This wine is shaped very differently from its predecessors in this vineyard – most notably Eileen Hardy Chardonnay – even though it still features only I10V1 clone fruit. The difference is due to an open-hearted winemaking approach from Melanie Chester, allowing rich fruit notes to relax in a luscious mouthfeel. A quarter of the grapes go through malolactic fermentation to soften any austerity from a powerful acid seam running through the palate. This highly impressive result comes before any significant vineyard improvements by the Giant Steps team at Bastard Hill have taken effect, proving that this single site wine will generate even greater excitement into the future.

The Sycamore Vineyard is an 8.9ha planted site in Rutherford at the base of the Mayacamas, on gravelly clay loam soils that are very shallow, and the vines struggle more, and that tends to make wines of more dried herb character. 93% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Cabernet Franck, and 3% Petite Verdot were aged 26 months in 66% new French oak. So fragrant with the cool mountain garrigue growing around the site, some of the bright green bay laurel notes lend a minty kind of freshness along with loamy earth and dark cinnamon character. Full-bodied with pronounced tannins that winemaker Kristy Melton says are really the result of skin tannin from the berries in 2021, which were about half the size of the berries growing in the Bosché vineyard (meaning very tiny). Plush dark blue and black fruit character is layered atop those robust tannins, framed by toasty oak spices. I would say enjoy this in its youth for its more opulent fruit qualities while the Bosché comes together over time. A very nice effort.

In 1972, the partners of Freemark Abbey had struck a long-term agreement with John Bosché for his Rutherford Cabernet, which had been sold to Beaulieu Vineyard as a component in its flagship Georges de Latour bottling. Since 1970, Freemark Abbey has produced Cabernet Bosché. The 8.9ha Bosché vineyard sits on a gravel bench with a high water table and requires a bit more attention to control vigour. 94% Cabernet Sauvignon and 6% Merlot were aged 26 months in 66% new French oak. In 2021, the Bosché single vineyard wine is very precise, very focused and has a wonderful linear quality of freshness from the bouquet to the long finish. A firm spine of acidity underscores a bed of taut, firm, and fine-grained tannins layered with red-toned fruits, sandalwood, and notes of cinnamon, clove, and fragrant cedar, all framed by that wonderfully dusty mineral tannin backbone. Quite spectacular.

This wine is rich, with aromas of blueberry, black plum, cardamom, violets and earth on the nose. The flavors on the palate are fresh raspberry, boysenberry and dried fennel, sliding into white grapefruit zest, dark chocolate and a dry, supple finish. Hold or drink until 2034 Pair with roast guinea hen.

The 2021 Helena Montana Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon is made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon and sports a deep garnet-purple color. After a swirl or two, notes of freshly crushed blackcurrants, boysenberries, and blackberries spill from the glass, followed by hints of licorice, tar, and cumin seed, plus an earthy touch of underbrush. The medium to full-bodied palate is tightly wound with black berry and savory layers, supported by a rock-solid structure of firm, grainy tannins and well-knit freshness, finishing long and minerally.

The flagship wine of Stonestreet. The nose is complex and delicate, with an underlying power displaying aromas of dark cherries, blood plums, graphite and sage. The palate is seamless and tight, with silky smooth tannins, bright acidity and a long, lingering finish carrying notes of blackberry compote, graphite, pomegranates and tobacco leaves. Grown at 730 meters on volcanic soil. Drink or hold.

The 2022 Chardonnay Hapgood is gorgeous. Coming from a site on the northern side of the appellation, it has a clean, classy nose of white flowers, green almond, stone fruits, and crushed stone, with some classic Sta. Rita Hills salinity and iodine-like nuances. Balanced, medium to full-bodied, and elegant, with a lively spine of acidity and a fabulous finish, it's up with my favorites from this estate in 2022. 190 cases.

A more savory, meaty effort, the 2022 Pinot Noir Perilune has a darker ruby/plum hue to go with complex notes of mulled darker cherries, leafy herbs, shrimp broth, and Asian spices. Hitting the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, it brings a beautiful density and depth and has ripe tannins, lively yet integrated acidity, and one heck of a great finish. This is a quintessential, savory, marine-influenced Sta. Rita Hills beauty that can be drunk any time over the coming 15 years. I think it’s a step up over the 2021. Bravo.

Juicy dark cherries, mulberries, forest floor, rose, and loamy, earthy notes all emerge from the 2022 Pinot Noir Hapgood, another complex, medium to full-bodied, incredibly compelling Pinot Noir from Brewer. It's not massive but brings ripe tannins, a soft, supple mouthfeel, and a great finish. Its balance is spot on, and this beauty will have 15 years or more of overall longevity. 289 cases.

The 2022 Pinot Noir 459 is more fruit-driven, with both cherry and framboise notes interwoven with beautiful floral, rose petal, and sappy herb-like aromas and flavors. These carry to a medium to full-bodied, pure, seamless 2022 that has polished tannins, a lively, elegant mouthfeel, integrated acidity, and a great finish. It picks up a kiss of classic Sta. Rita Hills salinity and marine-like nuances with time in the glass, but this is one for those who just love that pure, floral, clean Pinot Noir fruit. It will keep for 15 years. 296 cases.

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

From the estate’s 1946-planted bush vines. Half whole berries, half crushed, with gentle pump overs and extended maceration on some parcels up to seven months; matured in older French puncheons, foudre, ceramic eggs and amphorae. This is quite a different wine to the 2022. That’s a tale of two seasons. Both cool, but the buttress of natural tannin in the 2022 is commanding and it is more compressed, needing time. This is prettily lifted, with cherry, cranberry, rosehip, dried orange peel, wild raspberry and red florals. It’s a gloriously fine and elegant expression of this cuvée, but it has tannic drive, line and length, savouriness, flavour depth and detail. Excellent.

From the original contour planted 1971 vines; 20% whole bunches, 30% destemmed and berry sorted and 50% crushed; matured for seven months in 30% new French puncheons, the rest in one- to two-year-old oak, then racked to older French and Austrian 2500L foudre for 12 months. This is amply generous, with blackberry tart, raspberry compote, tapenade and black plum, but picked at the right time and made with a typically deft touch by Peter Fraser. It’s a wine of intensity, verve and impressive harmony, with an elegant sheen of oak tastefully applied.

From the original 1971 contour-planted vines and a 2002 block; crushed to open fermenters; a minimum of 21 days on skins; matured in French barriques (60% new) for a total of 18 months. It’s a cabernet of deep and brooding properties but not girth or heft. Indeed, there is considerable refinement here. Cedar and currant, ripe mulberry, cassis, plum and olive, the pitch of leafiness keenly judged, with proper ripeness achieved at modest alcohol. An equally refined but effective line of tannins draws effortlessly long, with oak a key player but stylish about it. An excellent release.

Deep-ish, bright red with a good tint of purple; smoky reduction and earthy/woodsy aromas, milled peppercorns, terracotta/baked earth and dried-flower nuances. The palate is on the medium side of full bodied and has plenty of firm but fine tannins. A solid but elegant grenache of high quality. Impressive structure and ageworthiness.

Very deep, concentrated purple-red colour with a sweet blackberry pastille aroma betraying very sweet, superripe fruit which is there in abundance on palate, swaddled in layers of powdery, drying tannins. Very rich, opulent and sweet fruited, loaded with ageing potential. A decadent shiraz!

A pyrazine green pepper note blasts through the glass like a firecracker upon the first whiff, yet it’s absent on the palate. Instead, dark fruit leather proliferates with fine-rained tannins that permeate through the wine. It has a medium finish and one that intrigues as it evolves in the glass.

Pouring a ruby/magenta hue, the 2021 Pinot Noir Slope is almost all from the 667 clone of Pinot Noir and was entirely destemmed and raised for 17 months in nearly 70% new French oak. It reveals beautiful aromas of kirsch, floral and fruit notes of mixed berries, crushed flowers, sweet mossy earth, and a hint of anise. Medium-bodied, it expands through the palate, with a weightless feel, ripe tannins, the texture of river stones, and a clean finish. It’s a fantastic wine with a cuddly feel, but it’s never heavy and it has a great finish. Drink 2025-2040.

A barrel selection, but mostly from a single block in the Gran Moraine Vineyard, the 2021 Chardonnay Dropstone is a yellow/silver color and has a nose boasting notes of almond, lemon curd, yellow apple, delicate spice, and wet stones. Medium to full-bodied, it’s long on the palate, with a decadent but mouthwatering feel, vibrant, fresh acidity, and an appealing, long finish. It takes things up a gear and is going to show well over the coming 10-12 years.

From Lou Primavera's 2001-planted vineyard at Woori Yallock; 15% whole bunches and matured in French barriques (25% new). A light, bright crimson. Aromas of strawberry compote, tamarillo, sage and rose petals. A little reduction and graphite too. The palate is succulent and plush with silky tannins, making this the yummo, drink-now, single-vineyard wine from Giant Steps in '23.

A 50/50% mix of upper and lower Yarra fruit; 35% whole bunches and matured in French oak (10% new). A bright crimson red. After a few good few swirls, aromas of ripe raspberries, black cherries, wild herbs and some crushed violets soon emerge. The palate, though, doesn't need much coaxing, and this silken, sappy wine has excellent depth and persistence. Will be even better six to 12 months from now.

Applejack vineyard was planted at Gladysdale by Ray Guerin in 1997, and only 2ha of its 11ha is planted to chardonnay. It is named for the Applejack eucalypts that surround it. Whole-bunch pressed straight to barrel with full solids and matured in mainly second use puncheons. A very bright green gold. A pure and gently reticent bouquet of stone fruits, lemon verbena and crushed rocks. The palate is tightly coiled, steely, saline and focused. A wine with excellent potential.

The 2021 Pinot Noir La Crête has a complex perfume of pomegranate, blueberry, licorice, orange peel and sagebrush. The medium-bodied palate is characterized by powerful, generously perfumed fruit. It has a finely chalky frame, vibrant acidity and a very long, dynamic finish laced with flowers, herbs and citrus. It's a great candidate for the cellar. Only 100 cases were made.

There's an intense but evenly distributed stemminess to the nose of this bottling, which is equally redolent with cherry compote and sorbet notes to balance the bay and tea leaf touches. The palate's herbaceousness is more delicate, as cherry and cola flavors push into the finish.

Minty sagebrush and baking spice aromas give plenty of nuance to the nose of this wine, which centers on raspberry preserve and fresh cherry flavors. The palate's flavors range from bay leaf and mint to wild raspberry.