Light yellow colour and a cashew-nutty aroma, fresh and clean, with a slight suspicion of barrel fermentation. There are some honey notes - possibly from solids in the ferment. A very attractive, quite complex, and certainly interesting dry white wine: positively exotic (and these notes were written without knowledge of the grape variety). The finish lingers on well. (72 dozen produced off 0.4 hectares of vines. Barrel fermented in older oak, then aged in a ceramic egg) Drink 2018 - 2022

This bright white gold colored Viognier opens with a mild ripe Bartlett pear bouquet. On the palate, this wine is medium bodied, balanced, and easy going. The flavor profile is a blend of mild Anjou pear and gentle apricot with just a touch of oak. The finish is dry and its flavors linger nicely. This wine is food friendly and it would pair well with wild mushroom and chicken ravioli in a thick cream sauce. Enjoy.

Medium yellow colour. Toasted nut and honey bouquet with hints of marzipan and quince paste. Some sweetness countered by frisky acidity, lemony and tangy. Halva. Probably adjusted acidity makes it a tad shrill, but a good wine all the same.

This bright yellow colored Viognier from Australia is very good. It opens with a mild apricot and candied pear bouquet. On the palate, this wine is full bodied, balanced, voluptuous and juicy. The flavor profile is a tasty apricot with notes of pear. I also detected hints of honey and pineapple as well. The finish is dry and its flavors last for quite some time after the wine is gone. This Viogner is pretty rich. I would just drink it with friends.

Offers a touch of salted caramel that mingles with peach, lemon curd and tangerine flavors on a juicy frame, with plenty of concentration and intensity on the finish. Drink now.

Mostly a muted nose, but a bit of fruit that is mostly dark cherry. Nice wave of fruit on the palate, a bit light in tartness (but I nitpick), with a lingering finish. Excellent.

Supple and creamy, with notes of nutmeg and toasted, salted hazelnut that complement lemon curd, fresh peach and crisp Fuji apple flavors. Drink now.

Light and acid-driven, this wine is subtle in style, with layers of wet stone, lemon zest and forest. It shows varietal integrity and lasting notes of black tea and baking spice.

A dull ruby red with a thin watery rim. Medium bodied on the palate with some bracing acidity and very little tannins.
Leads with fresh strawberry compote and mulling spices—clove and cinnamon in particular—followed on by vanilla, some funky herbaceous/mossy notes, and a vibrant citrus quality on the finish. Youthful, to be sure, but already drinking beautifully and likely will for several more years. This is a delicious Yarra Valley Pinot coming in at a perfectly decent price.

Murphy-Goode Cabernet Sauvignon is a terrific pop ‘n pour wine that’s sure to please! Delicious blackberry, plum, graphite and herbs on the nose and palate makes this value-priced Cabernet a great choice to enjoy year-round with BBQ fare in the summer and braised dishes in fall and winter. Enjoy now and over the next few years.

I needed to decant this Northern California Pinot Noir to shake loose all the aromas from the glass. Once it comes to life, it’s more about the fruit than the florals—lush cherry/pomegranate/cranberry and a dusting of herbs. In the glass there’s a fleshy, medium-bodied concentration of dark red berry fruit with finely grained tannins. A solid, crowd-pleasing pinot.

Rich and expressive with hints of almond, sour-sob, scented flowers and butter. The palate is beautifully sweet-fruited, with generous white peach and lemon zest. The wine has appealing texture and soft edges.

Medium to full yellow colour. Dairy-like aromas of toasty oak and apparent malolactic from its note of 'milk powder'. Very savoury style - it's hard to detect the primary fruit. Oak and other artefacts are the main game here. Plenty of weight. The finish is soft, dry, balanced and pleasing. A very smart wine with understated complexity and fine balance.

This a dandy, well priced cabernet that provides authenticity in a price band where that is often compromised by too much sweetness. This captures forward, ripe blackcurrant jam with fresh herbs/cedar bough and wood spice. It is medium-full bodied, a touch sinewy but still full of California warmth, smooth texture and generosity. Well balanced and very drinkable now, or over the next three years.

Bright red cherry colored. Similarly bright and cherry-driven on the palate, with raspberries and tangy red cherries and cranberries, along with rhubarb, white pepper, some sage – nice herbal, spicy vibes. Smooth tannins and fresh acidity on the palate, a tart and juicy appeal with flavors of cranberry relish and juicy black cherries. Spicy, floral, fun, I get elements of earth, sage, leather and pepper, some rhubarb and dried rose petals. Really fun Willamette juice that drinks well, offers complexity, crowd-friendly appeal and bang for the buck.

Bright ruby color. The raspberry and juicy strawberry aromas of delightful, backed up with anise, black pepper, clay and tilled soil, some rose potpourri. Dusty tannins frame the palate nicely, medium acidity keeps it vibrant, and I get flavors of red plums, wild raspberries and saucy cherries. Notes of spiced black tea, white pepper, violets, clay. Fun and fresh, but sports solid complexity and depth.

Pretty, with a high-pitched cherry and damson plum fruit profile laced with sanguine and red tea notes, which linger on the understated finish. Drink now through 2027.

A fresh and racy-styled Pinot, with a savory spine amid raspberry and red currant coulis flavors. Presents pretty red tea and floral accents on the finish. Drink now through 2026.

A rich, forward style, offering a velvety wave of crushed plum and boysenberry preserves, with melted licorice and sweet toast gilding the finish. Shows more weight than purity but will have fans. Drink now through 2026.

The 2018 Fijnbosch comes from fruit on their own Fijnbosch estate in the Groot Drakenstein mountains in the Banghoek Valley. It is an amalgam of blocks designed to represent the property, originally contributing to the main Capensis blend before being parsed out to create this cuvée. It has a precise bouquet with citrus fruit, white peach and light floral scents; this is nicely focused, but like the regular Capensis, remains quite understated for its class. The palate is medium-bodied with more roundness and depth than the Capensis, certainly more power and concentration, though perhaps the Capensis has a touch more tension on the finish.

The 2020 Silene is a cuvée that used to be sold off in bulk that comes mainly from younger vines supplemented by out-sourced fruit from the Stellenbosch hillsides. It essentially undergoes the same maturation as the Capensis, whole bunch pressed at around 2.6 bars and raised in foudres, small French oak and cement. It has an attractive lime leaf and citrus peel-scented bouquet that unfolds in the glass. The palate is well balanced with a phenolic, texturally-satisfying opening. Fine weight and acidity with a light sour lemon note on the finish. Enjoy this over the next five to seven years.

Murphy-Goode California Merlot is a rich and velvety smooth crowd-pleaser you’ll want to try this fall and enjoy all year round. Chalked full of ripe dark berries, cherry, plum, vanilla and sweet spices, this easy-going California red is ready to enjoy now with wood-fired pizza, BBQ fare, or even spicy cuisine. Enjoy 2022-2024.

Supple and fresh; juicy and bright. Light red cherry and plum fruit with good acidity. Shows freshness and poise, and a tapering finish, with a hint of pepper and cedar.

La Crema's pinot gris is a ripe, fullish, fleshy and fruity white wine, with white pepper flavour and well-measured lees influence, and long, warm, pleasantly bitter finish. There's considerable depth and concentration on offer in the category, also very good length. Clearly well-made wine from carefully tended vines.

A generous red, fruit-forward yet well-structured, offering cherry and red currant flavors accented by toasty oak and espresso. Drink now through 2028.