Medium ruby. Aromatic nose combines wild blackberry, Cuban tobacco, chocolate cake, smoke and minerals. Concentrated, lush and impressively sweet, with snappy raspberry and mineral flavors dominating. This is kept fresh by harmonious acidity but is also lush, seamless and expansive. Finishes with broad tannins and impressive sweetness and persistence. This St. Emilion-style blend is still very young and may prove to be the best of the 2001 trio made under the Verite label.

Ruby-red. Brooding, perfumed aromas of dark fruits, violet and chocolate. Sweet and intensely flavored, with lively acids framing the currant, black raspberry, mineral and dark chocolate flavors. Very densely packed wine, with the sheer material to support its big, ripe tannins. Give this plenty of aeration if you plan to open a bottle anytime soon. Or, better yet, lay it down for six to eight years.

Dark ruby-red. Black cherry, mocha and licorice on the nose. Ripe, broad and dry; suave and sophisticated. Flavors of red berries lifted by floral and mineral components. Densely packed, backward wine, finishing with substantial dusty tannins.

Bright medium ruby. Vibrant aromas of crushed cassis, bitter cherry, licorice and leather. Youthfully tight yet already quite penetrating; today the wine's licorice and fresh herb notes dominate its underlying dark fruit flavors. More backward than the 2011 La Muse, even austere today

Bright yellow. Pineapple, medicinal herbs and crushed rock on the nose. Very dense and tactile but less immediately fruity than the Upper Barn. Pineapple and grapefruit flavors are accompanied by strong saline and rocky elements. In a very dry style but broad, rich and long. The hardest of these chardonnays to taste today but a wine with considerable potential.

Pale, bright yellow. Initially closed nose opened to reveal steely, Puligny-like white peach, nutmeg, mint and crushed stone aromas. Dense but airy and dry; tactile and silky-smooth but with a lovely light touch. Today this very subtle young wine is showing more minerality than primary fruit. Finishes broad and weightless. Give this a couple years in the cellar. This stunning set of chardonnays made by winemaker Graham Weerts, who is from South Africa, was one of the revelations of my tastings of California wine this spring.

Bright ruby-red. High-toned, sexy aromas of black cherry, blueberry, licorice, graphite and sweet oak. Plush, sweet and pliant, with a wonderfully polished texture to the intense flavors of brambly dark berry, coffee and licorice. Finishes lush and very long, with building, fine-grained tannins and considerable elegance. This will be even better for five or six years in the cellar.

Medium ruby. Reticent but very pure aromas of blueberry, cassis, licorice and menthol. Shockingly rich and sweet but very young, showing superb concentration to its cassis flavor complemented by sexy oak tones. This really vibrates on the very long finish, where the wine's powerful mountain tannins are buried in fruit. Less showy today than the Howell Mountain cabernet but with outstanding long-term potential.

Good medium ruby. An essence of cabernet on the nose, with blackberry, licorice and floral aromas complicated by an exotic suggestion of fruity tropical chocolate. Then large-scaled, fat and sweet in the mouth, with highly concentrated black raspberry and chocolate flavors. The powerful mountain tannins coat the front teeth. Like a cabernet syrup today, in need of at least seven or eight years of aging and likely to be long-lived.

Good full ruby. Elemental, extremely primary nose features grapey blackberry, licorice and violet pastille. Big, sweet, broad and creamy; a huge, powerful wine with slightly rustic flavors of dark chocolate and minerals. Finishes with compelling sweetness of fruit, and very broad tannins that arrive late. From a block of vines that was recently torn out due to phylloxera. The richest of this trio of cabernets. Winemaker Chris Carpenter notes that the intention here is to make three wines of place by using neutral winemaking techniques. The only difference among the wines is maceration times, he added. All three of these bottlings are close to 15% alcohol.

Last year I got stuck into the Yangarra grenache wines. This year it’s the shiraz. Has to be said that all the fuss is over grenache now, of which I am guilty as charged, but that Yangarra often also makes great shiraz. I love this wine and it also caused me to pause. I’ll be interested to hear what my colleagues think. It’s a meaty, bloody, black cherry-and-blackberry driven wine with earth, sweet spice, game and leather characters littered throughout. It has excellent power and also excellent tannin, the finish firm and commanding. Length is very good/excellent too. I was about to rave about this wine, courtesy of its general seductiveness, but then wondered if it was just a bit too dry and firm on the finish. My score therefore is the ultimate bet each way. Campbell Mattinson. Posted on 04 August 2026.

Medium yellow colour; a toasty bouquet of chopped herbs and cooked vegetables, with pineapple and mango overtones, displaying some development. It's full in the mouth, with rounded, ample flavour and nicely judged phenolics which add a little extra texture. Everything's in balance. Sweet fruit at the core; clean, dry and refreshing to finish.

This year the Ovitelli Blanc is a certified biodynamic and organic blend of 31% grenache gris, 28% grenache blanc, 22% clairette and 19% roussanne.

Medium yellow colour; a toasty bouquet of chopped herbs and cooked vegetables, with pineapple and mango overtones, displaying some development. It’s full in the mouth, with rounded, ample flavour and nicely judged phenolics which add a little extra texture. Everything’s in balance. Sweet fruit at the core; clean, dry and refreshing to finish. (Screwcap)

This young wine carries a similarity to winemaker Greg Brewer’s beloved Brewer-Clifton offerings, but also a darker sensibility. Aromas of black raspberry, fennel pollen, and damp wood converge on the nose. The palate is both bright and dark in fruit tones, blending elderberry and lavender flavors together.

As delicious as it is delightful. There’s a spirit of generosity to the Pinot Noir – it has Drink Me written all over it – but it still manages to be neat and well structured. Red cherry, strawberry, flashes of raspberry, mint, meat, roasted nuts and gentle orange oil notes. It’s satiny, fluid and fresh; it’s charming.

As delicious as it is delightful. There’s a spirit of generosity to the Pinot Noir – it has Drink Me written all over it – but it still manages to be neat and well structured. Red cherry, strawberry, flashes of raspberry, mint, meat, roasted nuts and gentle orange oil notes. It’s satiny, fluid and fresh; it’s charming.

A warmer season than the few prior, though not hot per se, but this certainly has some power and richness to it. Poached pear and apple, custard apple, feijoa, crème brûlée, a hint of fresh mint, lime oil and some balancing rocky mineral notes. It’s textural, somewhat viscous in feel, slippery in a good way, but built for food that has a good deal of import – hot-smoked trout, mackerel, pork terrine etc. It’s an exotic release, intensely flavoured and generously proportioned, but it certainly finishes with a good deal of vigour.

Citrus blossom and lychee mark the nose alongside sourdough bread. The palate is polished with a refined mouthfeel and a deep citrus oil core. Drink 2026-2038

Mostly Pinot Noir (57%) this offers loads of citrus oil and melon tones with raspberry alongside a silky mousse. Refined and elegant, enjoy over the next ten years. Drink 2026-2036

Mocha, brown spice and dried black cherries combine as the 2023 Pinot Noir Cascade opens in the glass. It's silken in feel, with lifting acidity as inner rose tones complement its soothingly ripe red berry fruits on the palate. Hints of cocoa linger with a tart citrus twang as this tapers off lightly tannic and long.

The 2023 Pinot Noir Clairière is understated and airy in the glass, with notes of scant blackberry and sweet sage wafting up. It is more lively on the palate, as sleek textures and racy acidity propel ripe wild berry fruits across it. Edgy tannins grumble but don't get in the way as the 2023 leaves a licorice twang that pinches at the cheeks.

The 2023 Chardonnay Estate slowly opens with a savory mix of crushed green apples, almond paste and vanilla custard. It is rich and supple on the palate, with tart orchard fruits and saline mineral tones that provide balance. A minty inner freshness lingers alongside nuances of sweet spice and citrus as the 2023 tapers off with excellent length and gentle tension.

The 2023 Pinot Noir Ridgecrest opens with an array of crushed plums and blackberries, complemented by nuances of sweet lavender. It's round in feel, with cooling acidity and a collage of red and blue fruits that soothe the senses. Lightly structured and youthfully tense, the 2023 leaves an almost crunchy sensation as blue inner florals slowly fade.

The 2023 Chardonnay Pas de Nom blossoms in the glass with vivid vanilla bean, sweet mint, almond paste and white peach. It is silken in feel, displaying admirable weight as ripe orchard fruits flow across a sensation of liquid stone. The finish is long and gently tannic, leaving hints of sour citrus and a resonance of ripe pear.

The 2024 Chardonnay Jory Hills is more savory, with a wild herbal flourish up front that complicates crushed green apple, while hints of raw almond add richness. It sweeps across the palate with ease, juicy and spry, with ripe orchard fruit underscored by a crunch of minerality. Sweet herbal tones linger as it tapers off with lovely length and a saline inflection that calls me back to the glass for more.