of florals (peonies to be precise) mingled with a bright note of citrus peel. There’s a lovely wet stone freshness of minerality, and the palate is curvaceous and indulgently mouth filling. There’s a fullness and fatness, without the oiliness that some Rhône whites can deliver. It’s a clever wine, and one that delivers on all dimensions. Ripe stone fruit manoeuvres around a wet stone minerality, with a lift of crushed lemon tree leaves, a hint of ginger and a green almond bitterness. Texture, rounded and mature phenolics, and uplifting acidity. A wine of class and curves, no crass.

Brambly and vibrant yet elegantly structured, with detailed blueberry and raspberry flavors accented by mineral, sandalwood and pepper notes that build toward zesty tannins. Drink now through 2032.

Broad-shouldered and potent yet polished, with deeply structured blackberry and raspberry flavors accented by fresh sage and green peppercorn. Drink now through 2032.

Alluring, with singed red tea and mulled pomegranate notes leading the way, before a second wave of raspberry and cherry coulis chimes in. The finish stays focused, thanks to a long, refined savory edge. Drink now through 2028.

Leads with rooibos tea and raspberry coulis notes, with hints of blood orange and chalky minerality. Shows a subtle savory influence that guides the finish, which has nice tension, thanks to the lingering minerality. Drink now through 2028.

“Softer and more forward than other chardonnay in the suite. A warmer sub-zone, albeit, eastern facing vines. Aromas of baked apples, quince, lemon drops and orange pastilles. The oak is classy and impeccably integrated, directing a bumptious, mid-weighted palate. A subtly creamy finish. I'd be drinking this while waiting for the rest. Drink or hold.”

“Soft, beautifully perfumed and silty of texture. The structural latticework is looser and more reliant on a skein of juicy freshness over any significant tannin. Silky and svelte. Barely mid-weighted of feel, such is the ethereal aura. Lovely tangy length. Red mountain berries, bergamot and cranberries. A wine to pique the curiosity of the versed drinker as much as one new to the variety. Drink or hold, but really this is such an enticing proposition that it is hard to resist immediately.”

“MV6 and 115 clones, planted in a cool spot at 230 meters. The cool, wet year is obviated to an extent by a good portion of whole berries servicing sumptuous florals and oodles of red forest fruits. Very pretty, reminiscent of a high quality cru Beaujolais. Silky tannins. The acidity, gentle and peppery. The finish, svelte and joyous. Drink now. Preferably in large drafts, so delicious this is.”

“A foray into Tasmania, in pursuit of great expressions of pinot noir. A very cool year, mitigated to an extent by long sunlight hours. Pepper, fecund strawberry and orange zest. The tannins, lithe and savory-astringent. The freshness, apposite. This mid-weighted wine should age well across the mid-term. Delicious, if not a bit prosaic. Drink or hold.”

I like the earthy sous-bois character here, with notes of dried flowers, mulberries, spiced cherries, mushrooms and truffles. Medium-bodied, sleek and savory, with fine-grained tannins and a spicy, long finish. Drink or hold.

A robust red that retains a sense of grace and structure, this offers expressive raspberry and tart blueberry flavors that mingle with rose petal, dusky spice and stony minerals as it builds richness toward refined tannins. Drink now through 2029. 312 cases made.

This has a wonderful sense of restraint, with powerful Meyer lemon, yuzu and tangerine flavors mingling with peppery white flower notes and an appealing thread of sea salt crunchiness. Energetic, showing plenty of verve on the finish. Drink now. 9,000 cases made.

A unique chardonnay with crushed stones, rice paper, cherry blossom, and lemon. Medium body. Bright and fresh. Lots of energy and purity to it. Raw beauty. Bottled a few months after the harvest. Drink or hold.

Medium garnet, the 1989 Cabernet Sauvignon Réserve Spéciale is enveloping in its softened, mature expression and dried fruits accented with tones of old cigars, dried thyme, mushroom powder and dusty earth. The palate offers a delicate core of sweet, graphite-laced fruits, a fully softened texture and an ethereal finish with savory accents. It was bottled unfined and unfiltered, and about 240 cases were made.