The outstanding 2022 Penner-Ash ‘Willamette Valley’ Chardonnay is located with rich pear, peach and stony minerals on the palate. Medium to full-bodied, with a gorgeous texture, this is a marvelous bottling that will drink well over the next eight to ten years. Drink 2024-2032

The 2021 Penner-Ash ‘Willamette Valley’ Pinot Noir is a beautiful warm vintage wine that displays good flavor density and finesse. Layers of rich plum and spice cake combine with red currants and tobacco leaf on the palate. Rich and viscous, enjoy now and over the next ten years to come. This is really serious for an entry-level Pinot. Drink 2024-2034.

Silene is the “entry” level wine of Capensis, which suggests the very high standards of this winery. Aromatically, it shows sumptuous scents of citrus and orchard fruit kissed by hazelnut. Beautifully focused on the palate with a sense of minerality. A blend of Stellenbosch vineyards fermented in a variety of vessels and matured in 25-30% new French oak. 14% alc.

Deep, almost impenetrable ruby red colour. Mulberry, mocha and black olive tapenade aromatics. Rich and dense black and purple fruits fill the senses. It carries serious fruit intensity but as it builds we see layers of ferrous minerals and rosemary undertones. Good length with finely built tannins ensuring a dry finish. Still youthful, and cellaring will be well rewarded.

Ink black core into a deep purple toned rim. Blackberry, broken dark slate and pastrami aromatics. Full bodied and powerful with dark fruit intensity driving it. With that fruit there’s ample savoury complexity as well, dark minerals and peppered beef undertone. A subtle acid lift ensures that power doesn’t sit heavily and the ripe tannins drive the finish very long and leave a supple dryness lingering. With food this will step up even further.

Feels a little fuller and rounder, though not lacking in drive, offering damson plum, cherry and red licorice notes flecked with savory and red tea. Super fresh through the finish, with a brighter, more distinctly savory feel than the ’10. Drink now.

A touch reticent on the nose, offering hints of sous bois and black tea before giving way to a slightly more mature fruit profile as the damson plum, black cherry and raspberry fruit brings a gently mulled note. There’s a bright savory streak through the finish, which then echoes prettily. Drink now.

Very expressive, with a juicy, open feel to blood orange sorbet, damson plum coulis and cherry fruit notes flanked by the wine’s typical rooibos and savory details. This is the one vintage in the flight where the fruit is ever so slightly steeped in feel, and Brewer notes this was the rare Sta. Rita Hills vintage marked by an elongated heat spell, which shows in the forward aspect here. Drink now through 2030.

The 2020 Chardonnay Willamette Valley was
matured for 10 months in 25% new French oak. It has youthful aromas of yellow peach and apples, cashews, toast and creamy undertones. The medium-bodied palate features generous, layered flavors delivered in an alluringly creamy texture. It
has a foil of bright acidity and a long, energetic finish. 3,600 cases were made.

Matured for 10 months in 25% new French oak, the
2021 Pinot Noir Willamette Valley has savory
scents of cranberry sauce, blackberries,
woodsmoke, tobacco and forest floor. The mediumbodied palate features generous, crunchy fruit and
spicy accents. It has a silky texture, mouthwatering
acidity and a long, expressive finish. 17,500 cases
produced.

From Fijnbosch & 3 other Stellenbosch sites, impressive 2021 bright & fresh; citrus, spice & toasty notes form lively, intricate aromas. Lemony flavours are ripe & juicy, lees adding a serious tone & deeper silky texture. On-point structure & balance portend long future. Supportive oak, 30% new, some foudre; 10% ceramic pot ferment textural extra.

The 2019 Pinot Noir Triple Black Slopes opens with a darkly floral blend of wild herbs, cloves and dried black cherries. This begins with a pleasant inner sweetness contrasted by brisker acidity and tart wild berries, adding a lovely tension toward the close. A gentle coating of fine tannins amasses through the finish as the 2019 tapers off long and potent yet still remarkably fresh.

Dusty and floral, the 2021 Pinot Noir Zena Crown Vineyard opens with an airy blend of wild strawberries, cola, menthol and grilled herbs. It’s soft and round with pretty red berry fruits, hints of cocoa and cool-toned acidity. A coating of find tannins resonates as the 2021 finishes long and structed with slowly fading hints of licorice. Patience will be required.

Mouth filling, generous but well balanced, this full-bodied wine wafts brown butter, toasted almond and baked apple aromas, followed by a rich palate of ripe fruits and subtle oak spices backed by gentle acidity. It is spot on for a Russian River Chard. —J.G.

This is a richly designed Pinot Noir, starting with aromas of black cherry, cola, root beer and anise-laced pie crust on the nose. The palate is juicy, ripe and bold, but with a more delicate mouthfeel, offering berry and cherry flavors that are dusted in fennel pollen. —M.K.

High-toned raspberry and fresh herb aromas give way to ripe but snappy red and black fruits in this well-balanced, full-bodied wine. Using grapes grown on headtrained vines, the wine was aged in French oak, with 64% being new barrels. —J.G.

The outstanding 2018 Stonestreet ‘Alexander Valley’ Cabernet Sauvignon is a fantastic new bottling that is already beautifully evolved. This is neatly balanced stuff with cassis, black currants and shades of freshly tilled soils on the palate. Medium to full-bodied, enjoy this beautiful, well-structured Cabernet now and over the next ten years. Drink 2023-2033

Tender red fruit aromas. Smooth and quite elegant: raspberries, strawberries and cherries, subtle pepper. Savoury complexity and smoky notes. Drink 2023-2030.

Vivid petrol, peach skin and smoked ham flavors signal that this new brand from Jackson Family Wines makes a classic, varietally correct Riesling. It comes from a cool pocket of vineyards in an otherwise warm region, bringing tangy acidity, mineral accents and a fresh, palate-cleansing texture. 

The 2022 Chardonnay, vinified without malolactic conversion and matured in stainless steel, opens with inviting aromas of quince, white peaches, toasted meringue and citrus blossom streaked with hints of matchstick and saline. The medium-bodied palate balances ripe, floral fruit with focused acidity, and a touch of textural breadth lengthens the finish. It combines the verve of Chablis with the ripeness of California. It deserves 2-3 years in bottle to unwind.

The 2021 Pinot Noir 459 is expressive and detailed. It's scented of blackberries and cranberries with nuances of tea leaves, bitters and tobacco. The medium-bodied palate is chalky and refreshing with a deep core of spicy fruit, and there's a flourish of spice and floral tones on the finish.

The 2021 Pinot Noir Sta. Rita Hills, made with an unusually high proportion of whole clusters (90%), has broody scents of dark cherries, blackberries, woodsmoke, underbrush and rooibos tea leaves. The medium-bodied palate is chalky and refreshing with concentrated, spicy flavors and a long, nuanced finish.

Floral and attractively structured, showing cherry and guava flavors. Laced with sassafras tea and savory spice tones that build richness and tension toward fine-grained tannins. Drink now through 2031. —T.F.

Vibrant and generous, with lilting raspberry and tart cherry flavors highlighted by green tea, forest floor and sandalwood tones as this gathers tension and structure toward refined tannins. Drink now through 2031. —T.F.

This is a weighty merlot. It’s also a firmly structured one. Mulberry, redcurrant, coffee beans and saltbush notes merge into dark chocolate and earth. There will be no compalaints of this wine’s depth, or spread, or tannic framework, though it may (or may not) lack some x-factor. This latter comment is of course in the context that x-factor is a near impossible demand to make of a wine; given that it’s impossible to define, and that you only know it when you see it. In any case there’s ample weight on this wine’s bones, and it’s all delivered in svelte form.