Siduri specialises in cool-climate Pinot Noir from vineyards in three appellations within the Willamette Valley (Yamhill-Carlton, Chehalem Mountains, and Eola-Amity). Each brings something different to the party — fresh acidity, bright aromatics, and richer and rounder wines — and when blended together creates wine that is rich and zippy …the best of all possible worlds! Winemaker Adam Lee's constant pursuit of Pinot perfection has led to long-standing relationships with top growers in premier appellations in Oregon's Willamette Valley. On the nose aromas of Cranberry, persimmon, bay leaf and black pepper. On the palate: Black cherry, boysenberry, cinnamon and hints of clove. Pleasant tannins hold a long finish, and which are highlighted by juicy acidity and spice. This 2018 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir may be its finest vintage yet! Siduri, where serious wine and serious fun are not mutually exclusive!

The 20 Best Cheap Wines Under $20 for 2021It’s nice to have a solid Sonoma wine as a grab and go. And this wine defines that. It’s widely available and is a crowd pleaser. It has good American Chardonnay depth with moderate acidity, resulting in a smooth, creamy mouthfeel. It smells like butter and pears and won’t weigh you down with too much alcohol.

Aromas of five-spice, strawberries, raspberries and my nanna's garden (geraniums, roses etc). There's a bit of musk and herb action as well. The fruit flavours are bright, crunchy, perfumed and lively, with cherry, raspberry, some darker fruit notes at play as well as earthiness. There's a whole lot of other top stuff happening: it keeps unfolding in the glass. The tannins are a real feature. How does a wine that looks quite light in the glass get such a drive of serious tannin firmness and structure? Delicious stuff.

A quite light red and bright colour in the glass. The aromas are elegant, lifted and fragrant, with red cherry, spice, rose water and a splash of talc. Flavours are refined and incredibly textural, with the red-fruited cherry and raspberry elements being driven by this savoury, very grippy, grainy tannin that coats the mouth and gives the wine some serious, chalky, sophisticated mouth-feel.

Vivid black cherry, plum and blackberry fruit notes are framed by vanilla and sweet spices in this polished red. Nonetheless, there are ample tannins as this winds down on the long finish. Best from 2023 through 2036.

A fruity style, this red exhibits ripe cherry, plum, almond and sanguine flavors. It's supported by a firm structure, retaining its vibrant personality through the lingering aftertaste, though a bit dry in the end. Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon. Drink now through 2029.

2011 California Cabernet - 10 years onChris Carpenter’s flagship blend is stately and intricate in 2011. Definitive, complex aromas of redwood, dried cassis, fennel and pipe tobacco. The palate is svelte and persistent, showing perfect balance between dark fruits, earthy tones and live-wire energy. One of the great showings of 2011 Napa Cabernet.

2011 California Cabernet - 10 years onAromas of cigar smoke, old leather, underbrush and black cherry. Ripe and succulent palate of red cassis, mocha, wet gravel and anise. As ghostly and weightless as Cabernet blends get (here 74% Cabernet, 10% Cabernet Franc, 7%Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot and 3% Malbec) transitioning into an impressive, grainy finish with great length.

2011 California Cabernet - 10 years onSpice-driven and ever-changing on the nose, with aromas of coriander, sage, oregano and pine sap. Opulent, classy and refined on the palate, leading to a hard-edged, drying finish that is still in need of time to unfold. A great example of the longevity still present in the best 2011s.

2011 California Cabernet - 10 years onAlways the most floral of the Lokoya quartet of Cabernets, aromas here centre around fresh violet, lavender and sun-warmed stones. Rich, coating and quenching on the palate, showing a bevy of dark fruits, graphite and dried earth. The tannins are just starting to soften, with a powdery, grainy quality to the finish. Impressive as always, and clearly only starting to shed its primary shell.

2011 California Cabernet - 10 years onAromas of dark roast coffee, oiled cedar, bramble and blackberry. A delicious combination of plush fruit, energetic acidity and rusticity on the palate, with a surprisingly juicy finish. The wet conditions of 2011 instill notes of menthol and mint throughout, balanced with La Jota’s signature polish and grit. A blend of 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot.

2011 California Cabernet - 10 years onFrom a volcanic site above 730m. Dried flowers, cracked earth and dried mulberry aromas precede similar mouthcoating flavours on a generous, sturdy, broad-textured palate. It is slow to open but evolves considerably with time in the glass, revealing a dense, powerful structure.

2011 California Cabernet - 10 years onSpry and minty nose of incense, cedar, and a subtle note of red bell pepper. Fleshy and round on the palate, showing notes of black plum, cola, and wet gravel. The structure reflects the current state of the vintage, with a rustic, earth-forward tone throughout. The blend is 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Cabernet Franc and 5% each of Merlot and Petit Verdot.

Purple colour from core to rim and up the sides of the glass as well. Plums, rosemary and sea-spray aromatics. The palate flows majestically from front to back, light of foot but carrying serious intensity and drive. Structured to accentuate the long and lingering glide of fruit into the finish. So much pleasure now and will provide for many years to come.

Incredibly vibrant deep purple colour in the glass. Subdued nose, dark loam and black fruits lurk with intent. Remarkable poise for such a young wine, dark fruits, blood and ironstone all meld seamlessly. Full of palate yet has a feeling of compression from acid and tannin so it pushes very deep and long. Time will provide even further layers and complexity.

Medium ruby core, bright ruby into the rim. Raspberries, violets and dried thyme aromas. Medium-bodied but sits light and lithe. Red fruits, dry herbs and sandstone flavours are layered throughout. Sandy tannins are distinct but not without reason. There's an underlying power here that speaks of serious intent in the vineyard and winery. It lingers for days.

WINE! It’s National Drink Wine Day!From the Santa Maria Valley, Cambria’s sustainably farmed Tepesquet Vineyard sits nestled on the Santa Maria Bench where Pinot Noir fruit was first planted in 1971 in soils filled with shale, limestone, and sand. With a long growing season filled with very warm days and cool nights, delicate fruit maintains freshness, as shown in Cambria Julia’s Vineyard Pinot Noir while revealing ripe fruit notes of blackberry, cherry, and cranberry melding with sweet baking spice and a hint of wild herb.

California whites under £30 / $30Slightly restrained nose with nice stone fruit and floral character underneath. Light lemon sherbet notes with toasted pineapple on the palate, pleasingly dry and youthful finish.

California whites under £30 / $30Vanilla custard and fresh cream on the nose. Puff pastry and confit orange carries through to mid palate, persistent finish where a hint of oak comes through.

Winter WhitesStimulus spend-worthy winesIf a wine could taste like slipping on a classic little black dress, this golden wine would be the perfect fit. It has remained the cream of the crop of Chardonnay’s for over 25 years, and this year, especially, it’s best enjoyed with a favorite companion during an indoor picnic. Behind the making of this wine, whole grape clusters were pressed to retain the fresh fruit qualities and the fruit was sur lie aged with monthly battonage (lees stirring) to create a Kendall-Jackson signature velvety texture and creamy flavor.Its silky texture delivers powerful and seductive tropical notes of pineapple, mango and papaya and aromas of vanilla, honey and toasted oak. If this wine were a celebrity, it would be Meryl Streep, simply due to its versatility to act as a lovely accompaniment to winter squash, creamy pasta dishes and pork loin.

An easy-drinking but classically styled Syrah leading with aromas and flavours of black fruit, iodine, pie crust and white pepper. The silky palate is rich and broad, with zesty, cleansing acidity and an upright, precise finish. Drinking Window 2021 - 2031.

Marcia Torres Forno, Matanzas Creek’s winemaker since 2010, has clearly influenced the stylistic direction this estate’s wines have taken. Like most talented winemakers these days, she is relentlessly active in the vineyard as well as the winery, overseeing such operations as selective leaf removal, which helps reduce extreme herbal aromas and flavors in Sauvignon Blanc. The 2019 vintage is a particularly savory white wine that suggests deliciously ripe fruit flavors dominated pink grapefruit, with vibrant acidity on the finish. There aren’t a lot of $20 wines out there that offer as much satisfaction as this one.

Pancake Day: The Perfect Wine Pairings for Your Favourite Pancake ToppingsCheese and HamFor those with a penchant for savoury crepes, cheese and ham is a logical starting point – and a classic combination. Patrick Schmitt MW says of the topping:If you’re going the savoury route, and stuffing your pancake with cheese and ham, I suggest a rich white wine, the most obvious being a classic barrel-aged Chardonnay from a warm climate. Such a wine style won’t be overpowered by the flavours in the food, while the dry, bright finish of well-made Chardonnay will refresh the mouth after all that mouth-coating cheese.With the current trend in Chardonnay-making in Australia favouring a leaner style of white wine, I suggest going to California for something with the richness that made this grape so popular in the first place. In this year’s Global Chardonnay Masters, I tasted an ideal option in Cambria’s Katherine’s Chardonnay from California’s Santa Maria Valley. I blind-tasted the 2018 vintage, which, along with my fellow Master of Wine judges, I gave a Gold-medal-winning score for its combination of peach and pear fruit, as well as notes of toast and caramel, and gently oily palate texture. And, retailing in the UK for around £25, it’s surprisingly affordable for powerful barrel-aged Californian Chardonnay with class.

Planted in 1988 (originally for sparkling production), the Wombat Creek vineyard is located on north-east-facing slopes. Rising to 410m elevation, the 16ha vineyard lays claim to being the Yarra Valley’s highest. This Chardonnay (clone I10V1) is planted in classic Upper Yarra red/ferrous volcanic loam. The vines behave very differently in this soil, said Flamsteed, producing much larger canopies than the Sexton vineyard; the roots drop deeper (you could dig 2 to 3 metres with a shovel, said the winemaker). According to the fiche, the soils produce “distinctively soft yet long wines.” Being deep and moisture retentive, I suspect they contribute to the long hang times. But I imagine that elevation is a major factor too? Whilst the Sexton vineyard (perhaps 50 minutes away) is typically picked in mid-February, Flamsteed said Wombat Creek is picked 4-5 weeks later, because it is so much higher. I think of long hang times as producing softer wines with finer, seamless acidity (so less overt/punchy drive). With longer hang times, the fruit profile is different too – stone fruits, not the citrus of the Sexton site (although Flamsteed sees more citrus in this wine, with poached pear with bottle age). Thanks to the different (finer) acid structure, Wombat Creek delivers its softer stone fruit in ‘slo mo,’ elegant fashion. No hurry here. And plenty of layers to unfurl, with nectarine, honeysuckle, apple pie, acacia and almond paste. The finish is long, textural, ever so subtly nutty and floral, with a hum of acidity.

Phil Sexton planted his eponymous 30ha vineyard in 1997 with cuttings from Leeuwin Estate (where Flamsteed used to work). It is located between 130 – 210 metres on a steep, exposed north-east-facing slope of the Warramate Ranges. The soil is grey clay loam over shallow granite/ironstone. Flamsteed described this chunky, compressed 450 million years old eroded clay with its thin topsoil as ‘hungry.’ It has water-holding capacity, he added, but also good drainage. Bunch yields set naturally low in this environment, resulting in intensely flavoured fruit with a high skin to juice ratio. With ‘hen and chicken,’ the Leeuwin Gin Gin clone cuttings play into that too. With not a lot of juice and phenolic input on pressing, Flamsteed finds lemon curd notes are quite typical for this wine. I certainly found it citrus-driven – zesty, relatively punchy, with mouth-watering lime, together with lime blossom and green almond to nose and palate. The citrus flavours have lovely drive, clarity and (fresh grated zest) perfume. Subtle hints of savoury lees bring mouthfeel, balancing the acidity. Persistent finish, with slate undertones. Very good.