A marginal vineyard in a marginal year. Sparkling wine chardonnay clones. All went through malolactic fermentation here. “The cool years will always challenge these sites”, offers Steve Flamsteed.Has some ripe stone fruit, chicken soup characters, slightly buttery, a touch of truffle and mushroom in there too. Good texture, plush and round, concentrated, a core of very saline, delicious, minerally acidity through the core, finishes salty saline but with puppy fat and gummy texture around that sizzle and tang. Missing some composure, but the minerally, saline feel is great.

A little price rise for the 2020. Sourced from 70+ year old plantings. Raspberry, cherry, spice, rock salt and subtle smokiness. It’s juicy and saline, a little pomegranate and orange zest, dry and slightly furry tannin, and a lively slightly sour finish of solid length. A bit chewy and compact in feel, but a good wine.

Showing some Californian influence from its American owners, this two-site Stellenbosch Chardonnay has flavours of toffee fudge, sweet vanilla spices and beeswax, supported by good creamy texture and a racy, refreshing finish. Better balanced than the 2018.

Upon harvest, the grapes for the 2019 Roux Beaute Roussanne were divided into two parts: half were destemmed, crushed and fermented on the skins (total time on skins was 193 days); the other half were pressed for a conventional white-wine fermentation without skins. Both halves were fermented and aged in 675-liter ceramic eggs. The final blend is 60% conventional and 40% skin-macerated, yielding a deep, brassy-hued wine with scents of honey, quince, fresh cider and baked apples. Medium to full-bodied, it's richly textural yet fresh, tightly structured and lively, a bit of a quixotic wine, intriguing and cerebral yet not entirely hedonistic.

Straight down the barrel of generous and hearty shiraz with dark berries and plums, framed in cedary oak and spice. The palate is boldly mouth-filling, saturated with ripe blackberry and dark-plum flavors. Drink now. Screw cap.

2019 Pinot Noir, Gran Moraine Vineyard The nose is supple cranberry and plum perfume underpinned by graphite, conifer and saline. The palate entry is cool, fresh and focused with a core of briar and camphor finishing with brown spices. Drink 2021 - 2027.

2019 Pinot Noir, Sierra Mar Vineyard The nose is fresh-sawn cedar, licorice, graphite and rust. The palate entry is lean red cherry and raspberry with a tangy, mouth-coating mid-palate texture finishing with vibrant, dry herb and tobacco. Drink 2021 - 2026.

Coming from 100% old vine Chenin brought up in barrel, the 2019 Chenin Blanc Jurassic Vineyard reveals a light gold hue to go with classic Chenin ripe citrus and orchard fruits as well as notes of dried herbs and chalky, salty minerality. It's nicely textured, medium-bodied, and balanced, with a clean, dry finish.

The 2019 Syrah Santa Barbara County always shows a cooler climate style, and that's very apparent in the cooler 2019 vintage. Juicy mulberry and blackberry fruits as well as pepper, wildflowers, and foresty, pine-like nuances define the bouquet, and it's medium-bodied, with a pure, elegant texture, silky tannins, and a great finish. It shows more violet and floral notes with time in the glass and benefits from air, so don't be afraid to open bottles ahead of time.

The 2018 Pinot Noir Signature Collection Julia's Vineyard, from the same vineyard, is similar ruby/plum-hued and offers a darker, richer, slightly more inward style in its redcurrant and black cherry fruits as well as forest floor, pine, and sappy herb-like aromas and flavors. It's more structured and has medium-bodied richness, ripe tannins, and a great finish.

It is always a pleasure to drink an older Napa Cabernet. This one is drinking beautifully today. Deep garnet in color, mostly opaque and bright. The nose is nice with cassis, spice, some tobacco, cherries and slight chocolate. Full bodied. On the palate, this is a bit past prime but offering up a lot. Some fresh fruit (cassis and cherries) along with tobacco and slight funk. Nice finish. Good complexity. This should be consumed sooner than later but all bottles will be unique. It drank great on its own and worked with some soft cheeses.

There is no denying 2017 was a super hot year in Italy. Still, for some reason, the Super Tuscans led by Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot managed to make the best of the sunshine, as evidenced by this terrific bottle of Il Fauno. Fresh, dense, and power-packed, this is a delight to drink even now, although I suggest it is a wine that deserves a decade in the cellar. And at this price, that makes it a superstar for the cellar. Spicy licorice spills out of the glass along with powerful black fruit, thankfully held in restraint by the touch of French-born winemaker Pierre Seillan. The textures are equally expressive — stock up.

Smooth and juicy, with ripe pear and citrus fruit, toasty, rich and balanced, long and amiable, stylish and an interesting wine at an excellent price.

Quite ripe, but vivid, with lushly textured plum, açaí berry and blackberry reduction flavors layered seamlessly, framed with mocha- and vanilla-accented toast and backed by violet and warm earth hints on the finish. For the hedonist crowd. Drink now through 2026.

This medium ruby colored Pinot Noir from Oregon opens with a mild cola bouquet with a hint of blueberry. On the palate, this wine is medium bodied, balanced, round, soft and nicely coats your mouth. The flavor profile is a black plum and gentle cola blend with notes of blackberry and clove. I also detected hints of boysenberry and anise. The finish is dry and its tannins are a bit sticky for a Pinot. I would pair this Pinot with duck breasts with pinot noir and cherry sauce.

Fully de-stemmed with a large percentage of whole berries. Cold-soaked, warmed and fermented wild across 2 weeks on skins. Certified organic/biodynamic. Full and pulpy. Aromas of violet, smoked meat, iodine and assorted blue fruits. Grapey, juicy and mellifluous.

Organic/biodynamic. Destemmed to 50% whole berries. A blend that defines the resolute urgency of now: 45/19/19/12/4/1% grenache/carignan/mourvèdre/shiraz/cinsault/counoise. The 45% younger-vine grenache in this red blend provides a medium of freshness as much as the lithe tannic spine, following 109 days on skins. Biodynamic writ large, showing holistic handling with intelligence. Pour big. Drink large. Raspberry, violet and briary sap. Everyday wine from the heavens.

As with all wines aside from the newly acquired Hickinbotham Clarendon grenache, this hails from certified organic/biodynamic vineyards, an even split of sand and ironstone. 20% whole bunches and a splash of viognier for spicing and lift. Open fermented wild and on skins for 14–21 days, albeit, macerated gently. 10 months in an arsenal of French oak formats. Violet, iodine, dark cherry and blueberries. A skein of cardamom, clove and pepper grind-doused acidity tows solid length. Plump and juicy, with a bow of reductive tension across the finish.

Plush and well-spiced, with a creamy texture to the ripe apple and peach pastry flavors. The finish is loaded with buttered toast accents that glide across the palate.

The 2018 Winemaster's Blend is a very pretty, Merlot-based red blend from vineyards in Alexander Valley. Bright red cherry/red plum, blood orange, mint, cinnamon and iron all meld together in a wine of real distinction and class. I would give the 2018 a year or two in bottle to soften, as the Cabernet and Petit Verdot tannins are a bit imposing today. This is a strong showing from Kendall-Jackson.

The 2019 Chardonnay Grand Reserve is a selection of top lots mostly in Santa Barbara County, Los Alamos and Santa Maria. Hints of tropical fruit, ginger, spice and flowers make for an airy, mid-weight Chardonnay that offers lovely exoticism and tons of character.

The 2018 Pinot Noir Seven's Bench, from a site in Carneros, is earthy and savory in feel. Dried cherry, mint, cinnamon, sweet pipe tobacco, licorice and soil-driven tones all open in the glass. A touch of whole clusters works well here.

The 2018 Pinot Noir Hailey's Block offers up an especially earthy, savory range of cool-climate flavors. Dried cherry, cedar, tobacco, spice and dried flowers all take shape with a bit of coaxing. The Hailey's Block is the sort of wine that really needs to be enjoyed over time, as it opens nicely with some aeration.

The 2019 Chardonnay (Russian River) is a terrific appellation-level wine. Bright and finely cut, the 2019 is so well-balanced. Lemon peel and white flowers grace this enticing Chardonnay from Hartford. Bright acids and floral accents round out the finish nicely.

The 2019 Pinot Noir (Russian River) is a terrific appellation-level offering in this range from Hartford Court. Blue/purplish fruit, cinnamon, licorice and spice all grace this expressive, mid-weight Pinot. Enjoy it over the next decade.