Off the vine: Wines you can celebrate withLa Crema Winery in California’s Russian River Valley is a highly regarded producer of both Pinot Noir and sparkling wine. The winery is celebrating 40 years with a stunning Pinot Noir. Bright red in color with rosewood and cedar aromas, this rich and concentrated wine is jammed packed with ripe fruit flavors such as black cherry and plum. Medium to full bodied with good depth and sharp, crisp acidity.

The 2016 Pinot Noir also received neutral-oak treatment so the cherry, fig and white truffle aromas and flavours shine.

The 2017 Chardonnay has aromas and flavours of lemon drop, ginger and sea salt.Unlike some over-oaked Cali Chards, the Brewer-Clifton remains bright and elegant because the wine was aged in used oak barrels, which imparts buttery texture, but no overpowering wood.

The 2017 La Crema Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir begins with very pleasant aromas of red and black cherry, cola, roasted coffee, vanilla and a hint of rhubarb and cranberry. The medium-bodied wine tastes wonderfully smooth, balanced and is full of flavors of black cherry cola, strawberry, a little earth, a little oak and even a bit of minerality. This is a super easy and fun to drink wine. A nice streak of spice, licorice and even a little citrus zest lead into the dry, very long finish. Excellent!We’ve featured this wine a number of times over the years and that is simply because it is so consistently delicious. The 2017 is no different in that regard.

Wines of the weekThe nose on this pale-straw coloured Sonoma Chardonnay offers a complex combination of red apple, fresh pear, ripe cantaloupe and tropical fruit, as well as subtle vanilla and spice. On the medium-bodied palate those components come through beautifully, with those latter elements adding texture and richness. A stylish example of what can be done with this grape in California, and worth trying while it’s on sale (it’s regularly $29.07). It’s also one of the products available for delivery from Liquor Marts. 4.5/5

Ripe apple and pear tart flavors are matched to buttery notes in this juicy style. The spicy finish shows honeyed accents. Drink now.

Yarra Valley Shiraz tends to be overlooked in favor of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, but wines like the 2018 Tarraford Vineyard Syrah should begin to change the public's impression. There are only 450 cases of this beauty, but it should be on the shortlist for Syrah lovers the world over. Intoxicating aromas of violets, cracked pepper and fresh blueberries lead into a medium to full-bodied palate that feels almost Pinot-silky but with great depth and richness and a complex, lingering finish. Approachable now, it should drink well for at least a decade. Exciting stuff at an incredible price!

Light red colour with the merest tinge of purple. The bouquet is lightly spicy, meaty and somewhat charcuterie-like, bresaola rather than prosciutto. The wine has weight and grip beyond what its colour implies. A very smart pinot, with a fruit-sweet core as well as charm and complexity. Delicious.

Medium to light red/purple hue, the aroma fusty, earthy, forest floor, a note of oak and a touch of humus. Very rich and ripe, almost opulent flavour with charming fruit sweetness and a succulent core. A delicious wine.

Spring hasn’t sprung at the time of tasting but the wine does feel Spring release-ready. Good for that season rather than winter, which is approaching.Lots of detail here and very high drinkability, a wash of texture, cinched very gently with lacy tannins, pretty spice, floral notes, succulent overall and just feels darn high quality. I love the looser knit feel here, it spreads in the palate like a gentle quilt. Warmth through the finish, perhaps, but comforting in a quiet way. Beautiful drinking.

Sexy Sexton. Supple, soft and come-hither pinot noir. Cherry, red berries, nougat, subtle spice and a good lick of juicy acidity. It feels broad but well honed, lots of flavour, lots of space in the palate, finishes spicy and fresh. A very seductive pinot with lots of detail in tow.

Floral, slightly whole-bunchy and even tea-like on the nose, the 2018 Wombat Creek Vineyard Pinot Noir is stunningly complex, adding elements of tart red fruits to the mix. Cranberries and pomegranate seeds join cherries in this medium-bodied, silky-textured beauty. While delicate, it seems to have the requisite concentration for up to a decade of aging.

From the highest vineyard in the Yarra (410 meters above sea level), the 2018 Wombat Creek Vineyard Chardonnay boasts remarkable ripeness allied to laser-like focus. Peach-like notes appear on the nose, accented by hints of toasted almond and grilled citrus. It's medium to full-bodied, expansive and generous on the palate, silky and rich yet refined, elegant and long on the finish. In a strong 2018 lineup, it's the standout Chardonnay this year.

Applejack makes me think of Bourbon branding.A feast for the senses here but the quibble is the sweetness in flavour profile, jolly and jubey, pastilles at the fore. That being said, perfume is seductive, floral and cherry-berry fresh with sniffs of green herb. Flavours have that sweetness, faint mintiness, soft and confected elements with a late visit from tannin, though a very nice overlay of spice. It has a come-hither feel but misses some poise and class. Great drinking despite this.

From the cooler Russian River Valley providing some of California's best chardonnays, comes a ripe, rich yet elegant version with a fine beam of acidity buoying the California opulence. The nose is generous and custardy with peach/mango fruit, tobacco-like spice, a hint of fresh mint and citrus. There is gloss to the texture but again this fine acidity keeping it all alive. The focus and length are excellent.

Showing more peachy, tropical notes than the other bottlings, the 2018 Tarraford Vineyard Chardonnay is a ripe, generous effort. It's medium-bodied, round, silky and easy to drink, yet it remains fresh and clean on the finish, with citrus notes more like tangerine than lime or lemon. Like the other single-vineyard wines, it was fermented and aged in 20% new French oak.

Subtle notes of toast and cinnamon appear on the nose of the 2018 Applejack Vineyard Chardonnay, sourced from the Upper Yarra Valley. It's a medium-bodied but plump and generous offering, with melon and pineapple fruit filling out the silky-textured mid-palate, then easing into a long, citrusy finish.

Plenty of purple in the medium to deep colour, the bouquet sweet and blackberry, black-cherry-like. It’s bold and very ripe, with chewy tannins and some alcohol warmth, the finish is firm and upright. Solid, boldly fruit-driven and straightforward, this should take some age to advantage. I suspect it will build complexity if given time.

Savoury, fusty bouquet of earth and dried flower heads. The palate is intense and focused, refined and quite complex, especially considering its youth and station. Lovely mouth-feel and balance. Soft, fine tannins. A touch of aniseed and berry jam to close. Drinking superbly already.

Powerful, supple, fragrant.A pretty yet powerful Pinot boasting alluring aromas of sunwarmed raspberry, vanilla, anise, cedar chips, muddled blueberries and a field full of violets. Generous sweet blueberry and raspberry flavours are layered with baking spice, bittersweet cocoa and tealeaf flavours. It has suppleness and density, but also levity and length. At 14.5% alcohol, it's a bit warm on the finish, but the fruit here really shines.

Giant Steps is rightly known for its Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, but the 2018 Syrah is also a solid offering. A subtle touch of cedar accents blueberries and black olives on the nose, while the medium to full-bodied palate remains fresh, juicy and supple, finishing with ample length. It's just a fun wine to drink, reminiscent of a good Saint-Joseph in a sunny vintage.

Taut and even a bit wiry in structure, the 2018 Sexton Vineyard Pinot Noir looks to be a candidate for several years of cellaring. Pie cherries, cranberries and pomegranate notes predominate, accented by hints of earth and cedar on the nose, while the medium-bodied palate is focused and streamlined, leading into a long, mouthwatering finish.

Marked by scents of mushrooms, compost and sous-bois, the 2018 Applejack Vineyard Pinot Noir is the earthiest and most savory of the 2018 Pinots from Giant Steps. Aged in 25% new oak, there are touches of mocha and cedar evident, but they're balanced by hints of red berries. The wine is medium-bodied and supple, with ultrafine, silky tannins and a mouthwatering finish.

Perhaps the most classic Chardonnay of the bunch, the 2018 Sexton Vineyard Chardonnay boasts attractive notes of toasted nuts alongside hints of white peaches and grilled pineapple. All Mendoza clone aged in 20% new oak, it's medium-bodied, defined by its concentrated pineapple flavors. Punchy and direct, it finishes long and citrusy.

Hints of toasted almond, lemon curd and pastry crust evoke an almost dessert-like sensation on the nose of the 2019 Chardonnay. The medium-bodied palate is silky and generous but crisp and dry, finishing with mouthwatering savoriness and length.