A tight, dense red with berry, chocolate, currant and hints of bark. Full-bodied, yet tight and nicely framed with firm and tight, fine-grained tannins. Goes on for a long time. Fresh and attractive for a 2017. Drink or hold.

Lots of pine and walnut with gravel and dark fruit on the nose. It’s very fine-tannined with nice austerity and a dusty texture. Long and juicy. Needs to soften. Better in a year or two. Try after 2023.

Chili, blackberry and blueberry aromas with a full body, firm and round tannins and a flavorful, savory finish. Rather chunky. Drink after 2023.

This deep ruby colored Cabernet Sauvignon opens with a gentle black currant, black cherry and leather bouquet with a hint of cola. On the palate, this wine is medium plus bodied, balanced and round. The flavor profile is mild flinty influenced ripe black plum and cassis blend with notes of black cherry. We also detected hints of cocoa dust, black tea, and some toasty oak. The finish is dry and its mild tannins linger for quite some time. The Panel would pair this Cab with a bacon wrapped filet mignon, roast beef au jus, leg of lamb with rosemary and garlic.

I visited La Crema just over a year ago, though it feels like a different lifetime now. What impressed me as I tasted through the portfolio was how expressive the wines were, both of variety and place. We're not talking about a small, boutique producer here - and that's okay. It means we get wines like this, which overdeliver for the price and still speak to Sonoma Coast. In this case, it evokes the richness and ripeness of Sonoma Coast's warmer sub-appellations, with honeyed stone fruits, baked apple, and moderate, well integrated oak. Well made and good value.

Blackberries, herbs, green pine needles, blackcurrants and lead pencil. Full-bodied with incredible structure and powerful tannins. It goes on for minutes. The structure is something else. Muscular, but the tannins give form and focus to the beautiful fruit. Mountain-grown Latour! Extraordinary. Try after 2026.

This medium purple colored Syrah from Copain opens with a moist pipe tobacco and black cherry bouquet with hints of leather, craisin and cinnamon. On the palate, this wine is medium bodied with medium acidity. It is also balanced and savory. The flavor profile is a pronounced oak influenced pomegranate and stony minerality blend with notes of craisin. I also detected hints of red raspberry and cinnamon mixed in. The finish is dry and its dusty tannins and fruit flavors sail away nicely and last for a considerable amount of time. This red fruit-based Syrah would pair well with Shaking Beef from the Slanted Door (San Francisco) or with bratwurst sliders on pretzel buns.

Fresh and juicy, with good cut to the red currant and dried berry flavors that feature bright minerality. Ends with a creamy, well-spiced finish, with notes of dried green herbs. Drink now through 2023.

The slice of Cambria Estate Winery dubbed Julia’s Vineyard, named for Julia Jackson in 1986, consists of ancient soils with fossilised seashells, shale, limestone and sand, with fog swept vines that have endured since the 1970s.And Julia's Vineyard Pinot Noir is the Californian estate's crowning glory; vibrant garnet in colour with a wonderful swirl of juicy red fruits on the nose. Ripe cherry, bold black grape and strawberry flavours on the palate are complimented by a touch of cinnamon spice and subtle underlying earth tones, followed by a well-rounded, mid-palate and a deftly defined elegant finish.

6 Wines Worth Splurging On This WeekOregon has been on a roll the past few years, consistently producing outstanding Pinot Noirs, one year after another since 2014. This voluptuous 2018 Pinot Noir from Penner-Ash Wine Cellars is another stunning wine from another great vintage. Made with grapes from the Yamhill-Carlton subregion in the widely-respected Willamette Valley famous for its complex Pinot Noirs, this wine hits all the rights notes – bright yet subtle fresh berry flavors, a hint of toasted almond, vanilla and fresh herbs mixed with a dash of roasted figs. An outstanding wine that will drink well for at least the next 10 years.

It's cabernet sauvignon on the label, but a Bordeaux blend in spirit. It takes full advantage of California's ability to blend in a healthy dollop of other grapes into a single varietal wine, with merlot (16%), malbec (4%), petit verdot (3%), and cabernet franc (1%). It also blends valley floor and mountain fruit from five vineyards, to produce a wine led by cassis and backed by an appealing savouriness with graphite, mint, and a touch of developing cedar. The vanilla-tinged oak is present but balanced (35% new French oak), leading to a medium-full bodied palate that's linear in texture with firm tannins. Just starting to enter prime time, this is true both to Napa and the estate's house style.

This medium purple colored Cabernet Sauvignon from Kendall-Jackson’s “Estate Collection” opens with a black currant bouquet with hints of toffee, violets and a touch of blueberry pie. On the palate, this wine is full bodied, balanced, soft and very smooth. The flavor profile is black cherry and black currant with notes of toasted oak and dark chocolate. We also detected hints of black raspberry and coffee. The finish initially has substantial drying tannins that build-up and linger for quite a while. The Panel would ideally drink this Cab on its own by the firepit. With food, we would decant it for a while and pair it with a well-marbled ribeye.

2018 has given us a very pure Pinot Noir packed full of black cherry. The textures are similarly inviting with just enough structure to channel all the mouth-filling fruit along the palate to an even more impressive 13.5 alcohol content. Seriously Pinot-like, this was once thought unattainable in California. Delicious and friendly, you can serve it with duck, mushrooms, root vegetables, soft cheeses and pork. La Crema Sonoma Coast oversees a large production of estate and grower vineyards, all within the cool, marine swept boundaries of Sonoma County. Post ferment, it’s aged nine months in 98 per cent (20 pe rcent new and dwindling) French oak. Bravo.

Arceno’s Riserva is crafted from selected plots which boast a warm, south-facing exposure. While ageing is in small French oak barrels, the wood stays discreetly in the background, hinting at incense and cedar. More at the fore is the presence of Cabernet Sauvignon, bringing dill, garden herbs and pepper. This is youthful but open and friendly with rich, mouth-caressing tannins and soft acidity. The finish pops with blackcurrant. Full-bodied but really quite ready to drink.

Golden, approachable, creamy.Made from estate grown grapes KJ's Vintner's Reserve line the 2019 Chardonnay seems riper than previous. Expect buttery pastries, apple sauce, hazelnut praline and spiced lemon curd aromas. It is balanced and creamy, concentrated and consistent. Tropical fruit, spice and nutty flavours linger on the palate.Pair: Roast chicken, smoked cheese grilled cheese or sweet corn bread spiked with jalapeno.

How old are the vines for the Penner-Ash Wine Cellars Old Vines Riesling 2018? The grapes derived from the Hyland Vineyard in Willamette Valley’s McMinnville sub-AVA, planted in 1971, so for this vintage they were 47 years old. Made all in stainless steel, the wine displays a pale but radiant straw-gold hue and enticing aromas of jasmine, lemon verbena, lime peel and spiced pear, with hints of green apple and slightly earthy flint in the background; a few moments in the glass unfurl notes of quince and candied ginger in nose and on the palate, along with pert citrus flavors animated by crisp and taut acidity; a lithe tide of limestone minerality washes through the finish; every element here is meshed seamlessly in a suave, sleek, silky, scintillating package. 12.9 percent alcohol. Production was 300 cases. Winemaker was Kate Ayres. Penner-Ash was acquired by Jackson Family Wines in 2016.

Impressive chardonnay with grapefruit, lime, white peach, biscuit, ginger, struck-flint and attractive nutty-oak flavours flattered by a peaches and cream texture and supported by juicy acidity.

2019 in Monterey was cool, with plenty of fog and overcast skies. No big heat spikes were leading to a slowly ripening crop of fresh fruit. Best of all, the acidity is juicy and the perfect foil to its ripe tropical fruit. Look for an aromatic nose with baked apples and pineapple dusted with butter scented brioche. On the palate, lemon and tangerine pull it all together along with a mineral coating. Balanced, fresh, and ready to drink. The wine is aged eight months in an 85/15 mix of oak (15 percent new) and stainless steel. The Monterey AVA consists of a long valley stretching from the uniquely cold Monterey Bay to the far southeast reaches of the Salinas Valley.

It's hard to believe it could get better than last year, but this 2017, is, thanks to one of the coolest growing seasons ever in McLaren Vale. The gnarly old bush vines were planted in 1946 at the highest point of Yangarra's white/grey dunes at 210 metres above sea level. Block 31 is 1.7 hectares of dry farmed 70-year-old bush vines sitting on low vigour, one meter deep, white sands (silica not marine), said to be 54 million years old. The nose and palate are pure fruit with an amazing texture and a red fruit fragrance that hums along with the acidity from front to back. I dare you not to drink the whole bottle in minutes. This edition comes in at 14 percent alcohol that seemingly disappears into its savoury mix of minerals, fruit, and oak you never notice. This is a new highwater mark for High Sands.

Very deep, dark, youthful purple/red colour with a rich, complex, profound bouquet that has a substantial oak input but not overdone—given the concentration of flavour. The palate flavour persists a very long time. It’s firm and youthful, needs more time, and promises much for the future. Dark berries galore: rich and ripe and very, very attractive.

Sourced from several blocks within Zena Crown Vineyard, now more than a dozen years old. It’s aged 16 months in 53 percent new French oak barrels. Winemaker Shane Moore likes a high percentage of new oak with medium and medium-plus toast levels because new barrels breathe, permitting more oxygen ingress than wine-soaked neutral wood. The wine only moves once: into the bottle. If there’s one wine that reflects Zena Crown Vineyard, Moore thinks it is the 2017 Vista. The nose is savoury Oregon with coffee, toast and light-brown spice mixing with dark strawberry fruit. The palate is silky texture that seems to power up the spicy notes throughout the wine before a lengthy, earthy, wild pinot finish. Impressive.

How good is the new Australia? Plenty good, maybe even scary good. Few GSM I have experienced have the mouth presence and cushioned weight that is the perfect bed for a wine packed full of fragrant old bush vine grenache (60 percent) planted in 1946. The remainder is 22 percent shiraz, and 18 percent mourvèdre. The result is an aromatic layered wine that is more red than black, with licorice and peppercorn flecks in the finish. It’s the balance and mouthfeel that attracts. You can serve this with any favourite wood-fired entrée, from pizza to steak.

The Old Vine Grenache was the first release in 2007. In 2019 the growing season was extremely dry, leading to super-low yields easily seen in the concentration of this wine. These bush vines were planted in 1946, and the vineyard is certified biodynamic, which appears to add pure bounce to the wine's vibrancy. It is planted on the Blewitt Springs estate's deep, sandy soils. It is fermented with 50% whole berry and kept on yeast lees in older French oak. Black plums reign, with a dusting of white pepper and a salty mineral finish. Wow.

Deep rich colour and a rich, concentrated bouquet led by smoky char-oak and the palate is likewise quite oak-driven, with medium to full-body and slightly gritty texture. Sweet raspberry fruit core. It could reward a little time in the cellar. It's a bit young at this juncture.

The Peake is an ode to Edward John Peake, who planted the first vines in Clarendon, where Hickinbotham is based, in 1850. The vineyard used for this wine was later planted by the Hickinbotham family in 1971, and is sourced from four blocks. It's a classic Australian blend of cabernet sauvignon (55%) and shiraz (45%), with all lots left on their skins for at least 18 days. The cabernet is aged for 15 months in Bordeaux-coopered barrels, while a combination of puncheons and barriques are used for the shiraz. Only the best barrels, selected by Napa-born winemaker Chris Carpenter, go into the final wine. It shows quite lifted, high toned dark fruit that's lavishly ripe and complemented by eucalyptus and sweet chocolatey oak. It's a big, dense, powerful wine that's just starting to unravel and reveal itself, with tightly wound, fine grained tannins that suggest this has years, if not decades, of life ahead of it. Every time you return to the glass, something new presents itself. A sure sign that this will be worth the wait. Worth a lengthy decant if you open it now.