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

Winemaker Chris Carpenter believes the energy of mountain sunlight and the right balance
of soils around Napa create ideal conditions for Merlot with depth and structure. He layers
in a small amount of Petit Verdot for its savouriness and backbone of tannin to
complement the luscious character of Merlot fruit. Grapes are sourced from the Keyes and
La Jota estate vineyards. Fermentation occurs in open-top stainless steel tanks, utilising
native yeasts, with pump-overs and basket pressing. Carpenter personally tastes every
basket press cut to make precise decisions. The wine is then aged for 22 months in 60%
new French oak. The result is a medium- to full-bodied wine with impressive density and
lift. Aromatics are striking—red berry and mulberry fruit layered with graphite minerality,
rose petal, and wild herb notes that carry through to the palate. The tannins are finely
woven, plush yet firm, giving the wine forward momentum. It’s brimming with energy and
finishes with a mineral tension reminiscent of spring water—quite a showing in 2022.

Planted on a cool, south-facing slope in Tarrawarra. Barrel fermented and matured in puncheons and barriques (27% new). A bright green gold. Seductive with its bouquet of fuzzy peach skins, apricot, lemon oil and a hint of fresh vanilla bean. Opulent and creamily textured, with a fine vein of acidity running through the wine that gives it both structure and length. Very long and very yum to drink now and in the short to medium term.

From the Sexton vineyard in Gruyere planted in the late '90s. 100% destemmed. A deep crimson ruby. Aromas of ripe dark raspberries, blackcurrant pastilles (these were always my favourite) and even a little kirsch. A touch of rose bush. The palate is juicy and fleshy and the wine's ripe, plush tannins make this, along with the Primavera, the richest, meatiest and most immediate of the four single-vineyard pinots in '24. Having said this, you'd be happy if you found some laying around the cellar in eight or so years.

No whole bunches and only MV6 from a south-facing slope at 400m, which has worked well in this warm year. A touch closed, this didn't need too long to open up, revealing a complex array of aromas including pure red cherry, sarsaparilla and spices such as clove and cardamom. Tightly wound, this is driven as much by the wine's very bright acidity as its superfine tannins. Give this some air and drink now or watch it slowly unfurl over time.

Applejack vineyard was planted at Gladysdale by Ray Guerin in '97, and only 2ha of its 11ha are planted to chardonnay. Fermented and matured in both puncheons and ceramic eggs (30%). This is all about purity and precision with its aromas of white stone fruits, crushed rocks and a little white nougat. The palate is, as you'd expect, tightly coiled, waiting to unwind. Saline and long. Along with the Bastard Hill, this will need some time to become more open and expressive.