USA, California, Napa Valley: 2017 — Napa's Perfect Storm When I tasted this as a barrel sample last year, it was made up of 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc, 4% Petit Verdot and 4% Malbec. This is a new barrel sample blend, made up of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Cabernet Franc, 10% Merlot and 4% Petit Verdot. Deep purple-black colored, it comes striding out of the glass with bold, confident notes of warm red and black currants, boysenberries and ripe black plums with hints of pencil shavings, rose hip tea, underbrush and Marmite toast. Medium to full-bodied, it has a firm structure of grainy tannins and just enough freshness to lift the dense, muscular black fruit and earthy layers to a long finish. 3,000 cases are to be made.

A barrel sample, the 2016 Hartford Court Chardonnay Jennifer’s Vineyard gives intense lemon drops, pineapple, guava and passionfruit notes with wafts of orange blossoms, brioche and ginger. The medium-bodied palate is positively electric, featuring super-charged citrus and tropical notes with mineral and spice layers in an elegant frame, with a seriously zippy backbone and very long, layered finish.

USA, California, Napa Valley: More New 2018 ReleasesThe 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Helena Montana Vineyard (100% Cabernet Sauvignon) was tasted as a finished blend that has come out of barrel in preparation for bottling. It spent 12 months in 100% new French oak and is due to be bottled in April 2021. Deep garnet-purple in color, the nose is very primary, revealing pure blueberry, plums and crushed black currants scents with nuances of cedar, cloves and dried Provence herbs. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has a firm, grainy texture with concentrated black fruits leading to a very long, fruity finish.

A barrel sample, the deep garnet-purple colored 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Helena Montana Vineyard bursts forth from the glass with vibrant crushed black currants, black cherries and wild blueberries with hints of espresso, sage, dark chocolate and anise plus a waft of violets. Medium-bodied with taut, tightly wound muscular fruit, the palate features a rock-solid structure of firm, grainy tannins and great freshness, finishing long and layered.

A barrel sample, the deep garnet-purple colored 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Helena Dakota Vineyard gives up intense baked blackberries, crème de cassis and preserved plums notes with hints of iron ore and underbrush plus a touch of black truffles. Medium to full-bodied and firmly textured with ripe, grainy tannins, it has just enough freshness lifting the densely packed black fruit flavors, finishing long and earthy.

Composed of 93% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 2% Malbec, the very deep garnet-purple colored 2016 La Muse (a barrel sample) hits the ground running with gorgeous plum pudding, chocolate-covered cherries and blueberry compote notes over touches of dried herbs, violets, black tea, tilled soil and fungi. Medium to full-bodied with a firm line of soft, satiny tannins and oodles of freshness lifting the profound black fruit and earthy layers, it finishes with lingering notes of black truffles and stones.

The 2015 Le Désir, Vérité's Cabernet Franc-based red, is racy and sumptuous in the glass. Bright floral notes give lift to the red-toned fruit as this silky yet powerful wine shows off its alluring personality.

The 2010 Le Desir is a gorgeous wine. In 2010 the Cabernet Franc is 51%, considerably lower than it was in 2009, but the blend works beautifully here. Cabernet Franc provides the aromatics, while Merlot yields the fruit in this super, dense, powerful wine. All of the elements come together beautifully in this sumptuous, gracious wine. I can't wait to taste this when it is ten years old. The 2010 Le Desir is 51% Cabernet Franc, 41% Merlot and 8% Cabernet Sauvignon. Anticipated maturity: 2017-2030.

The 2002 Le Desir may be the finest example of this cuvee yet produced. A blend of 52.7% Merlot, 41.2% Cabernet Franc, and a tiny dollop of Cabernet Sauvignon as well as Malbec, it performs like a ballet dancer. Magnificently muscled, symmetrical, and stunningly proportioned, it is medium to full-bodied with explosive aromatics reminiscent of a charcoal fire combined with blackberry and currant fruit as well as violets. It possesses layers of concentration, a massive yet surprisingly light mid-palate, and a huge rich finish. Somehow, it does not come close to tasting over the top, heavy, or forced, but is clearly a blockbuster. This thrilling 2002 should hit its prime in 2-3 years, and last for two decades.

The 2005 La Joie is rocking, and if La Muse was closed and dominated by tannin at my tasting, the La Joie was strutting its considerable potential. A blend of 66.1% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12.7% Merlot, and 12.3% Cabernet Franc as well as some Petit Verdot and Malbec, this is a wine with a dense ruby/purple color, a glorious nose of lead pencil shavings intermixed with cedar wood, black currant liqueur, espresso roast, and chocolate. It also possesses huge amounts of fruit and tannins. The tannins are elevated, but the wine is so enormously endowed, I don’t think there’s a doubt that it will come together brilliantly, as everything seems to be in proper proportion. This a colossal/compelling proprietary red wine that should be at its prime in about 2015 and last for 30+ years.

The 2015 Le Désir brings together striking aromatic lift from the Cabernet Franc with the dark, sumptuous fruit of the year. Chocolate, mocha, plum, licorice, crème de cassis and pencil shavings add striking aromatic nuance. This is a dazzling wine from the Seillan family.

A barrel sample, the 2016 Hartford Court Chardonnay Seascape Vineyard has a ripe apple, warm peach and green mango-scented nose with hints of yuzu zest, honeysuckle, crushed rocks and powdered ginger. Medium to full-bodied, the palate reveals fantastically intense, tightly wound citrus and perfumed stone fruit flavors with a very racy backbone and epically long, mineral-laced finish.

The 2013 Le Désir is a 2,500-case blend of 61% Cabernet Franc, 23% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Malbec. It exhibits nearly surreal notes of blueberry liqueur, black raspberries, graphite, vanilla and spring flowers. Deep, dense and velvety textured, it combines great intellectual interest with sensational hedonism in a full-bodied, voluptuously textured style. All three 2013s appear to have incredible potential. I look forward to tasting them out of bottle.

The 2013 La Muse (a 3,800-case blend of 89% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc and 3% Malbec) boasts an inky, opaque purple color as well as abundant aromas of pen ink, chocolate, mocha, black cherry jam, mulberries and a touch of oak. Opulent and full-bodied with terrific acidity and richness as well as a 50-second finish, this is the most forward of the three 2013 cuvées. It should drink well for 25-35 years. All three 2013s appear to have incredible potential. I look forward to tasting them out of bottle.

Made from a blend of 65% Cabernet Franc, 25% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Malbec, the 2012 Le Desir should turn out to be one of the most explosively fragrant wines in this portfolio (primarily because of the significant Cabernet Franc in the blend). A sensational black/purple color is followed by gorgeous aromas of blueberries, black raspberries, lead pencil shavings, incense and camphor. With excellent concentration, a full-bodied mouthfeel and an amazingly long finish, it should be cellared for 5-7 years, and drunk over the following three decades.

The 2012 La Muse, a blend of 85% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc and 5% Malbec from Bennett Valley, Alexander Valley, Chalk Hill and Knights Valley, reveals wonderful sucrosity along with a sexy, up-front perfume of plums, graphite, licorice, Christmas fruitcake, kirsch, black currants and blackberries. This big, full-bodied, opulently-styled wine will probably be the easiest to drink early on, although it certainly needs at least 5 years in the bottle to reach its peak. It should keep for 25+ years.

The 2013 La Joie (4,400 cases produced) is composed of 71% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot. Aromas of forest floor, camphor, graphite, blackcurrants, coffee beans and spice box emerge from this wine. With full body, great purity and depth, a multidimensional mouthfeel and a finish that lasts nearly a minute, this sensational wine possesses terrific delineation and focus. It should drink well for 3-4 decades. All three 2013s appear to have incredible potential. I look forward to tasting them out of bottle.

As for the 2015 Chardonnay Far Coast Vineyard, this is also from a very cold site, this one north of Fort Ross on the Sonoma coastline. The wine offers oyster shell minerality (or wet gravel), some pineapple, mango and nectarine, beautifully focused, full-bodied flavors, and a burgeoning complexity that is impressive on its own. Drink it over the next 10-12 years.

Dark, bright, youthful ruby. Ineffable aromas and flavors of dark berries, black cherry, minerals and brown spices. Suave and wonderfully silky, communicating an impression of power with finesse. Like Le Désir, this is not overly sweet but boasts a wonderfully fine-grained texture and outstanding inner-mouth lift. The juicy, very slowly mounting finish features serious but seamless, pliant tannins and outstanding length, with a late suggestion of licorice.

A highlight in the range, the 2022 Pinot Noir Dropstone is bright ruby and focused, with minimal oak and a fruit-driven character. Notes of pomegranate, crushed stones, and darker fruit are followed by a linear and refreshing red with coiled tannins, a Nebbiolo-like structure, and citrusy lift. Drink 2025-2040.

The vineyard yielded five barrels of chardonnay this year. “It could not have been a more different vintage (to the 2023)”, according to winemaker Mel Chester.

I loved the 2023 release but this 2024 version is dramatically different and, yet still, dramatically good. The 2023 release was piercing but there’s a delicacy to this wine. Bacon, wax, oyster shell, white peach and salted citrus, with almond paste as the lightest of infusions. This is such a complete wine. If you thought that Bastard Hill was exciting as a concept, this is Bastard Hill as exciting in the glass. It’s the elegance of Australian chardonnay at a high point. It has the flavour and the texture and the focus and all those things. But it’s a wine with a vibe and a lilt and a loveliness that runs the length of it.

The 2024 vintage of Giant Steps single vineyard wines is formally released on August 11, 2025. This 2024 release is from both the north and south slopes of the vineyard; 2023 was from the north side of the vineyard only. This year it cropped at 1.8 tonne per hectare.

This is pretty as a picture. Blue and red berries, slips of spice, smoked cedar tucked in; it’s Pinot Noir in naked form, the bones clear but so too the flesh. This result is exquisite. It glides slowly through the start and then gradually, like a river through the rapids, increases its speed to the rush of an exaggeratedly long finish. This Pinot Noir is minerally, almost gravelly. It has flesh and perfume. It delves into secret herbs and spices territory. It’s a wine in perfect form. The tautness, the perfume, the flesh; everything is elite.

Moving back to the Russian River Valley, the 2023 Pinot Noir Jennifer's Vineyard is a medium ruby color and is more expressive, primary, and floral in this vintage, with notes of mixed berries, crushed roses, and sweet herbs. The palate reveals more tension and brightness and is more approachable and open than the nose suggests, with bright acidity, well-defined tannins, and hints of citrus and dried herbs on the finish. I would give this one another year to allow its more savory and layered depth to unfold. Drink 2026-2046.

Only three barrels of this maiden vintage Fijnbosch were produced. The aromatics reveal a deliciously attractive tangy, sweet and sour white and yellow citrus fruits that are firmly under-pinned by a seriously taut minerality. But the concentration with beautiful precision on the palate is phenomenal, combining intensity of fruit with harmonious balance and textural elegance. Such class and pedigree on display here that leverages the finest qualities of higher altitude cool climate Chardonnay.

Total 130 x 12 cases made from a blend of all Chardonnay blocks on the Fijnbosch farm. Mostly sold cellar door, this wine showcases the property and its true terroir of Tukulu and Hutton soils with a sandstone overlay. The aromatics show beautiful lemon oil, sweet herbs, waxy Granny Smith apples and grapefruit confit notes with underlying savoury, leesy nuances. Plush, textural, and mouth-wateringly tangy, this wine shows punchy intensity, a piercing depth but also the most seductive, harmonious balance. Wow, what a wine!