Why Australian Wine is Some of the Most Exciting in the World A fresh and fragrant cabernet with violets and dark rose-like floras, cassis and blueberries. There is also a decent serving of spicy oak in the mix. The palate is smoothly arranged on sheets of formidably strong tannins, which are carried seamlessly into the finish. A stunning cabernet.

This is a dense, juicy wine, with up-front richness to its bouquet of red cherry and strawberry. The acidity is lasting and refreshing, with silky tannins that add texture and grace.

Wine of the Day The Ex Post Facto by Greg Brewer, is a pure Syrah from one of state’s best artist/philosopher winemakers, his wines, especially this new project, are thinking man’s wines, but with a bit of whimsy and magic! Ex Post Facto (which means in Latin: with retroactive effect or force.” is Greg Brewer’s most recent wine (Syrah), he is more famous for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, with his Brewer-Clifton wines being post modern icons, but he has made some fantastic Syrah in his past, from his time at Melville, including his versions of Donna’s there, they were awesome wines often rivaling the best from Alban, Ojai and Sine Qua Non, which were some of the greats of the region at the time! And his search of zen purity and sense of place is legendary in the Santa Barbara region. These are not wines to miss out on! It’s funny to say or think, but I love Greg’s Syrah(s), always have, I feel they show a freedom that sometimes is lacking in his other wines, the come across more wild and natural, maybe it is just my personal interpretation or projection, it’s just the way they hit me and I love the racy and nervous intensity that have, the stemmy vigor and force that drives them intrigues me from head to toe! This 2016 Ex Post Facto, sold through Brewer-Clifton, where you can also get his Diatom Wines too, is beautifully detailed with exceptional layers of gripping flavors, it’s richly full on the palate, but full of vitality, class and cool climate character with a cascade of violets, briar spice, boysenberry, damson plum and opulent kirsch adding peppercorns, blueberry, cassis, minty/anise, mineral tones, tapenade, cedar and shaved vanilla. Everything vibrant and of course youthful at this stage, gaining density with air, at 14.5% it’s not a shy wine, but complex, balanced and with gorgeous dimension, it will appeal to fans of Cornas and Cote-Rotie as well as those that like Pax, Drew, Piedrasassi, Halcon and Stolpman, and even better yet, it is a great value, highlighting the fact that some of California’s best red wines can be under $50 and made from Syrah! I have been dying to get my hands on this new wine from Greg for months, ever since he told me he was doing this Ex Post Facto Syrah project, and it has met and surpassed my sky high expectations! Look for this is be a must have wine, it should reward mid term cellaring too, I plan to hide a few bottles from my greedy self to re-discover in 5 to 10 years time, it has some serious potential. As, I suspected, Greg used 100% whole cluster from an ultra cold site with 3 months in the fermenter, an unheard of length of time, which certainly shows in the depth here and he employed the eldest barrels he could find in the cellar in classic Northern Rhone traditional winemaking, and yes, I’m a stems freak and this is my holy grail.

Elegant, offering raspberry, pomegranate and cherry flavors that are well-structured. Notes of forest floor show midpalate, with an enveloping finish of spice and brick.

A Spotlight on Santa Barbara Reminding me of the 2007, the sensational 2012 Pinot Noir Sta. Rita Hills has terrific purity in its kirsch, black cherry, exotic spice and floral aromatics. Elegant, medium-bodied, supple and very silky on the palate, it’s one of the more forward wines in the lineup but has terrific balance.

A Spotlight on Santa Barbara In a different style, the 2010 is a darker, richer wine that gives up more black fruits, ground herbs, licorice, wood smoke, and tapenade. Rich, textured, nicely concentrated with notable freshness, drink it anytime over the coming decade. It's still a baby.

A Spotlight on Santa Barbara The 2010 Chardonnay Sta. Rita Hills is in a great spot. Orchard fruits, hints of tropical fruits, buttered citrus, matchstick and mushroom characteristics give way to a textured, layered, beautifully pure white that has tons to love. Given the evolution of the previous vintages, this can safely be enjoyed anytime over the coming decade or more.

A Spotlight on Santa Barbara Also from a cooler year, the 2008 Chardonnay Sta. Rita Hills comes from a mix of Mount Carmel, Sweeny, Sea Smoke and Clos Pepe vineyards as well a few others. It offers a more Chablis-like character and boasts lots of lemon curd, crushed rock and buttered citrus aromas and flavors. Fresh, elegant, silky and beautiful on the palate, with great acidity, it's drinking at point today, yet has plenty of life.

Charge at this! What an absolute ripper. Superb value too. Sourced from vines planted in 2009 and 1946, the fruit was hand-picked over two separate dates - one week apart. Wild yeast fermented with time on lees for five months. Certified organic and biodynamic. Pale, dry and ridiculously delicious. I could drink a gallon of this stuff. It's almost as though there's something here for everyone - delicious fruit, pretty aromatics and a bone dry finish. Whiffs of musk and rose water along with squashed strawberry get you in the mood. In the mouth, winemaker says rose hip but I say hibiscus. Either or. Generous and juicy to taste, the fruit is soft seeing white peach and strawberry before a red apple crunch swoops on the finish. Moreish and absolutely delicious - hello sunshine! Drink now.

Pale copper-crimson, gorgeously aromatic, spotlessly clean and a delight to drink. Echoes of redcurrant and spice, dried herbs and cherries. Dry and racy, but not anaemic or underdone. Everything here, price included, is in alignment.

Why Australian Wine is Some of the Most Exciting in the World A decadent grenache with dried blueberries, tar, brambleberries and Chinese spices. The palate is also generous but well supported by grainy, tight tannins and a fine line of acidity. A crunchy, chewy finish.

From bush vines planted '46, 50% whole berries, 50% destemmed, wild yeast open-fermented, matured for 10 months in used French oak. Very good colour; rich, full predominantly red fruits supported by fine tannins. No hint at all of confection or jam. The finish simply reinforces the depth and the freshness of the fruit from 70yo vines. Bargain.

Matured for 10 months in used French oak. Normally this goes into the GSM, in exceptional years made as a single varietal. This is high quality mourvedre, with luscious purple and black fruits with a markedly juicy palate and aftertaste.

It all sees oak, though only 10% of it is new. This just has that something extra; it carries along in competent style but the sparks really fly on the finish. It’s slippery and textural, though not oily, fresh with fruit, and then wild with dry spice, roasted nuts, fennel, fruit and mineral to close. You want more? It gives it to you.

Why Australian Wine is Some of the Most Exciting in the World Beautiful power and refinement here. This has a stony edge to the nose with flavors of pears and pear skin. Months on skins have added mellow and nutty grip to the palate. This will be fascinating as an aged wine.

Estate-grown 13yo vines, 50% foot-stomped and fermented in a 675l ceramic egg, remaining on skins for 160 days before pressing, 50% also fermented in a ceramic egg without skins, the final blend resulting in 60% extended skin contact, 40% without skins. It's incredible that so little evidence of wild, way out winemaking has produced a bright straw-green wine, that truly tastes of roussanne, a non-aromatic variety. The only sign is a touch of heat or ginger (I don't know which) that flickers every now and then.

Yangarra Goes Even Higher: Four Outstanding Super Premium Releases This is what Australian Roussanne should taste like. 13yr old Roussanne vines, the fruit separated into two parcels – one batch destemmed and fermented on skins in ceramic eggs, remained on skins for 137 days. The other half was taken off skins and matured more traditionally (but still in eggs). 60/40 skin contact parcel vs non skin contact in final blend. Numbers: TA 5.62, pH 3.35. An entrancing Roussanne, with a thrust of concentrated pear juice, the layers of succulent and tangy pear juice is offset by this vague phenolic punch. That textural grip is just a delight – no oak but who needs it? Layers of mealy apple pie flavour. It’s so full and yet the tannins matches perfectly. What a drink! Best drinking: I’d drink this within six years as it’s probably perfect now. 18.5/20, 94/100. 13.5%, $72. Would I buy it? Yes.

Brilliant Grenache from Clarendon perched 225m above. Such a delicious wine with a savoury drive the highlight. The vineyard was planted in 1962. Handpicked fruit with 10% whole bunches used. Matured in a selection of five-year-old barrels. Don't walk up here expecting raspberries and strawberries. Fine spices coupled with dried fig and dried dates sit at the core of this wine. It runs deep with plenty of meaty generosity in its veins. Some dried red flower aromas add some floral prettiness. Brick dust like tannins are scattered across the mouth leaving a long and drying finish. A superb rendition of Grenache - it's hard to resist another glass.

Why Australian Wine is Some of the Most Exciting in the World Beautifully struck in terms of ripeness. There are intense raspberry aromas and flavors, as well as some blueberries and blackberries. Tannins fan out effortlessly. Silky and smooth. It also shows great freshness at the finish.

Why Australian Wine is Some of the Most Exciting in the World A wine that really shows the prowess and attractive nature of the shiraz that this vineyard can produce. The concentrated yet fresh red plums and cherries really sing on the palate. Tannins glide like layers of silk. A brilliant wine.

Light purple color. Deep and gorgeous nose of rich plums and black currants, but the fruit is laced with complex notes of tobacco leaf, cigar shop, mint, bay leaf, leather, some cocoa and vanilla. Full-bodied with solid tannins, moderating acidity keeps it lively, and the fruit comes in waves: tart black currants, black cherry, chilled plums. Complex and earthy with notes of loam, roasted herb, spearmint chewing tobacco, notes of cedar and vanilla and mixed in but not dominant. Long life ahead here, but this is gorgeous stuff.

Bold dark-fruit aromas and mouthfilling flavors make this full-bodied wine taste generous and concentrated. A deep core of black plum and black cherry fills the palate and lingers nicely on the finish. It is both ripe and savory but doesn't go over the top, maintaining good balance and a fresh dry aspect.

From the producer's own backyard site, head-trained and planted a century ago, this wine is from the lowest yielding of all their sites. Earthy forest, leather saddle, fennel and a whiff of meatiness highlight a dense brightly layered wine, offering structure that is lifted in red-berry flavor with a spicy tobacco finish.

A Spotlight on Santa Barbara Moving to the younger vintages, the 2014 Chardonnay Sta. Rita Hills is still tight and reserved, with lots of matchstick, orchard fruits, and buttered citrus. Medium to full-bodied, gorgeously rich, fresh and lively in style, it needs short-term cellaring but is fabulous juice and loaded with potential.