A maraschino cherry aroma and delicious cherry-pie flavors give a lot of fruity vibrancy to this full-bodied but lightly tannic wine. The focus and purity of red and black cherries is wonderful to taste. —J.G.

The nose on this bottling is pleasantly rich with whipped cream, apple blossom and pineapple aromas. The palate picks up a tense lemon peel edge to counteract the baked apple, macadamia nut and toasted pastry flavors.

Rounded aromas of roasted red cherry and peppery herbs invite the nose into this bottling. The palate is tense and complex, combining cracked pepper, toasted herb and pomegranate flavors.

Very ripe, dried fruit and
smoked beef aromas lead to rich blackberry jam flavors in this full-bodied, big and rounded wine. Its
powerful mouthfeel and broad tannins give a heavy, warm presence to the palate. —J.G.

Rich but dry, this robust take on Zinfandel wraps good tannins around ample blackberry and raspberry flavors, while light smoke and black-pepper accents dance around the edges. Pair with a grilled ribeye or roasted bone-in pork chop. —J.G.

This extroverted, soft-textured wine glows with sunny apple and mango aromas, followed by tempting buttery, oakspice elements in the generous fruit flavors. —J.G.

Tempting cinnamon, rhubarb and pastry aromas waft from the glass before mulled cherries, sweet plums and cloves saturate the generous texture of this full-bodied, low-tannin wine. Its acidity is relaxed for easy sipping. —J.G.

This is a beautifully constructed Chardonnay that interweaves delicate oak notes of clove, cinnamon and nutmeg among the bright, fresh aromas and flavors of lemon, lime, cream, green and yellow apple, and poached pear. —S.B.

Opens with a burst of vibrant raspberry flavors and then slowly reveals density and tension, with accents of crushed rock, forest floor and dusky spices. Ends with slight tannic bite. Best from 2025 through 2031. 254 cases made.

Fragrant and generous, with elegantly structured raspberry and guava flavors that reveal accents of baking spices and black tea, building tension toward refined tannins. Drink now through 2031. 5,232 cases made.

Deeply structured and expressive, with dark raspberry and pomegranate flavors. Offers accents of black tea, dusky spices and clove as this builds tension toward medium-grained tannins. Drink now through 2032. —T.F.

Floral and attractively structured, showing cherry and guava flavors. Laced with sassafras tea and savory spice tones that build richness and tension toward fine-grained tannins. Drink now through 2031. —T.F.

Vibrant and generous, with lilting raspberry and tart cherry flavors highlighted by green tea, forest floor and sandalwood tones as this gathers tension and structure toward refined tannins. Drink now through 2031. —T.F.

A gorgeous amalgam of fruits and herbs, savoury edginess and deep umami. Winemaker Greg Brewer sources this wine from the Perilune Vineyard – a young vine, picturesque hillside vineyard on the North side of Highway 246 in the Santa Rita Hills. Whole cluster fermentation, where Brewer focuses on ripening the stems and the fruit. Heady aromatics of dried wild herbs, lavender and bright red berries mingling with notes of smoky soy and black olives in brine. The palate is fresh and beautifully balances its savoury nature with cheerful berries. Pomegranate pulp comes to the fore but is followed by layers of depth, smoky soy, charred earth, briny black olives and graphite. The finish is lifted with notes of wintergreen and sage.

But from many a possibility from Yangarra’s range, the wine I’ve chosen as this week’s wine of the week is Yangarra, King’s Wood Shiraz 2020 McLaren Vale, which I reckon is the best-value of the Yangarra wines I’ve tasted recently… Transparent crimson. Mmm! [This is my favourite tasting note, by the way.] Very appealing nose that suggests northern Rhône Syrah with a really superior spine and line, great purity and a little saline touch at the end. Still with a little dry tannin on the end. This wine should run and run. Very fresh without being at all lean. So clean and healthy-tasting. Long. 17.5+/20 Drink 2024–2034

This is a new single vineyard wine with iodine, lead pencil and gravel, as well as currants. Full-bodied with firm and racy tannins that are slightly austere but in a sophisticated way. Vivid acidity. It needs time to come around but it’s already attractive with a citrus peel and blue fruit finish. Made from 100% cabernet sauvignon. 100 cases produced. Drink after 2026 but hard to wait.

The 2019 Mt. Brave Cabernet Franc is a stunning new wine by Chris Carpenter. Very inky in the glass, this 100% varietal wine offers insanely good aromatic range from mulberry to huckleberry compote, espresso grounds, wet stone and shades of black licorice. The palate is soft and refined with a great underlying verve and beautiful texture. This is just sensational wine that is drinking beautifully now at the near four year mark. Tasted twice with consistent notes. Drink 2023-2040-

From the Tuscan winery of the hugely impressive stable of Jackson Family wines, this is a single varietal Merlot. Winemaker Lawrence Cronin, American-born but an Italian resident for the best part of three decades, has crafted a voluptuous wine. A blend of different micro-crus helps give real complexity. Blessed with silky tannins, it has structure from two-thirds new French oak, as well as glorious, intense plummy red fruit. Very long.

This puts on a remarkably youthful display, offering rooibos, damson plum and cherry notes laced with super fine hints of savory and sea breeze that form a tensile matrix and carry everything through the sleek and seriously long finish. This also didn’t budge in the glass, staying pure and beautifully pitched over the course of the tasting. This delivers the DNA of the Machado vineyard in pristine detail. Drink now through 2032.

Juicy and in a really great spot, offering freshness and a slight brambly accent to the damson plum, red licorice and black cherry fruit. Not as dark as the ’12 but clearly its younger sibling in profile. After coaxing in the glass, the finish really opens up, with a long, bright, mouthwatering minerality that cuts a wider swath than in most of the other vintages in the flight. This dials both the fruit and minerality up a notch. Drink now.

Taut and coiled, with plenty of energy in reserve, this still seems to be holding back. There’s a vibrant, bristling core of rooibos, bitter cherry and damson plum, plus a splash of licorice root, but this hasn’t unwound yet. A touch of pleasant rusticity holds sway on the savory and stem-accented finish. Perhaps the slowest-evolving vintage in the flight. Drink now through 2030.

Throws off some gorgeous aromas and flavors of cherry and kirsch, giving this a very youthful and overt persona. Subtle hints of anise, apple wood, savory and warm earth fill in slowly on the finish. Offers the polished and racy combination that marks this wine, with a black tea note that lingers prettily on the finish. Shows plenty of latent energy. Drink now through 2035.

Juicy, expressive and brimming with maraschino cherry, plum and licorice notes that are plumper and a touch more powerful, but the frame of this wine is consistent, with racy notes of tea, savory and ocean breeze minerality buried deeply on the finish, which glistens with purity. Drink now through 2036.

Super juicy, youthfully bright and very expressive, with waves of blood orange, mulberry, griotte cherry and damson plum fruit almost pouring through, harnessed gently by rooibos tea and ocean breeze minerality. Ripe and full in feel, this gorgeous young wine doesn't sacrifice its racy edge thanks to a beautifully subtle tug of savory through the very long finish. Drink now through 2037.

Singing and very expressive, with a beguiling note of rooibos tea leading off, followed by a burst of kirsch, damson plum and linzer torte notes. Flashes of anise and apple wood fill in through the finish, which is a couple of shades darker than the ’10 and ’11. Still pure, offering a racy undertone, but shows a more hedonistic profile overall. Drink now.