The 2013 La Muse is maturing gracefully and offers noticeable detail at this stage. Deep garnet in color, its dried wild black and blueberry fruit is complemented by umami-like wafts of shiitake, steak sauce and aniseed. The full-bodied palate is softening and fresh,with a generous core of juicy fruit, heightened complexity from savory notes of maturity and a singular, umami-and-berry finish. It's drinking wonderfully, although it's not quite at its peak.

The 2020 La Joie is a blend of 80% cabernet sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc and 3%Malbec, matured for 15 months new French oak. Its aromas of cassis, coffee and licorice are accented with alluring violet perfume, and it gains intensity as it spends time in the glass. The full-bodied palate is loaded with velvety tannins and graphite-laced fruit. It has soft undulations of acidity and a long fi nish with lingering spicy tones. 1,200 cases were made.

The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Helena Dakota Vineyard
was matured for 15 months in 90% new French oak.
Currently resting in tank, it's aromatically pure and
layered with scents of warm blueberries and cassis,
licorice, mushroom and earth. The full-bodied palate is
seamless and youthfully coiled, with clay-textured
tannins and a finish that hints at more nuance waiting
to emerge.

The 2021 Le Désir is a blend of 87% Cabernet Franc,11% Merlot and 2% Malbec and was matured for 16 months in new French oak. Currently resting in the tank, it explodes with gregarious aromas of blueberry, dried thyme and lavender, fennel, coffee grounds and truffle. The medium to full-bodied palate is light on its feet, with ultra-powdery tannins, fi reworks of fresh acidity and a youthfully coiled finish featuring mineral, floral fruit.

The 2012 Le Desir has a medium garnet color and woodsy, musky scents of mossy bark, fi r needles and desiccated fl owers. The palate has firm, velvety tannins, unexpectedly bright currant fruit and a long,tobacco-laced finish. I would be inclined to drink this over the next 5 to 7+ years.

Deep ruby-garnet, the 2014 La Joie is alluringly tertiary on the nose with tones of iodine and truffl e, old cigars,dried tobacco and blackcurrant. The medium-bodiedpalate is velvety and seamless, and the wine isshowing a structural harmony and ideal balance offruit and umami character. It's drinking beautifully!

Exuberant, showing bittersweet dark chocolate, espresso and notes of kirsch, framboise and maraschino cherry at the core, with accents of rosemary, oregano and cigar box and a wonderfully dense, plush body. This wine really takes off on the generous finish, which packs momentum and complexity. Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz. Drink now through 2035. 489 cases made, 150 cases imported.

The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Helena Montana Vineyard was matured for 14 months in 90% new French oak. Currently resting in tank, it has slowly blossoming aromas of crème de cassis, cigar box,
violet and wild fennel, plus notes of pencil shavings and truffle. The full-bodied palate is structured by very finely grained tannins and surprising freshness that highlights its floral perfume, and it has a long,
surprisingly open-knit finish streaked with lovely mineral tones.

The 2015 Le Désir is a blend of 64% Cabernet Franc,27% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Malbec.It's dusty and a touch closed at this stage, featuring reticent notions of red and black currants, cigars and mushrooms. The palate is softening and juicy, with a deep core of fruit and a mineral-driven finish. Put it away and forget about it for a while—it's in a muted phase right now.

The 2020 La Muse, a blend of 95% Merlot and 5%Malbec, was harvested September 9-16 and matured for 15 months in new French oak. It's youthfully coiled and requires plenty of time to open its aromas of cherry pie, desiccated violet, tobacco, coffee and aniseed. The full-bodied palate is velvety and seamless, with restrained, mineral-driven fruit. It's very shy and will require plenty of time to come around.1,100 cases were made.

A stunning, velvety red, with hints of dried spearmint, resin, toasted tobacco and bay leaf, plus fresh earth accents to complement the spiced plum, kirsch and huckleberry notes. Long, expressive finish, where the tannins firm up pleasantly. Drink now. 1,127 cases made, 500 cases imported.

A blend of 91% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc and 3%Malbec, the 2021 La Muse was matured for 16 months in barrel. Currently resting in tank, it's youthfully shy and fruity at this early stage, showing a touch of matchstick-like reduction. After time in the glass, it reveals a core of Morello cherry, shiitake mushroom and aniseed. The full-bodied palate is concentrated yet weightless, with restrained, just-ripe, mineral-driven fruit, abundant, grainy tannins, noticeably refreshing acidity and a spicy finish.

The 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon Helena Dakota Vineyard was picked on September 11 and matured for 13 months in 90% new French oak. It has broody aromas
of blackcurrant, damp tobacco, aniseed, clove and lavender, offering up more detail as it spends time in the glass. The full-bodied palate is light on its feet with
rounded acidity, clay-textured tannins and a fragrant, graphite-driven finish. 595 cases were made.

The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Knights Valley is the second vintage of Anakota's second-label Cabernet, meant for drinking in the near term rather than the cellaring required for the Helena Dakota and Helena Montana. "I may make more in the future where I can, but it depends on the vintage," assistant winemaker and second-generation vigneron Hélène Seillan says. It's blended with 10% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot and was matured for 12 months in 30% new French oak. Already bottled, it offers pretty aromas of blueberries and cassis with tones of violet, coffee grounds, earth and mushroom. The medium-bodied palate is supple and juicy, with ripe yet not over-the-top fruit and a long, graphite-laced finish. There's a lot less new oak on this cuvée, and it really works! Around 1,500 cases were made.

The 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon Helena Montana
Vineyard was picked on September 10 and matured in
90% new French oak for 13 months. It strikes a fine
balance of fresh fruit and savory aromas, with
charcuterie, pipe tobacco, dried thyme and coffee
beans complementing a deep core of redcurrant fruit.
The full-bodied palate is plush and inviting, with
powdery tannins, seamless acidity and a youthfully
dense finish. 579 cases were made.

This has a wonderful plumpness to the velvety core of blackberry preserves, with notes of green cardamom, black pepper and toasted cumin. Reveals details of chai tea, salted black licorice and dried rosemary and sage on the long, expressive finish. Drink now. 148 cases made, 105 cases imported.

Brisk and steely, with refreshing lemon and quince flavors laced with green apple and hints of saline. Drink now. 150 cases made.

A rustic style, with briary cherry, underbrush, and pepper flavors that finish with wiry tannins. Best after 2023. 15,000 cases made.

The 2019 Le Désir is just as stunning as the first time I tasted it from bottle. It's pure and layered, with alluring scents of Morello cherries, dried mushrooms, cigars, sage and aniseed wafting from the glass. The palate strikes a fine balance of concentrated fruit, loads of powdery tannins, and energetic bursts of fresh acidity.It has a deep core of concentrated, perfumed fruit with the first faint touches of umami character and a long finish driven by floral and iron tones. I can't get enough of this wine!

This is one of the most intriguing and appealing new-release Merlots (there’s also 5% Cab Franc and 5% Malbec) I’ve tasted in a long time. Balance, perfume, and depth coexist magnificently, and each sip is effusive with red currants, red and black raspberries and cherries, plums, a laser beam of graphite, and hints of tobacco and sandalwood before a finish with flamed orange oil nuances. The future for this wine is tremendous, and it promises to evolve for decades to come — though even now, it’s showing spectacularly

Toasty, rich, and brooding, this is a wine that will reward patience, and notes of blackberry liqueur, kirsch, cassis, purple plums, and cardamom promise to unfurl over the coming decade-plus. Graphite-like tannins find impressive balance and structure, and a dusting of singed laurel and cigar add further complexity.

This wine is a classic effort from winemaker Chris Carpenter, whose way with mountain-grown grapes is astounding. Age-worthy tannins open up with some air, allowing notes of licorice, granite, cacao nibs, blackberries, black figs, cured olives, and well-steeped tea to shine. Cardamom and violets linger through the long finish.

Another utterly brilliant Chardonnay, the 2021 Chardonnay 3D comes from a site in the Sta. Rita Hills. It has a balanced, full-bodied, incredibly layered style as well as classic notes of honeyed citrus, stone fruits, crushed stone, and white flowers, with classic Sta. Rita Hills marine-like salinity and oyster shell-like nuances. A powerful,
concentrated effort, it has flawless balance,
beautiful freshness, and a great finish. It's one of the finest Chardonnays in this report. Hats off to Greg Brewer for continuing to set his own path and make richly textured, powerful, world class Chardonnay.

Lastly, the 2021 Pinot Noir Machado is similarly darker ruby and translucently hued and offers up a smorgasbord-like array of red and black berries, smoked herbs, underbrush, and gamey, foresty,
marine-like nuances. Flawlessly balanced, deep, rich, and textured, it has an awesome mid-palate, integrated tannins, and heavenly finish. This incredible Pinot Noir stopped me in my tracks and might be the finest I've tasted from Brewer. It can
be drunk any time over the coming 10-15 years.

Vivid gold-hued, the 2021 Chardonnay Hapgood has a brilliant nose of caramelized lemons, honeyed green almond, and chalky minerality. This richly textured, full-bodied Chardonnay offers integrated acidity, beautiful overall balance, and a powerful yet still seamless, elegant profile that's a joy to drink.