Starting with the appellation cuvée, the 2019 Chardonnay Sta. Rita Hills reveals a medium gold hue as well as classic Sta. Rita Hills Chardonnay notes of salted citrus, orchard fruits, toasted nuts, and brioche, with ample chalky, flinty minerality. Clean, pure, medium-bodied, and brilliantly balanced, it stretches out beautifully on the finish and is a thrilling Chardonnay that's unquestionably in the same realm as the single vineyards.

Naturally fermented in 1800L stone amphora with little agitation aside from wetting the cap. 90 days on skins. An additional 8 months in amphora. This cuvée is akin to the finest pinot; svelte, detailed and uplifting. Aromas of sour cherry, raspberry, rosewater, mace and orange zest. The superior wine of 2019 here, or at least what I've tasted to date. Stunning. The tannins, growing with air and the next sip. The finish, jitterbug energetic, chiselled and chamois of texture. Long and succulent. Another addition to the Australian stable of finessed world-class grenache.

Sourced from the highest plot of bush vines, planted in 1946. Hand picked, sorted and destemmed to an even combination of both crushed and whole berries. Wild fermented, élévage in eggs and older French oak This is an imperious grenache if that adjective can be ascribed to a grape variety this joyous; this giddy of fruit and yet, underlying it all, a defining totem of immaculately extracted tannins. Kirsch, bramble, anise, clove, sandalwood and wood smoke drive long against a tannic parry: sandy, granular and emery-like.

This cuvée has shape-shifted. It's a more compact, mid-weighted and savoury experience than previous vintages. Attention to detail is a given here: hand picked, wild fermented and properly extracted. The oak, top-drawer. The tannins, detailed, finely wound, precise and laden with graphite. The length, compelling. Unrivalled by any other merlot but, perhaps, for Blue Poles in Margaret River. Stunning.

Hand picked 22nd March. Destemmed and whole-berry sorted, gentle crush. Cold soak and wild ferment. Pumped over daily, 15 days on skins. Basket pressed with light pressings included with free-run juice. Racked and returned twice during 15 months' maturation in fine-grained French oak (50% new). The quality of fruit, tannic precision and apposite application of oak under this banner are unequalled in Australia. Nobody else gets it quite as right. The budget and gear help, yet it is the viticulture and sites that are the foundation for everything else. Franc from a warm place, salvaging its sappy cavalcade of tannin, crunch and floral lift. Redcurrant, spearmint and chilli powder lace a finely tuned finish marked by a flourish of garden herb. Kerpow!

A nod to the Australian archetype with cabernet leading the way at 53% of the blend; yields oscillating across blocks between 3–5t/ha. Minimal messing about and assiduous attention to detail, as always. The shiraz adds sweetness and breadth to the Bordelais' austerity, imparting black plum, iodine, lilac and anise. The cabernet, clearly the authority with its chiselled countenance of currant, graphite and sage. A delicious meld. Sumptuous without being jammy. Taut, without being hollow. Extremely long.

The 2018 Pinot Noir Far Coast is fabulous. It is also one of the very finest wines I have ever tasted from Hartford. Inky and so expressive, but not at all overdone, the Far Coast dazzles from start to finish. Red/purplish berry fruit, licorice, espresso and cinnamon all flesh out over time, and yet it is the wine's balance that is so compelling. What a wine.

The Fanucchi-Wood Road Vineyard is once again the most compelling of the Zinfandels in 2019. Perhaps it is that dollop of Petite Sirah in the blend that gives the wine its energy. Dense and explosive in feel, the Fanucchi-Wood Road is exquisite right from the first taste. The purity of the flavors is simply striking. Blood orange, spice and floral accents leave the closing shades of nuance.

Fresh, crisp and engaging aromas of wild strawberry, green peppercorn, bay leaf and pine needle are enlivening on the nose of this bottling. The palate works similar magic, pairing fresh red cherries and raspberries with flavors of incense and more peppercorn, proving intensely vibrant and utterly delicious.

Starts lush, with a broad wave of cassis, boysenberry and blackberry preserves, but its mountain persona soon asserts itself, adding bramble, violet and sweet bay leaf notes while a strong graphite spine rivets the finish in place. All that and there's a mouthwatering feel as well. This should cruise in the cellar. Best from 2022 through 2038.

This really packs in some serious plum paste, cassis and black cherry pâte de fruit notes, all wrapped in brambly grip and laced with mouthwatering anise and iron notes. There's a tarry underpinning on the finish, with a deftly inlaid roasted apple wood note. Nicely set up for the cellar. Best from 2023 through 2038.

The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon is a wine of tremendous character. Bright acids and vertical structure give the 2018 its incredibly distinctive feel. Dark cherry, tobacco, cedar and spice lend complexity, but it is the wine's precision and overall nuance that make the deepest impression. The tiny Pine Mountain AVA is capable of yielding magnificent Cabernets that are all about the energy these sites at altitude confer, as is very much the case here.

A more rounded, concentrated, sexy Chardonnay, the 2019 Chardonnay Red Point Vineyard comes from a southeast-facing site in the Alexander Valley and vines planted in 1994. It's always a bigger, richer wine in this lineup, yet it has beautiful balance, good acidity, and ample minerality in its stone fruits, brioche, honeysuckle, and spice-driven aromas and flavors. It has real class and will keep for at least 7-8 years, if not a decade, if well stored.

Loads of Bing cherries, ripe strawberries, flowery incense, and sandalwood notes emerge from the 2018 Pinot Noir Arrendell Vineyard, another pure, rich, almost full-bodied Pinot Noir in the lineup. It certainly has Russian River Valley levels of fruit, yet there's not much cola character, and it has an incredibly floral, pure, vibrant style.

More mulberries, sour black cherries, bouquet garni, and a distinct yet subtle marine-like character all emerge from the 2018 Pinot Noir Jennifer's, a rich, beautifully balanced, incredibly singular Russian River Pinot Noir. This is another up-front, fleshy, already impressive 2018 from this estate that has the fruit and texture to shine today yet the class and balance to evolve for a decade.

While the 2018 Chardonnay Seascape Vineyard comes from a cooler site on the Sonoma Coast, it brings solid ripeness levels in its tropical and honeyed citrus-like fruits as well as notes of baking spices, candle wax, white flowers, and chalky mineral nuances. With bright, integrated acidity, medium to full body, and a great finish, it comes together beautifully with time in the glass and will continue to impress over the coming 7-8 years.

Another Russian River release, the 2019 Chardonnay Four Hearts Vineyard brings plenty of ripe tropical fruit as well as medium to full body, a supple, layered mouthfeel, nicely integrated acidity, and building spice, toast, and green almond nuances. It's another thrilling, brilliant Chardonnay from this estate. Drink bottles over the coming 5-7 years.

This has a very attractive, stony edge, almost flinty, together with bright, fine red fruit in the plum and red-berry zone. There’s a gently floral edge, too. The freshness is impressive. The palate has a very succulent edge and a fine squeeze of tannin that carries a long, detailed and vibrant finish. Still very youthful. From biodynamically grown grapes. Drink or hold. Screw cap.

Packed with fruit, this dense version is nonetheless vivid and full of energy, with plum pâte de fruit, açaí reduction and boysenberry preserves flavors streaming through, carried by a graphite note, all while an invigorating licorice snap and floral streak work throughout. A great racy iron note at the very end carries it all through the encore. Built to last. Best from 2023 through 2038.

Bright, medium to full red/purple colour with a sweetly raspberry-like aroma, a lovely fragrant perfume. Rose petals and pot-pourri. Light to medium-weighted, with a fine sheen of tannins contributing a nicely tailored firmness to the structure. A wine of real finesse. (A higher altitude site but the soils are grey clays usually found in the lowest parts of the valley)

Aromas of almond, malt, smoky-sulfides and cracked wheat. The 60% malolactic doesn't show. A supremely refined, delicate yet intense wine with lovely flow to the palate, the aftertaste has a distinctively malt-biscuit character and lovely citrusy mouthwatering acidity that is beautifully integrated into the seamless whole. Tremendous length, a very smart wine. (400m altitude. North and north-east exposures. The highest site in the Yarra to reliably ripen fruit, formerly a sparkling wine vineyard)

Lots of licorice and blackberry aromas with violets and hints of fresh leather. Full-bodied with very fine-grained tannins that give the wine length and depth. So well crafted and long. Really excellent. Elegance with power. Drinkable now, but give it a year or three to show its really excellence. Best after 2023.

Impenetrable in color with captivating violet reflections, hints of black plums, blackberries, wild myrtle, cinnamon, juniper berries and green pepper emerge. In the background, the slight opalescence given by the stay on large and fine lees makes it more attractive and will protect it over time. Full body, velvety tannins and an incredibly radiant and essential, defined and progressive finish. Fantastic now it will be better from 2023 onwards.

Grenache purity at its finest. A sublime example of Grenache. Delicate, elegant and sophisticated. You'd think you were drinking Pinot. It's so light and bright. Transparent even. Raspberries, red cherries and rhubarb, it is a wine that is so fine that it sneaks up to you and draws you in. Seeing 101 days in a ceramic egg, it is like a boxer fighting in the featherweight division with a light presence that evades any distraction and just dances on. Superfine textural feels, what is not to adore about the powdery like to finish? Just Brilliant! Organic and biodynamic. Drink to five years+.

The 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Réserve Spéciale may very well be the finest wine I have tasted from Arrowood in this incarnation. Readers will have to be patient with the 2017, as it is a powerhouse. The purity of the flavors is just striking. Sweet red cherry, pomegranate, mocha, spice and cedar all open gradually in the glass. This is a fabulous example of Sonoma Cabernet. Don't miss it, but give the tannins time to soften.