Delicate, detailed and light in body but quite expressive nonetheless, this wine offers dark cherry aromas and flavors with appealing accents of baking spice and just a whiff of toast. Fine-grained tannins firm the finish enough to make it promising for the table, but it could also just be sipped with pleasure. 

Plump and juicy, offering a lovely mix of salted butterscotch, ripe apricot, nectarine and Crenshaw melon flavors at the core, with accents of marmalade and tangerine. Shows grace notes of honeysuckle and candied ginger on a creamy but refreshing frame. Drink now. 135 cases made.

A fragrant white, offering honeysuckle, peach cobbler and lemon bar notes on a tangy frame, with fresh ginger, lemongrass and lime zest details. Shows plenty of intensity on the juicy finish. Drink now. 130 cases made.

Well crafted and quite versatile in styles, this wine rings true to Cabernet's reputation for rich, robust flavors while finishing with sufficiently soft structure. Aromas and flavors of blackberry and dark cherries are pure and appealing, and the firm tannins lack a drying effect.

Brisk and lively, with expressive lemon and lime flavors that zip along the vibrant finish. Drink now. 900 cases made. -T.F.

This winery was a huge factor in bringing pinot Noir to the masses. A wellmade product at an attractive price with consistent quality from vintage to vintage — not an easy feat with this fi ckle grape. The cool Sonoma Coast AVAs yielded intense, concentrated fl avors. Mainly handpicked fruit underwent cold soak and open tank fermentation. Aging was in French oak for six months. Beautiful combination of classic European style with vibrant California fruit. Rich fruit aromas of plum and cherry highlight the rich color and soft fi nish. A great value for the pinot category. ($28.99)

Bright, red candied fruit proliferates on the nose, and candied red fruit persists on the palate, too. It's full-bodied
and playful while being both serious and irreverent. The vines grow on rugged terrain and in very windy conditions
at the Sealift vineyard just south of the Mendocino County border at 4oom above sea level. The acidity is impressive,
standing tall and strong to retain a fresh profile that will last the wine for years

It is a characteristic cat pee bouquet, with a contrasting sweetness profile on the palate and subtlety that makes it
remarkably inviting but also doesn’t erase its character. Coming from a fairly high elevation between 250-350m, the
fruit isn’t as ripe and bright as it could be– it’s much more muted– but delightful and satisfying nonetheless. The
acid sings as it should,. Dink now til 2028

One of the great grenache. Comes from a high-altitude vineyard planted in 1946 into deep sandy soils. There were 50% whole berries, used with the wild yeast ferment in open fermenters with a longer maceration period. Matured in a mix of Austrian and French oak foudres, puncheons and ceramic eggs. Captures the sweet succulence of the vintage with high end perfumes a feature. Medium bodied but extraordinarily rich and complex with layers of flavours building a powerful and very long palate profile. Great wine.

A rich and opulent shiraz which has been made without the addition of pressings. It’s an approach to retain the life and effortlessness of the fruit while losing nothing in fruit power and intensity. Has slightly more oak than others yet the fruit intensity and concentration laps it up with ease. Grainy minerally mouth feel of perfect balance.

The winemaking approach follows similar lines to that used for Yangarra’s grenache. It also gets 18 months in a mix of Austrian and French oak with six months on lees in foudres. It is brilliant and so bright with a high energy palate that penetrates to a very long finish. Exquisitely balanced and poised with the fruit and structure for extended cellaring

As good a roussanne as I have tasted in Australia. There’s a lot of winemaking involvement here, but it is not intrusive. Rather it’s designed to capture the fruit and express it with a distinctive style. A combination of ceramic egg fermentation, skin contact, separate portion management, whole bunch basket pressing and then a final four months in ceramic eggs before bottling. Brilliant bright colour with a textured and plush palate offering layered complexity and richness. A dry savoury finish completes it.

This is sourced from a vineyard alongside the High Sands Block and planted in 1946. It’s a bright medium bodied wine exuding so much life and energy. Interestingly no oak has been used and the wine fermented and matured only in ceramic eggs. It’s an elegant style of great purity and power. A fine minerally acidity will ensure cellaring potential.

A thoroughly beautiful perfumed grenache from the Clarendon. Peter Fraser’s winemaking has been deliberately subtle and underplayed to ensure the beautifully flavoursome medium bodied fruit is expressed to perfection. The fruit retains a pristine purity which stems from the decision not to include pressings. Has a slight grainy mouthfeel capturing the slightly earthy varietal influence. Beautiful.

Gosh, this is an interesting wine loaded with interesting varieties. It’s grenache blanc, roussanne, picpoul, bourboulenc and clairette. A mix of ceramic eggs and whole bunch basket pressing, and skin contact before 4-month maturation in a ceramic egg. What you get is a beautiful fruit friendly wine of texture and layered complexity. A sprinkle of dried herbs and spices adds further complexity. So perfectly weighted.

Offers a beautiful, steady stream of blood orange, bitter cherry and raspberry coulis notes stitched finely with subtle details of rooibos tea, singed sandalwood, dried anise and savory. Feels pinpoint in focus, with serious length on the finish thanks to its nicely buried mineral tension. Drink now through 2038. From California.—J.M.

With notes of perfumed blood orange preserves and mulled kirsch leading the way, this stylish version's elegant, well-embedded acidity lets a backdrop of singed anise, savory and iris notes develop steadily, adding length and range through the finish. This is approachable but feels like it could easily cruise for a while. Drink now through 2037. From California.

With notes of perfumed blood orange preserves and mulled kirsch leading the way, this stylish version's elegant, well-embedded acidity lets a backdrop of singed anise, savory and iris notes develop steadily, adding length and range through the finish. This is approachable but feels like it could easily cruise for a while. Drink now through 2037. From California.—J.M.

Fresh and ripe, displaying delicious blood orange and bitter cherry compote notes laced with sanguine, savory and sandalwood threads. Keeps its mouthwatering cut through the steady, lengthy finish. Drink now through 2036.

Racy and focused, with expressive and energetic notes of bitter cherry and blood orange pâte de fruit backed by singed black tea and warm earth accents, plus a touch of tobacco. Shows a sanguine echo at the very end. Drink now through 2035.

Fresh and ripe, displaying delicious blood orange and bitter cherry compote notes laced with sanguine, savory and sandalwood threads. Keeps its mouthwatering cut through the steady, lengthy finish. Drink now through 2036. —J.M.

Racy and focused, with expressive and energetic notes of bitter cherry and blood orange pâte de fruit backed by singed black tea and warm earth accents, plus a touch of tobacco. Shows a sanguine echo at the very end. Drink now through 2035. —J.M.

This is generous in feel, with a plump edge to its cherry and damson plum fruit compote notes, offering hints of tobacco, warm earth and singed herbs that stay in the background. The light-handed toast lets everything knit easily through the finish. Drink now through 2033.

On the nose, Giant Steps Pinot Noir mixes herbs with juicy cherries and a touch of earthy mushroom. On the palate, cherries and red berries mingle with spiced oak and fine tannins, creating a complex flavour profile. It’s elegant and quite light, with a long, juicy finish, making it a good summer wine choice to enjoy in the sunshine.

On the nose, fresh fruits dominate, with apples, pears, and peaches mixing with a hint of citrus. On the palate, the fruits mingle with the oak of the barrels and vanilla sweetness before giving way to a long finish with well-balanced acidity throughout. A very nice chardonnay to enjoy chilled on a summer evening.