Giant Steps' higher-elevation sites, as in this and Applejack Vineyard, have turned out racy, long and superfine wines – it’s the moreish, mouth-watering acidity. Of course there’s more: the complex flavours and heady aromas. Smoky, slinky and talc-like texture to the acidity, with a dab of creamed honey and citrus on the palate. There’s a lot of precision and it’s a pure wine in a way that evolves superbly in the glass.

Great fruit concentration, moderate tannins and subtle savory, spicy accents make this full-bodied wine quite memorable. A partnership between Barbara Banke of Jackson Family Wines and Peggy Furth, formerly of Chalk Hill winery, the wine is focused around black cherry, blackberry and rhubarb, while hints of cedar, forest floor and black tea slowly reveal themselves. Best from 2025.

From home vineyard Fijnbosch & 4 others in Stellenbosch. 2019 refined, poised; less overt oak (30% new) focuses supple-textured layers of fruit, energised by bright lemon acid. Beautifully proportioned & drinking well in youth, like 2018 (4.5 stars, 93 pts).

The 2020 Chardonnay (Santa Barbara County) is outrageously beautiful. In fact, it is one of the very finest wines I have ever tasted from Greg Brewer. Rich and textured in the glass, with plenty of bright acids, the 2020 is wonderfully alive. Greg Brewer has done a tremendous job in crafting a Chardonnay that is both texturally deep and intense. In 2020, facing a lack of visibility in the market because of COVID-19, Brewer-Clifton bottled just a fraction of their appellation Chardonnay, freeing up a number of top sites that Greg Brewer was able to access for Diatom. The 2020 is simply magnificent.

The 2019 Chardonnay 3D is a fabulous Chardonnay that captures the magic of the Sta. Rita Hills. Rich and expansive on the palate, the 2019 is laced with apricot, tangerine oil, butter and tropical fruit. The 2019 gets better and better in the glass as the layers start to flesh out.

A wine of presence and personality, with dynamic black raspberry and guava flavors that take on stony mineral and dusky spice accents as this gathers richness and tension toward broad-shouldered tannins. Best from 2022 through 2032. From Oregon.

Tenuta di Arceno’s history goes back to 1504, when the first plot of land was bought by the Del Taja family. The late Jess Jackson and his wife Barbara Banke of California bought the estate in 1994. The winery produces wine under the DOCG seal as well as Toscana IGT. Arcanum is sourced primarily from the L’Apparita and Belvedere blocks of Cabernet Franc, on sandy clay soils. Susan Hulme MW: Intense blackcurrant, very leafy, cassis-like notes, very varietal, very firm but fine and compact tannins along with fresh acidity. Andrea Briccarello: Clean, with great signs of evolution, loads of tertiary notes, tobacco and spices, leather and balsamic, great freshness and length. Annette Scarfe MW: Blackcurrant pastille with violets – cooked prune notes with an earthy finish. Shows complexity and finesse.

Oh, this is flying. Condor style. Barely making an effort and making maximum ground. It's graceful and considered. Boom! Named The Peake after Edward John Peake who established the vineyard and orchard in Clarendon around 1850. The flagship wine of the Hickinbotham brand, in short, it's the best barrels of Brooks Road Shiraz and Trueman Cabernet (56/44).What a marriage this is. Dark chocolate, vanilla, dried herbs and cedar early. It possesses a wonderful presence, drive and powdery tannins. Just wow. Long and moreish it keeps throwing up pleasure in the form of dark cherries, black plums, even some Cherry Ripe appeal. Glorious, flirtatious, get me in.

Seductively accessible pinot noir with succulent cherry, violet, mixed spice and subtle oak flavours flattered by a seamless, silken texture. A stylish wine that has clearly been made with a light touch. Very lengthy palate.

McLaren Vale Cabernet smashing the ceiling. Woah, this is something. This site was planted in 1971 and sits 155-233m above sea level. The fruit was cold soaked, saw 17 days on skins and spent time in new and used French oak. Swirl the glass and absorb the scents. From the outset, you know you have a serious wine on your hands. Cigar box, cedar, wood smoke and wallet leather - come at me. It speaks of class, balance and poise. A blanket of powdery pillows of tannin is draped across the palate. A measured wine, there is some power yet it walks with grace. But that length. That mouthfeel. It's just brilliant! Cabernet lovers ought to go here and bow.

A sumptous, inviting nose leads the way into this gracefully balanced and complex white. Rich layers of tropical fruit, vanilla and lemon meringue are dusted in baking spice and caramel, finding cohesion and resolve on the finish.

2019 Pinot Noir, Hapgood Vineyard Vibrant opaque violet in color. The nose is mineral, sappy berry fruit and juniper backed by vanilla bean and baking spice. The palate entry is ripe and supple with briar and crushed blackberry in the core. It shows impeccable brilliance throughout. Drink 2021 - 2028.

2019 Pinot Noir, Rosella's Vineyard The nose is cola, graphite and plum with essence of herb and blueberry. The palate is supple and lush blueberry with finely-tuned acidity that continues through the finish picking up mineral and sassafras. Beautiful concentration and poise. Drink 2021 - 2028.

2019 Pinot Noir, Perry Ranch Vineyard The nose is delicate floral perfume of lilac backed with dewy elderberry. The palate entry is bright and vibrant with an impeccably polished and balanced core of blackberry and blueberry along with essences of herb and rose petal leading to a sleek, energized finish. Drink 2021 - 2028.

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.