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.

Based on 100% Chardonnay and aged 15 months in 100% neutral oak barrels, the 2023 Chardonnay 3D brings a touch more richness, with Meyer lemon, oyster shell, blanched almonds, and orange blossom aromatics, followed by a beautiful salty minerality that emerges with air. It's medium-bodied, concentrated, has a pure, layered mouthfeel, and brilliant length on the finish. Coming from a site near Lompoc and lighter soils, it’s going to evolve gracefully over the coming decade. Drink 2025-2035.

Fijnbosch is the richest and most textured of the Capensis Chardonnays, produced in what
might be termed a Meursault style. The expression of a single site in Stellenbosch, planted
between 1996 and 1999, it has scented 50% new wood, layers of fennel, lemon butter and
oatmeal and plenty of underlying structure

A wine that demonstrates Graham Weerts' skills as a blender, this uses grapes from
Stellenbosch, Robertson, Barrydale and the Overberg. Fermented in 30% new wood, it has
a touch of malolactic, effortless structure, energy and complexity, notes of toast,
lemongrass and green tea and a racy, saline finish.

This is powerful and structured with lovely sweet floral cherry fruit as well as some blackcurrant. This is structured and focused with floral aromatics combining with dense fruit. Such grippy structure under the fruit, with nice finesse. This has lots of potential but you can drink it now.

This is ripe but really well balanced with sweet blackcurrant and cherry fruit with some warm berry notes. Fresh despite its size, with lovely depth of fruit. Has freshness, a touch of florality, good structure and well integrated oak. Warm and slightly spicy, but with harmony and presence.

Aged 15 months in French oak barrels, 60% new. This is the one that was blended remotely by Chris because of lockdown. This shows fresh, floral blackcurrant fruit with nice density but also lovely balance. There’s a sleekness to the fruit, but also some floral perfume and freshness on the finish. Very stylish.

The 2022 Pinot Noir Block 14 pours a bright red and leaps from the glass with notes of raspberry, spice, and wildflower perfume. Sourced from west-facing, rocky soils, this wine is light on its feet yet precise, with fine tannins and impressive detail. Only produced in standout vintages, this release delivers outstanding energy and transparency. Drink 2025-2040.

The 2022 Pinot Noir Cascade is bright ruby and highly expressive, with floral perfume, ripe raspberries, wild cherry, cedar, fresh herbs, and spice. Medium-bodied, it has fine tannins, ripe acidity, and a long, elegant finish. It’s a standout in the red wine lineup from Gran Moraine. Bravo.

The Applejack Vineyard at Gladysdale in the Yarra Valley is on an east facing slope. There’s a 100 metre drop from the top of the vineyard to the bottom. There’s also significant clonal diversity in this vineyard. It was planted in 1997. The Bastard Hill and Primavera vineyards are red dirt; we’re into caramel-clay soils here at Gladysdale.

When I was a kid in suburban Melbourne various neighbours along my street would, in autumn, sweep up the fallen leaves into brown piles and then burn them, in the gutter, in the street. I’d walk to school and pass intermittent piles of smouldering smoke, which was cinematic, atmospheric, and mind-boggling simultaneously. I mention this here because this release of Applejack Pinot Noir is so inherently autumnal. I picked up the glass, took one sniff and sip, and thought: hello. The smoked herbs, the leaves, the walk through a misty-smoky field of red cherry and plum. The palate puts its foot down, upping the presence, and then fanning out through the finish. It’s a wine of extreme length but it’s the feels, the fleshes and the nuances that motor the enchantment.

Discreet spices and smoky plums on the nose; fleshy and rich in the mouth with sumptuous flavour and ripe fruit suppleness, the tannins balanced and relatively easygoing while they supply a drying, authoritative finish.

Liberal oak at first sniff gives way to superbly ripe cassis, blackberry and dried sage aromas with extended airing. Full bodied and firm with abundant tannins that persist through a long farewell. Superb cabernet indeed.

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. Drink 2025-2038

The Perilune Vineyard was planted back in 2006 as this location is on rocky soils. This saw a touch of whole cluster fermentation. Bright red rose petals collide with wet rock, guava and red currants. The palate is a total knockout with amazing flavor density and tremendous salty character. Only made from clone 114. Drink 2025-2038

The 2023 Siduri ‘Rosella’s Vineyard’ Pinot Noir was stored in roughly 40% new French oak before bottling. This offers a great combination of red and dark florals on the nose alongside baking spices and dense red fruits with Nori notes. This is silky and refined with serious weight and texture, with loads of mouth-watering acidity. Drink 2025-2040

Zin rarely has this much focus and refinement. Multilayered raspberry and boysenberry flavors are laced with savory anise, dark spices and briar patch as it build richness and tension toward fine-grained tannins. Drink now through 2035. From California.

In its second vintage, this Assyrtiko is already delicious. It’s the only planting of the variety I’m aware of in Sonoma County, high up on Stonestreet’s vineyard in the hills of Pocket Peak. The site’s marginal climate, with ample sun and wind exposure, accentuates the Assyrtiko’s wild, herbal character. Stonestreet had a Greek-born assistant winemaker who helped guide the project from day one, and the result is a wine that’s more aromatically expressive than many traditional bottlings from Greece. The 2024 has 80% of the varietal, resulting in a nose that leads with tart apples and layered citrus, featuring notes of orange oil, lemon pith, and mandarin peel, lifted by a herbal note of bay laurel and early spring chamomile. The palate is stunning, with real structure, vibrant acidity, and a textured, slightly viscous mid-palate. Assyrtiko’s natural phenolics, accentuated by the constant wind on the vineyard, bring subtle grip and shape. A blend of stainless steel and neutral oak preserves freshness and a highly aromatic profile. It’s exciting to see this variety pushed into new territory with such confidence.

This west-facing, volcanic-soil vineyard produces a Chardonnay that is both rich and expressive. The low-yielding 2022 vintage brought even more concentration and depth, displaying a deep yellow hue in the glass and showing off impressive aromas initially. With a slight reduction at first, the nose follows into citrus pith and lightly tart tropical notes. On the palate, there’s a delicate citrus creaminess that reminds me of lemon meringue tart and a subtle touch of honey. Fermented and aged in 15% new French oak, the wine also saw a portion fermented in a concrete egg, a choice that likely contributed to its nice texture and finish.

The Estate Cabernet is a blend of parcels across all Stonestreet’s mountain estate, ranging from 600 to 2,400 feet in elevation. Harvested at the peak of a multi-year drought, the 2015 vintage was marked by low yields but excellent fruit quality. Now, a decade in, the wine shows incredible freshness and lift, with abundant wild berries and black cherries, savoury herbs, and a cool streak of minerality and wet flowers. The palate is dense and compact, with flavours that are not heavy, layered with tart blackberries, a touch of mocha, and leather. The tannins are polished, revealing the wine's structure without being too serious. It's a 10-year release that makes this wine very approachable.

This Merlot showcases the power of mountain tannins, balanced by the generosity of the
vintage and winemaker Chris Carpenter’s meticulous attention to rootstock, clone, and
site—each influencing the tannin profile in the grape skins from every corner of the
vineyards he farms. Blended with 15% Cabernet Sauvignon and aged for 22 months in 74%
new French oak, the wine offers rich, expressive notes of mulberry and thyme, dark
chocolate dusted with black sea salt, and nuances of underbrush and deep forest redwood
that unfurl on the ever-lingering finish. A powerful, structured Merlot that remains
remarkably approachable—and more than capable of standing shoulder to shoulder with
the best in the world.

The W.S. Keyes Vineyard is one of the last remaining Chardonnay blocks on Howell
Mountain. Approximately 30% of the fruit is sent directly to press, then to barrels, where it
undergoes native fermentation. The remainder is fermented with sweet lees and divided
between barrels and 130-gallon new French oak puncheons, with the rest aged in used
barrels. The wine undergoes 22 months of lees stirring but does not undergo malolactic
fermentation, and in the end, only 12% of the oak is new. Winemaker Chris Carpenter notes
that he picks around 21.5° Brix to preserve the character of orchard and underripe orchard
fruit, rather than veering into tropical tones. The resulting wine is light, bright, and pure,
with delicate aromas of orchard fruit and white flowers. On the palate, it expands with mid-
palate richness and deeper, baked orchard fruit notes, a subtle honeyed depth, and
impressive saline-acid tension that builds into a finish with length that lasts for days