“Steel and spice, some dry pear, citrus, apples, preserved lemons and pink ginger. Wonderfully intense but at ease with it; what this wine does is take its intensity and run with it. This is a wine. Upfront and backwards at once. Go.”

The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Vales Edge matured for 32 months in 58% new French oak and was bottled without fining or filtration. It's an elegant, structural iteration with a toned-down expression,although it will need a bit more time in bottle to unfold. It has a deep ruby color and emblematic "Cabernet" aromas of black currants, thyme, violet and tobacco. The palate is intense and layered, with a seamless, powdery structure, bright freshness and avery long, fragrant finish. 200 cases were made.

The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Réserve Spéciale matured for 32 months in 70% new French oak and was bottled without fining or filtration. Opaque ruby in color, it opens very slowly to wafts o fpencil shavings, tobacco and cedar, with a core of blueberry and cassis. The full-bodied palate offers power and detail, with generous, grainy tannins, rounded acidity and a very long, fragrant finish. It has the stuffing and strength to be very long lived in the cellar and will require plenty of time before all the nuances of this barrel selection fully emerge. It will be released in 2023. 390 caseswere made.

The 2020 Pinot Noir 459 is similarly ruby/translucent in color yet has a more fruit-forward bouquet of ripe strawberries, red plums, forest floor, and exotic flowers, with just a kiss of background iron and marine-like nuances, which is classic Sta. Rita Hills. Nicely structured on the palate, with medium-bodied richness, it has ripe yet firm tannins, beautiful overall balance, and a great finish. It's pure class. Give bottles 2-3 years in the cellar and enjoy over the following decade.

One of the great things about Australian wine is that the planting frenzy in the late half of the 1990s now has a great many vineyards marking their 25th year in the ground. The east-facing Applejack Vineyard was planted in 1997 at Gladysdale and is a star performer. This release saw 80% whole bunches and 25% new oak. Pure red cherry flavours push straight into undergrowth, mushroom, fragrant herb and spices. Cedarwood oak is present but so happily married to the fruit. There are briar notes here, particularly through the finish, and throughout it feels structured without necessarily feeling grippy. There’s a (positive) smoky aftertaste and a (very) good level of richness, in a varietal context. All up, hands down, this is a gorgeous wine to drink.

The 2021 Tarraford Vineyard Chardonnay comes from the Tarraford Vineyard—it is the most northerly vineyard in the collection and is planted to the P58 clone, planted in the 1980s. The fruit was originally intended as sparkling base and was being sold to Chandon. The fruit now goes solely toward table wine Chardonnay, and in this case, we are able to see for potential in the glass than merely sparkling base. This is a south-facing vineyard in a warmer area in the Yarra, which brings an attractive combination of streamlined linearity and a fine, mineral, nutty, briney character. In the mouth, the wine cascades across the palate, leaving a trail of white flowers, pink grapefruit and the faintest sense of caper brine through the finish. Very cool.

Down the hill by approximately 100 meters from the Wombat Creek Vineyard and planted on the same deep red basalt, the 2021 Primavera Vineyard Pinot Noir was made with 50% to 60% whole bunch and constructed from clones MV6 and 115. It is the leanest note of all of the wines in this collection, but my favorite wine: crunchy, strawberry, red apples, cranberry, redcurrant, red cherry...and abundance of red. The fruit is open and seductive, but it has a gentle herbal edge, like rose petals (specifically David Austin's Boscobel rose), musk sticks and Turkish delight. This is satisfying. Fleshy. Plump. Beautiful.

Rutherford. I really like Napa Cabernet. It’s all about the quality of tannin, which in some respects, I think, trumps Bordeaux. Sycamore planted in the mid 70s,and raised in 74% new oak for 27 months. So, that sort of wine. I’d love to see less oak, because the fruit is so good, but here we are.
Powerful, dense and packed with ferrous and graphite tannin. Blackberry, dark chocolate and coffee, menthol and spice, vanilla and dried herbs, and yes, quite a lot of oak, but the fruit soaks it up. So much chew to tannin, all coffee and tobacco savoury stuff, rich dark fruit, raspberry coulis, very firm with a liquid ‘mineral’ feel, and a long fresh finish. Kind of overt and showy, but the quality of tannin is superb. Potent Napa Cabernet here, that needs plenty of time in the cellar.

The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Sycamore Vineyards comes from a site (across from Staglin on Bella Oaks) that is still owned by one of the winery's original partners. Delicate California garrigue notes of mountain scrub and bay leaf frame dark cassis fruit, joined by vibrant raspberries as well. Matured in 65% new French oak, this full-bodied, complex and sturdy blend of 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc and 6% Petit Verdot finishes dusty and tannic, yet it also has a juicy and mouthwatering finish, with hints of dark chocolate and espresso. In contrast to Bosché, this vineyard is more gravelly, producing smaller berries with more tannin. It receives more afternoon shade, so it's picked approximately two weeks later as well.

A new wine from Yangarra. It’s a blend of 50% Grenache Blanc, 25% Roussanne, 12% Clairette, 9% Piquepoul, 4% Bourboulenc. Fermented and aged with skin contact in large ceramic eggs. Portions of the Grenache Blanc and Roussanne spend between 90-126 days on skins, the other bits are fresh free run, ending up with a total of 59% skinsy goodness. Hooray!
This is really good. Offers that white cherry thing from the Grenache Blanc, along with pear and apple, spice and flowers, distinct sea spray and green olive flavour in the mix. Firm skin tannin grip, but fresh too, salt and pebbles, tangerine, scrub herb perfume, and a fresh finish, replete with fine sandy texture. Beautifully made, and I’d guess, age-worthy with it, and so interesting. What a great debut!

Ripe, dark raspberry, blackberry, toasty nutty oak, earth. Fresh line of acid, firm chew to tannin here, bright flavour, frisky on the finish with plenty of tannin. A fair bit of toasty oak here, but fruit is sucking it up. It needs time, and it’s a powerful expression of Cabernet Franc, but so good.

USA, California, Napa Valley: More 2016s Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Sycamore Vineyards gives up powerful crème de cassis, dark chocolate-covered cherries, mulberries and baked plums scents with hints of lavender, camphor, pencil shavings and dusty soil. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is packed with rich, black fruits plus a beautiful perfumed undercurrent, framed by finely grained tannins and lovely freshness, finishing with a mineral lift. 1,989 cases were made.

The 2009 Napa Valley Cabernets at Age 10 Dark ruby. Multidimensional aromas of cassis, dried cherry, black cardamom, black tea, juniper, violet and graphite. More minerally, pristine and polished than the Désir but also penetrating and backward, with its intense mountain berry flavors showing a restrained sweetness and compelling juiciness and energy. The tannins are firm but noble, with the wine's finishing fruits, flowers and minerals saturating the palate and titillating the taste buds. This beauty is built for the long haul.

Napa Valley's 2017s From a vineyard closer to the Mayacamas Mountains and first made in 1980, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Sycamore Vineyards checks in as 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot, and the rest Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. It spent 27 months in 66% new French. It offers more black fruits, earth, tobacco, cedar, and gravelly minerality as well as a touch more burly, masculine style on the palate. Nevertheless, it's still beautifully balanced, has considerable elegance, and a great finish.

Similarly hued, the 2019 Pinot Noir 459 offers a Gevrey-like array of darker berry and cherry fruits as well as forest floor, leafy herbs, black tea, and scorched earth. It's rich, medium to full-bodied, and beautifully structured, with a tight, vibrant profile that will benefit from short-term cellaring.

The Pinot Noir Arrendell Vineyard, made from a blend of heritage clones, is once again superb in 2018. The vines planted in 1975 yield a Pinot endowed with tremendous aromatic presence and sheer pedigree. Bright red-toned fruit, cinnamon and sweet floral notes linger on the persistent finish. The Arrendell Pinot is arguably Hartford's flagship wine. The 2018 is a fine edition.

The 2017 Red Journey is fabulous in the way it balances inky fruit intensity with Sonoma savoriness. Inky blue/purplish fruit, lavender, sage, cloves and menthol infuse the 2017 with striking depth and tons of character. The blend of 62% Merlot and 38% Cabernet Sauvignon works so well here.

A big beast of a Cabernet, the 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Christopher's Vineyard comes from the estate in Alexander Valley (vines planted in 1991) and was brought up in a mix of new and once-used barrels. Blackcurrants, tobacco, candied violets, graphite, and plenty of sappy herb notes emerge on the nose, and it's full-bodied, with classic Sonoma minerality, a big, rich, opulent personality, and outstanding length. The tannins are substantial yet polished and ripe, and it has ample mid-palate depth. It will benefit from 4-5 years of bottle age and keep for at least two decades.

Coming from 100-year-old vines, half of the Highwire vineyard parcel is head-trained and half is trained on a high wire, permitting greater sun exposure and promoting even ripening. The 2018 Zinfandel Highwire Vineyard was aged in French oak, 51% new, for 10 months. Deep garnet-purple colored, the nose is a little closed and broody to begin, giving way to notes of black cherry compote, blueberry pie and raisin cake followed by nuances of garrigue, fragrant soil, white pepper and bay leaves. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is lively and chock-full of juicy black fruits, supported by chewy tannins, finishing long and peppery.

USA, California, Napa Valley: More New 2018 ReleasesThe 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Christopher's Vineyard is made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon and aged for 20 months in French oak, 73% new. Deep garnet-purple colored, it delivers a gorgeous nose of red currant jelly, Morello cherries and black currant cordial with hints of chocolate mint, tree bark and cardamom. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is built like a brick house, featuring crunchy, densely laden fruit flavors and a firm, grainy texture, finishing with great length, freshness and a touch of minerality.

USA, California, Napa Valley: More New 2018 ReleasesThe 2018 Chardonnay Gravel Bench Vineyard was aged for 10 months in 100% new French oak. A little closed to begin, it soon opens out to reveal citrus fruit notions of lemon tart and lime cordial with a hint of yuzu, followed by pear drops and nutmeg with a waft of toast. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is wonderfully generous with a satiny texture and a lively line leading to long, spicy finish.

USA, California, Napa Valley: More New 2018 ReleasesA blend of 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6.5% Cabernet Franc, 3% Merlot, 1.5% Petit Verdot and 1% Malbec, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Mt. Veeder was aged for 22 months in oak barrels, 82% new. Deep garnet-purple colored, it springs from the glass with vibrant crème de cassis, baked plums and Morello cherries scents, followed by nuances of sautéed herbs, clove oil, mocha and scorched earth. The full-bodied palate is densely laden with layers of black and blue fruits, sporting a rock-solid backbone of grainy tannins and great tension, finishing long and minerally.

USA, California, Napa Valley: More New 2018 ReleasesThe 2018 Pinot Noir Far Coast Vineyard was aged for 16 months in French oak barrels, 39% new. A little closed to begin, with coaxing it reveals notes of warm black cherries, black raspberries and kirsch plus touches of mossy tree bark, cumin seed and fragrant soil. Medium to full-bodied, the palate offers an impactful expression of red and black berry layers with loads of savory accents and a solid frame of fine-grained tannins, finishing long and earthy.

USA, California, Napa Valley: More New 2018 ReleasesA relatively new label coming from St. Rita Hills, the 2018 Chardonnay Radian Vineyard was 100% barrel fermented in French oak barrels, 30% new, and aged for 14 months. It sashays out of the glass with flamboyant ginger ale and spice cake scents followed by notes of pineapple upside-down cake, orange blossom and fresh pears. Medium-bodied, the palate is packed with pear and stone fruit flavors, delivering great tension, finishing long and spicy.

USA, California, Napa Valley: More New 2018 ReleasesThe 2018 Chardonnay Far Coast Vineyard was 100% barrel fermented in French oak barrels, 31% new, and aged for 15 months. It explodes from the glass with gregarious allspice and nutmeg notions over a core of warm peaches, guava and pear tart with suggestions of gingerbread and toast. Medium-bodied, the palate is much more elegant and restrained than the nose suggests, delivering seriously minerally notes and loads of freshness, finishing long and chalky.