Cassis, graphite, and crushed stone all define the 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon, a pure, balanced effort that's medium to full-bodied and shows the minerality and graphite character that defines the vintage. Based on 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc, 3% Malbec, and the balance Merlot and Petit Verdot, aged in 70% new oak, it has ample tannins and a great finish. There are 4,101 cases produced. Drink 2026-2046.

The ‘Hapgood Vineyard’ is located near Melville winery. The wine is comprised of selections 459 and Mt. Eden. This 2023 Pinot Noir was given a small amount of whole cluster fermentation having amazing weight and freshness, with ultra-pure red fruits alongside orange peel and rose water notes. This is pure Santa Rita Hills. 

The 2022 La Muse is a blend of 90% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc, and 4% Malbec. Deep garnet-purple colored, it prances out with showy scents of juicy plums, black cherry preserves, and blackberry compote, opening out to touches of anise, lavender oil, and tilled soil with a waft of fallen leaves. The full-bodied palate delivers taut, muscular fruit and great tension with a grainy texture and long, savory finish. 

Gladysdale. Eastern-facing. 25% whole cluster. Fresh, bright and dynamic with lovely red cherry and redcurrant fruit. There’s a precision and brightness here with some mineral detail and grippy, well-integrated structure. Very fine, quite primary, but with amazing potential for development, although it’s good to go now. Such brightness but also elegance.

The first release from this vineyard at 400 m. Planted in 1987 in the boom of sparkling. Two sides divided by a central hill. It’s a very marginal site and they reckon one vintage in ten there won’t be a harvest, and in many years a lot of the fruit will have to be declassified, but once every five years they’ll make something remarkable. 1000 litres/6 barriques made. Very late vintage, and fully destemmed. MV6 and D clone Pinot. There’s a beautiful texture and harmony to this wine with raspberry, cherry and strawberry fruit. Fine and silky but with this lovely nervy fine-grained mineral notes and super-fine tannin. Ethereal and exotic with amazing texture.

This is across the road from Willow Lake. 220-290 m. This is a 13 hectare property with 1.8 ha of Chardonnay, all I10 clone. Grey clay soils. Complex, lively and mineral with an exoticpineapple hint to the keen citrus fruit. Lots of concentration and intensity here, with keen acidity. Lovely precision. This is tightwound and expressive with power and precision, finishing with a blast of lime and grapefruit.

Mostly P58 clone. Lovely fruit intensity here. This is a superbly balanced Chardonnay with a lovely dynamic range, with powerful citrus and some pear and white peach fruit, with lovely fruit, a fine grapefruit-like acidity, and some subtle toasty, spicy notes in the mix. There’s some richness, but it finishes alert and bright with amazing precision on the finish. Thrilling, with weight and complexity, and also some generosity.

The 2014 Brut Millésimé is composed of 50% Chardonnay and 50% Pinot Noir coming from 6 crus, all 1er Cru or Grand Cru sites. It spends at least 8 years on lees with a dosage of 5 g/L. Wow—the nose erupts with an intense perfume of crème caramel, candied ginger, beeswax, and lime leaves, leading to a core of fresh raspberries, wet slate, and Golden Delicious apples, plus a waft of brioche and struck flint. The palate is tight-knit, very dry, and super-crisp with intense orchard fruit and citrus flavors lifted by very fine bubbles, finishing with a spicy lift.

The Cuvée Hemera is a blend of 50% Chardonnay, 50% Pinot Noir coming from 6 crus, all 1er Cru or Grand Cru sites. It spends at least 10 years on lees with a dosage of 3.5 g/L. It prances out with showy notes of juicy peaches, poached pears, and apple butter, opening out to nuances of honey toast, allspice, and marzipan with a touch of crushed rocks. The palate has a wonderful honey-toast character with nutty accents and a very crisp backbone, finishing long and savory. Gorgeous

The 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon is a seriously vivid, striking wine that marries Howell Mountain structure with a great deal of finesse that is rarely seen in young wines from this appellation. Healthy dollops of Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot lend quite a bit of character. I don't think I have ever tasted a wine with this much freshness and verve from La Jota.

Elegant yet opulent, showing refined, subtle aromas of Bosc pears, wet stones and green apples. This has layers of fruit flavors and energetic acidity with an incredibly long finish that’s rich yet refreshing. From a high-elevation site. Drink or hold.

I’ve always wondered why 100% Chardonnay sparklers are labeled Blanc de Blancs (plural) rather than Blanc de Blanc (singular) but that’s a question that will require more research. This could be considered ‘Extended Tirage’ as is the rosé named below, but again, that is an indeterminate term with no specific requirements. It’s had six years en tirage and it’s on the doorstep of showing the nutty richness of well-aged bubbly. Pear drop highlights, toasted hazelnuts and a touch of apple pie are in the mix, with a long, lingering and engaging finish.

Mineral-edged and polished, with aromas of lime leaves, lemon peel, oyster shells, talcum powder, sea spray, apple blossoms and crushed stones. The palate is high-tension and tightly wound, with underlying power and weight carrying notes of grapefruit and salted nuts. This is delicious, with plenty of generosity. Drink or hold. Screw cap.

Pure and refined, with aromas of wild red fruits, summer flowers, citrus peel, raspberry
bushes and crushed stones. The palate is firmly framed, with a high level of polish and a
textural, mid-weighted mouthfeel, giving notes of dried strawberries. Great depth and
tension, with underlying power. Drink or hold. Screw cap.

Floral and perfumed, with crushed red cherries, summer flowers, pomegranates, rose hips
and violets. The palate is reserved and delicate, with a mid-weighted mouthfeel and
crunchy tannins, giving lovely floral and red fruit notes with a savory undertone of fresh
herbs and fennel. Hints of citrus peel, blood oranges and graphite add complexity. A really
pretty and delicate wine. Drink or hold. Screw cap.

Fine-boned and perfumed, with aromas of dried strawberries, macerated red cherries, iron,
graphite, crushed stones and fresh flowers. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grained
tannins and bright acidity, tied together by a mineral edge. Chiseled and focused, with a
floral lift. Drink or hold. Screw cap.

Yellow apples, hard melons and minerals zip along with limelike acidity, a hovering note of jasmine in the background. Fervent yet with an elegant, anchoring, tactile quality. Long. Drink or hold.

The 2023 Siduri Soberanes Vineyard Pinot Noir from the Santa Lucia Highlands is sourced
from Clone 666 and aged 10 months in 25% new French oak. It shows a radiant ruby-blue
center with a soft red edge. The nose layers black cherry, wild strawberry, and dusky
blackberry with accents of coastal breeze, herbal citrus, and a hint of baking spice. On the
palate, darker fruit tones mingle with warm spice and a touch of vanilla, creating both
richness and lift. More powerful and concentrated than its regional counterparts, it still
carries finesse through its balance of fruit, structure, and elegance. 236 cases made.
Highly recommended.

The 2017 vintage was not dissimilar to 2011 and 2023, in that it was as cold as 2023,
without the rain of 2011. So here, the 2017 High Sands Grenache was so perfumed on my
first look through the wines prior to sitting down to write about them, and here those
flowers and spices have sunk deep into the fine leather and sweet roasted marrow that I
am tasting right now. This is an elegant wine, with more fruit weight than the 2011 tasted
before it and less upper-spice register that is inherent in the 2023. This is still so youthful
today.

The 2024 Roux Beaute Roussanne hails from a fantastic year in McLaren Vale. Warm and
dry, with a healthy lead-in, thanks to the cool 2023 season that preceded it. I was lucky
enough to taste a bottle of the 2015 Roux Beaute Roussanne last night at dinner, and the
wine was aging so slowly; among some very strong French icon wines, it more than held its
own and never wavered from expressing the freshness and detail of this place in McLaren
Vale. So here, the 2024 Roux Beaute Roussanne is floral and fresh, and the phenolics really
help the flavors to penetrate onto the palate. This is already so concentrated and intense
but with tightly wound phenolics. This will be a superstar. It will not be released until May
2026.

From a vineyard planted in 1986, when the grapes were destined for Duckhorn, La Jota's
2022 Merlot W.S. Keyes Vineyard offers up scents of black cherries, vanilla and mocha—
almost like a coffee-grounds character. It's full-bodied and rich, with much smoother, finergrained tannins than the regular La Jota Merlot. Concentrated and long on the finish, this is
undoubtedly one of the best Merlots currently coming out of Napa.

In addition to fruit from the Jackson Family’s Mountain holdings (Diamond Mountain,
Howell Mountain, Mount Veeder and Spring Mountain), the 2022 Cardinale includes grapes
from the Atlas Peak, Rutherford, Saint Helena and Stags Leap District AVAs. It spent 22
months in 81% new French oak, resulting in a wine redolent of cedar, black cherries and
vanilla. Truthfully, it's not as complex as you might hope for, but it's still a mighty impressive
mouthful of Cabernet, being full-bodied and velvety-textured. It's not quite plush, showing
just a bit of chewy tannin at the moment, but it should prove very enjoyable to drink over
the next two decades.

The 2022 La Joie is a blend of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Cabernet Franc, 7% Merlot and 6% Petit Verdot matured for 16 months in 95% new French oak. It bursts from the glass with explosive aromas of cassis, garrigue, violet and ferrous undertones. The full-bodied palate offers the same open-knit, blue-black flavors and compelling iron-like mineral character. It’s framed by velvety tannins and vibrant acidity, and has a very long, perfumed finish. Its new-oak spice is already well integrated, and it should be long lived in the cellar.

Based on 100% Pinot Noir that was not destemmed and was aged 15 months in 100% neutral
oak barrels, the 2023 Pinot Noir Machado offers Bing cherries, red plums, candied violets,
peppery herbs, and incense. It's medium to full-bodied, has a broad, layered mouthfeel, ripe,
velvety tannins, and blockbuster length. It's a big, rich, opulent beauty that does everything right. I
doubt it's for the low alcohol crowd (it's 15%), but it's a brilliant, singular Pinot Noir that has so
much character, as well as a decade of prime drinking. Drink 2025-2035.

Made from 100% Pinot Noir that was not destemmed and was aged 15 months in 100% neutral
oak barrels, the 2023 Pinot Noir 459 offers candied cherries, leafy herbs, wild strawberries, and
sappy, rose petal nuances. It's medium to full-bodied, has a decadent, layered, yet balanced
mouthfeel, polished tannins, and a great finish. Drink bottles over the coming decade. Drink
2025-2035.