A pyrazine green pepper note blasts through the glass like a firecracker upon the first whiff, yet it’s absent on the palate. Instead, dark fruit leather proliferates with fine-rained tannins that permeate through the wine. It has a medium finish and one that intrigues as it evolves in the glass.

Pouring a ruby/magenta hue, the 2021 Pinot Noir Slope is almost all from the 667 clone of Pinot Noir and was entirely destemmed and raised for 17 months in nearly 70% new French oak. It reveals beautiful aromas of kirsch, floral and fruit notes of mixed berries, crushed flowers, sweet mossy earth, and a hint of anise. Medium-bodied, it expands through the palate, with a weightless feel, ripe tannins, the texture of river stones, and a clean finish. It’s a fantastic wine with a cuddly feel, but it’s never heavy and it has a great finish. Drink 2025-2040.

A barrel selection, but mostly from a single block in the Gran Moraine Vineyard, the 2021 Chardonnay Dropstone is a yellow/silver color and has a nose boasting notes of almond, lemon curd, yellow apple, delicate spice, and wet stones. Medium to full-bodied, it’s long on the palate, with a decadent but mouthwatering feel, vibrant, fresh acidity, and an appealing, long finish. It takes things up a gear and is going to show well over the coming 10-12 years.

From Lou Primavera's 2001-planted vineyard at Woori Yallock; 15% whole bunches and matured in French barriques (25% new). A light, bright crimson. Aromas of strawberry compote, tamarillo, sage and rose petals. A little reduction and graphite too. The palate is succulent and plush with silky tannins, making this the yummo, drink-now, single-vineyard wine from Giant Steps in '23.

A 50/50% mix of upper and lower Yarra fruit; 35% whole bunches and matured in French oak (10% new). A bright crimson red. After a few good few swirls, aromas of ripe raspberries, black cherries, wild herbs and some crushed violets soon emerge. The palate, though, doesn't need much coaxing, and this silken, sappy wine has excellent depth and persistence. Will be even better six to 12 months from now.

Applejack vineyard was planted at Gladysdale by Ray Guerin in 1997, and only 2ha of its 11ha is planted to chardonnay. It is named for the Applejack eucalypts that surround it. Whole-bunch pressed straight to barrel with full solids and matured in mainly second use puncheons. A very bright green gold. A pure and gently reticent bouquet of stone fruits, lemon verbena and crushed rocks. The palate is tightly coiled, steely, saline and focused. A wine with excellent potential.

The 2021 Pinot Noir La Crête has a complex perfume of pomegranate, blueberry, licorice, orange peel and sagebrush. The medium-bodied palate is characterized by powerful, generously perfumed fruit. It has a finely chalky frame, vibrant acidity and a very long, dynamic finish laced with flowers, herbs and citrus. It's a great candidate for the cellar. Only 100 cases were made.

There's an intense but evenly distributed stemminess to the nose of this bottling, which is equally redolent with cherry compote and sorbet notes to balance the bay and tea leaf touches. The palate's herbaceousness is more delicate, as cherry and cola flavors push into the finish.

Minty sagebrush and baking spice aromas give plenty of nuance to the nose of this wine, which centers on raspberry preserve and fresh cherry flavors. The palate's flavors range from bay leaf and mint to wild raspberry.

Snappy, exuberant aromas of black raspberry and cherry draw the nose into this bottling, and then lines of cinnamon and lemon peel add elegance to the lush core. The palate is zesty, candied and refreshing, carrying cherry, strawberry, red spice and white pepper into a long-lasting finish.

Gold metal in 2024 Royal Queensland Wine Awards

So fresh, vibrant and balanced, while almost bursting with delicious red and black fruit, spearmint and savory accents. A full-bodied wine that delivers power with elegance from one of the Willamette Valley’s most celebrated sites. Layers of sour cherries, red currants, subtle oak spices and vivid acidity add up to a wine that’s gorgeous now and will improve through at least 2028. 

The 2021 Trueman Cabernet Sauvignon hails from the Hickinbotham vineyard in Clarendon, in McLaren Vale. It is truly one of the lovely vineyard areas in Australia, with rolling hills, dramatic valleys and a proximity to the ocean. From memory, this vineyard was planted to Houghton clone, or includes some of the Houghton clone selection in it (from Western Australia), and the wine feels structural and velvety at once. You get cassis, raspberry compote, dark chocolate, tobacco, licorice (salted black cats!), cardamom and mulberry off the bush in summer. It's a wonderful wine, pleasurable, complex, poised and rounding out with a delicious delivery of ductile Cabernet tannin. Ripper. 14% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.

The 2021 W.S. Keyes Merlot is a blend of 78% Merlot and 22% Cabernet Sauvignon, with the Merlot coming from a block planted in 1986 (a partner block goes into Cardinale). Scents of cedar, mint and black cherries dominate the nose, while the palate is full-bodied, rich, round and even opulent but with a strong spine of acid and tannin that prolongs the finish and should see it age well. Concentrated, long, dusty and firm but fully ripe, this is the rare Napa Valley Merlot than can age for up to two decades.

All Cabernet Franc, with the core of the bottling coming from vines planted in 1976, La Jota's 2021 Cabernet Franc Howell Mountain harkens back to the terrific Cab Franc bottlings this estate bottled in the early 1990s. Complex and gently leafy, with notes of pine and red raspberries, the nose is enchanting, while the palate is supple and almost creamy in feel, medium to full-bodied, then moves into a long, elegant finish, capped by gently dusty tannins. Terrific stuff.

A blend of 54% Merlot, 13% each Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot, plus 7% Malbec, Caladan's 2021 Red Blend offers up hints of floral aromatics and tobacco but more prominent notes of ripe cherries. It's full-bodied but supple, richly concentrated and tannic but silky, with a long, gently dusty finish.

The 2021 Chardonnay Upper Barn is a bright silver/yellow hue and is complex on the nose, with notes of white pepper, orange peel, peach, and baking spice. Leaning toward fullbodied, it has more intensity on the palate, with a rich, balanced structure, and it expands through the finish, showing a lot of complexity and a decadent feel without feeling heavy or weightless. It’s persistent with Meyer lemon on the finish. Drink 2025-2037.

From a steep southeast-oriented vineyard with a steep 30% grade, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Rockfall is a saturated purple with magenta highlights and offers more mineral notes of graphite, blackcurrants, dried lavender, and wild herbs. It has a compact, full-bodied structure with chiseled tannins, as well as nicely balanced acidity and long finish. It will be worth it to cellar it another year or more. Drink 2025-2045.

From a deep gravelly site and pouring a black/red hue, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Monolith offers a deeper and darker, concentrated profile with aromas of tarry earth, black plum, espresso, and cigar box. Full-bodied and plush, with a more velvety tannins, it has a very polished and approachable feel now, and while it’s brooding on the nose, it’s quite enjoyable and long on the palate. This lovely wine is going to drink well over the next 20 years.

Black/purple-colored, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Stature comes from Pocket Peak in the Alden Park and Kellogg Vineyards. It opens to reveal a deeply layered profile with aromas of pencil lead, gravelly earth, pine sap, blackcurrant, and cigar box. It fills the palate with a plush, full-bodied structure that expands, with balanced notes of oak accents framing the wine nicely through its long finish. It keeps lovely freshness throughout, with a broad-shouldered feel, and it should age gracefully over the next 20 years if stored in cool cellars.

Pouring a medium red/ruby color, the 2022 Pinot Noir Seascape Vineyard is expressive and juicy in the glass with notes of mixed berries, raspberries, sweet spices, candied roses, fresh forest earth, and cardamom. On the palate, it reveals a good deal of refinement, with fine tannins and a long, elegant, graceful feel through the finish. Weightless and refined, it will drink well 2024-2040.

Pouring a medium ruby/red color, the 2022 Pinot Noir Jennifer's gives up ripe and
concentrated aromas of kirsch, toasty incense, crushed flowers, and dark stones. It’s
medium to full-bodied and weightless but has a broader shouldered feel, with plush, ripe
tannins, good freshness, an even texture, and a long, mouthwatering finish. It displays a
lot of polish and is going to be an age-worthy wine to enjoy over the next 15 years.

Dark red magenta in color, the 2022 Pinot Noir Far Coast Vineyard belongs to the recently added West Sonoma Coast AVA and was aged for 14 months in 32% new French oak barrels. In the glass, it’s ripe with notes of black raspberries, crushed pine needles, licorice, and toasted cedar. Medium-bodied, it has sweet tannin and a good deal of fresh, ripe fruit, with a juicy feel throughout its long-lasting finish. It’s quite charming out of the gate, but it also has a very well-balanced structure and a more interesting level of refined complexity. Drink it over the next 10-15 years.

Fermented with 25% whole bunches; matured in French puncheons for seven months (35% new), then transferred to Austrian and French foudre for 12 months. The sandy ironstone soil is the key driver here, with a lilting fragrance combined with rocky ferrous notes, blackberry, blueberry, tar, tapenade, anise, iodine and a briary herbal complexity. Oak is well integrated, though more time is needed to cohere in general, as this is fashioned to age, and it will do so impressively

The winemaking approach follows similar lines to that used for Yangarra’s grenache. It also gets 18 months in a mix of Austrian and French oak with six months on lees in foudres. It is brilliant and so bright with a high energy palate that penetrates to a very long finish. Exquisitely balanced and poised with the fruit and structure for extended cellaring