Big and spicy, this rich, powerful wine marries tempting toasted oak aromas with abundant, ripe flavors including poached pears and peach nectar for an absolutely mouthfilling expression.

Seamless and supple in a lightness of baking spice, apple, pear and flint, this wine offers a nice contrast between fruit mineral, with a texture of crushed rock. Made in a big, brawny style, it delivers plenty of complex power and richness to intrigue.

Tarraford has a long life ahead of it and is quite young now. If you do crack it open, sip just below room temperature to get the full effects of the fruit purity (peach and lemon), fresh flowers, structured, toasty oak and subtle saline notes. There's a bracing amount of acidity on the palate but it eventually slithers its way to the midpalate, integrating with the slippery texture and oak influence. Drink now–2030.

A significantly different style of Grenache – more robust and earthy than its Yangarra siblings, but also matured in large eggs. There’s a more open weave to the tannins that draws out the opulence of a rounded middle palate, promoting the luscious plum, cherry and rich earth savouriness, crowned by a Campari-like bite.

Ink black at the core, a deep and youthful purple-tinted rim. Mulberry, nori, and crushed violets on the nose. Rich and opulent black fruits on entry, the flow of this wine sits deep and with power, beyond the fruit there's savoury, seaside, nori minerality, boudin noir and smoky-oak notes. A little overt cedar oil character spikes at the middle but then the weight and intensity rolls on to a long and velveteen finish.

Refreshing, clean, and light on the nose with aromas of Meyer lemon, tangerine zest, dried banana, and white flower blossom this wonderful Chardonnay is made by Greg Brewer, one of my favorite winemakers. Wonderful mouthwatering acidity, a medium body, and lovely structure are all present. At a price point of $25, it’s also an insanely good value for the money and a Chardonnay you could enjoy any night of the week. Best Buy.

Vibrant yet tightly focused, with tart red and blue fruit laced with forest floor, black tea and dusky spice, building tension toward medium-grained tannins. Drink now through 2030.

Perfumed and fresh with sliced peaches and hints of white flowers. Medium to full body with a creamy texture. Tart and energetic at the end. 3 years on the less. 60% chardonnay and 40% pinot noir. Tight and delicious. Drink now.

A soft yet fresh pinot that has ripe-strawberry aromas and flavors with medium body and a juicy finish. Yummy, round and delicious. Drink now.

Aromas of dark strawberry and stone with some orange-peel undertones. Medium to full body with a solid texture of pure tannins and a fresh finish. Curated and focused. Sustainable. Drink or hold.

Briary and vibrant with lively acidity, this red offers deep and jammy raspberry and blueberry flavors laced with sandalwood and green peppercorn. Features zesty tannins on the finish. Drink now through 2029.

Brooding and concentrated yet expressive, with a mix of both black and red fruit plus smoky anise, tar and dusky spices that speed toward burly tannins. Best from 2023 through 2032.

Planted in 2000 on a steep slope in the Deep End of the valley, the vines at Maggy Hawk grow in decomposed sandstone soils. Their fruit in 2019 produced a rich and lithe pinot noir, its austerity leavened by a silken texture and red-fruit transparency. Delicate, mouthwatering, as refreshing as rainwater in summer, this draws you back for another taste.

Nikki Weerts makes this wine from a vineyard near Sebastopol, a cool site taken to luscious ripeness, a style of wine that has become a hallmark of Jackson Family Wines portfolio under Barbara Banke’s tenure at the helm. WindRacer is Banke’s outside partnership with Peggy Furth, whose wine career was centered at Chalk Hill Estate, the 1,400-acre property she helped develop with her then-husband Fred Furth. So, it’s no surprise this should be a luxury wine—my notes in the blind tasting describe its “powerglide, ’50s Cadillac richness, a Detroit beauty.” This is satisfying pinot noir with persimmon-red hues to the fruit, tinged with apricot and smoky oak.

Cambria’s Mesa Terrace brings together the winery’s best block selections from the benchland vineyard that comprises much of the estate. This is a wine that took several days to open, starting off slightly sleepy and simple, with scents of cocoa nibs and candied cherry. After two days open, it displays astonishing poise and seamless elegance, with a kind of mineral grip to the dark cherry flavors that suggests the fog from the nearby surf as it settles over the benchlands.

Offers a pure, powerful laser beam of Meyer lemon, Honeycrisp apple and tangerine, with notes of minerality, beeswax and dried white flowers on a sleek, polished frame. Gains momentum on the long, expressive finish. Drink now through 2037.

Complex aromas of blackberries, brambleberries and mushrooms. Full-bodied with chewy tannins and juicy fruit. Savory and delicious. Solid tannins. A little dry at the end. Drink or hold.

Aromas of mahogany, redwood and dust. Ripe redcurrants underneath. Turns to black truffles and mushrooms. Full-bodied and round with juicy fruit and tannins. Hints of dusty wood. Late release. Drink now.

Very pretty brambleberries, walnuts and crushed stones with hints of tile. Medium body. Juicy fruit. Spices and some fresh herbs. Creamy finish. Drink now.

Aromas of fresh earth, fennel and raspberries—not as aromatic as its sibling, Hickinbotham grenache. These make way for a palate of dark red berries and savoury tones. There's a sanguine element that adds complexity and intrigue. This wine is all about the base, while its tannins are fine and framing.

Robust and full-bodied, this wine shows elegant hints of rose petal, dried herb and baking spice, the texture lengthy and complex. Red fruit and citrus emphasize underlying freshness and structure in myriad ways.

Wine of the Week AU
Yangarra Estate winemaker Peter Fraser is a great experimenter, this Southern Rhône inspired blend of grenache blanc, roussanne, clairette, piquepoul and bourboulenc was fermented and matured in large ceramic egg-shaped vessels.
The colour is medium straw-yellow, bright and clear, and there are savoury aromas of straw, dried herbs and dried flower heads, while the taste is similarly savoury and dry. It’s a far cry from simplistic grapy white wine, and there’s a certain sherry-like nuttiness about it (but not oxidation). An intriguing dry white wine, with backbone and structure to cope with hearty pasta and poultry dishes.

Pale ruby-purple, the 2019 Pinot Noir Sta. Rita Hills has bright cranberry and pomegranate aromas with touches of earth, tangerine and dark spice. The palate is delicately styled, with a soft, seamless texture and bright citrusy character lingering on the finish.

The 2019 Chardonnay Hapgood offers saline-tinged citrus fruits and deeper honey-nut tones on the nose. The palate is satiny and super fresh, a linear line of acidity streaking through honeyed fruits, and it finishes long and lifted.

This pale straw-colored Chardonnay from Kendall Jackson is terrific. It opens with a fragrant oak and pear bouquet with notes of wet stone. On the palate, this wine is full bodied with nicely integrated acidity. The flavor profile is a lemon and golden delicious apple blend with notes of oak and pear. I also detected hints of butterscotch and almond in the mix. The finish is dry, and its acidity and flavors are nicely extended. This Chard paired very well with my Lucia’s Pollo e Zucca di Zucca aka sautéed chicken with butternut squash ravioli simmered in a parmesan cheese, and chiffonade fresh sage cream sauce. Yum!