The 2021 King's Wood Shiraz is super good, with
concentrated, black cherries, rose petals, wet asphalt
(must be the rainy day today), black pepper, mulberry,
star anise, raspberries and more, more, more. It has a
lot packed in but is not crowded. There's a good
feeling here. It is effortless, impactful and pleasurable.
It's all "come hither," this wine. It was made with 20%
whole bunches, with a wild ferment, all free run and
matured in 25-hectoliter French foudre, 50% new, for
16 months. 13.5% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.

The 2021 Brooks Road
Shiraz is incredibly perfumed,
with field flowers, herbal tea,
graphite, pencil box, spiced
blood plum, aniseed, clove
and Peking sauce. In the
mouth, the wine is medium
weight and dark, dark, dark,
littered with exotic black
things. A nighttime wine.
14% alcohol, sealed under
screw cap.

“Citrus, floral, and berry notes travel from the glass, touching on the aromas of strawberry, grapefruit, orange, and white fruits. On the palate, the citrus is bright with the notes of grapefruit taking center stage. Refreshing acidity and supporting, subtle, mineral notes bring character and structure to the wine. Previous vintages rated 94-95 points by Wine Enthusiast.”

Whole-cluster fermentation, ageing in neutral barrels. Beautifully floral cranberry and cherry aroma. Gorgeous cherry and green-herb flavours mix with raspberry and a hint of dark earth. Woody and slightly resinous hints of the whole-cluster fermentation linger in the finish. A really beautiful wine. (AY) 14.5%. Drink 2023 – 2033.

Whole-cluster-pressed to neutral barrels, with no racking or bâtonnage. Scents of white flowers and citrus pith. Bright citrus-pith and pastry-cream flavours have a wonderful filigreed acidity. Stony quality at the core, with a faint citrus-peel bitterness in the finish. (AY) 14.5%. Drink 2023 – 2030.

Fruit from Perilune vineyard. 100% whole-cluster fermented, with 60 days spent on the skins and stems. Casks on average at least 15 years of age. Chopped herbs and underbrush scents are layered over blue fruits. Salty flavours of brown sugar, blackberries, roasted meat and baking spices are wrapped in a fleecy blanket of tannins. Very good acidity keeps this whole package fresh. Unusual, but oddly compelling. (AY) 14.5%. Drink 2023 – 2030.

Fermented at very low temperatures in small stainless-steel tanks for eight weeks, with malolactic conversion blocked. Smells of white flowers and citrus pith. Silky flavours of white flowers, lemon pith, pomelo pith and a hint of stone fruit with faint salinity and very good acidic backbone. Despite seeing no oak, the wine has a nice breadth and texture. GV (AY) 14.5%. Drink 2023 – 2029.

Five-day cold soak then pressed at dryness into 18% new French oak barrels where it ages for 7 months before bottling. Certified sustainable. Smells of cranberries and raspberries, with hints of dried herbs. Flavours of raspberry and sour-cherry fruit are wrapped in muscular tannins. Excellent acidity. Stony black-cherry flavours linger in the finish. GV (AY) 13.9%. Drink 2023 – 2029.

Whole-cluster pressed. 65% barrel-fermented (the balance in stainless steel) with malolactic blocked. Aged on its lees for 5.5 months in 20% new oak. About 85% of the wine comes from vines planted in the 1970s. Certified sustainable. Smells of lemon curd and butterscotch. Flavours of lemon curd and white flowers have a nice mineral undertone and lemon-pith chalkiness. Excellent acidity with just a whiff of vanilla in the finish. GV (AY) 13.9%. Drink 2023 – 2029.

100% barrel-aged in 12% new French oak for 10 months. Closed with a screwcap. Light to medium garnet. Scents of brown sugar and cherries with a hint of mocha. Cherry and cranberry flavours are wrapped in a lightly grippy fist of tannins. Nutty mocha notes linger in the finish along with dried herbs. Not a massively complex or nuanced wine, but a heck of a Pinot Noir for the price. VGV (Very Good Value). (AY) 14.1%. Drink 2023 – 2028

70% stainless-steel fermented, 30% neutral-barrel fermented, with 60% of the wine aged in neutral French oak for 5 months. Pale gold. Scents of butterscotch and dried lemon peel. Lemon curd and lemon-peel flavours have decent acidity and a faint stony quality. Not amazing, but pretty damn good for the price. VGV (Very Good Value). (AY) 14.5%. Drink 2023 – 2026.

Attractive aromas of dark cherries, grilled herbs and smoked Mediterranean spices. Some violets, too. Juicy, full and caressing on the palate, showing nice crunch and volume with excellent length and purity at the end. Merlot. Drink or hold.

The even split of Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris adds a youthful joie de vivre and a fruity freshness that might not be immediately apparent. Silky tannins and elegance abound in this lovely, round blend. Rainier cherries, pomegranates, raspberries - a whole host of red fruits - go down like melted butter. It's remarkably plush and velvety.

Cedary oak with plenty of dark chocolate, tapenade, black beans, roasted pepper and blackberries. Recognizable cabernet characters give this depth and a demureness. Full-bodied on the palate with fine, dusty tannins and a flavorful middle extending to a long, solid finish. Some bitter chocolate at the end. Drinkable now, but better from 2025.

Ripe cherries, mulberries, creme de cassis and a hint of asphalt and tar on the nose. Medium to full body on the palate with fine, velvety tannins and a long and juicy finish that goes on and on. Drink or hold.

A very well-balanced wine with a vibrant nose of lemon, melon, and gooseberry. The palate explodes in flavors of lemon-lime, kiwi, and white peach with hints of lemon grass and wet stone. Pleasing textured palate due to lees stirring. 100% sauvignon blanc, aged 10 months in neutral French oak barrels.

This wine is exciting. Its inception came when Jess Jackson asked Pierre Seillan to experiment with Cabernet Sauvignon after finding success with Verité's Merlot-based La Muse wine. The cuvée, sourced for numerous plots throughout four appellations, yielded what Seillan called ‘La Joie’ - joy on his nose and palate. Every whiff and every sip reveals something new: violets, tobacco, white pepper, dried herbs, raspberry, and so much more. No matter how many layers you peel back, another one is underneath. Wildly fresh with grippy tannins that grab your attention in a good way, this wine is multi-dimensional. Simply excellent.

Anakota changes its oak regimen based on what the vintage directs, and the 2019 vintage, with an above-average growing season and heat spikes in July, August, and September, commanded a higher use of new French oak. The fruit leans toward the purple end of the spectrum: think plums and blackberry jam. But fruit almost takes a backseat to the leather, bay leaf, and iron qualities of the aromas and flavours. Full-bodied and structured, this is a wine with presence but still a freshness that makes it approachable in its youth. There are layers to this wine that keep bringing me back for another taste.

Although this wine is dominated by Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon’s sultrier qualities give this wine depth. Seillan’s long history with Cabernet Franc—first at his family’s estate, then in the Loire and Bordeaux—inspired him to create a wine from Sonoma fruit to complement the other two Verité wines. There’s wild game quality to the aromas and flavours, along with red fruits and black cherry. Dried herbs, rosemary, in particular, weave themselves throughout. On the palate, it reads as very elegant with wabi-sabi tannins; very polished but not perfectly so.

Powerful but still approachable upon release, the nose reveals blackberry, cherry, black tea, and white pepper. Notes of rich mocha and dried herbs show up shortly after. On the palate, flint and minerals give a savoury edge to the wine, while acidity breathes freshness into this full-bodied wine. The texture is expansive across the palate with supple tannins and a long finish.

Very attractive with subtle aromas of red and blue fruit, ground spices, sandalwood and crushed stones. Medium-bodied with finesse and delicacy. Compact and balanced. It shows layers of fine tannins with depth and polished texture. Long and even. Needs some time. Try after 2025.

‘Great nose’ was the first thing that came to mind with this wine. First whiffs reveal raspberry, cassis, and mocha, but beef jerky barbecue spice rub aromas quickly emerge. There’s also a mineral, almost saline tinge to both the nose and palate. There’s a great energy to the wine as it moves across the palate, leaving a long, juicy finish in its wake.

A blend of various vineyard sites, ranging from 122 to 732 meters in altitude. Raspberry and blueberry meet tart red berries and creme de cassis on the nose and palate. It’s a rather floral Cabernet, with rose petals and violets, which gets counterbalanced with dried herbs, graphite, and mineral notes. Tannins read as sweet and voluptuous but acidity itself throughout.

Aromas of cherry chocolate, dried orange peel, rose petals and nutmeg on the nose, following through to a medium body with crunchy tannins and polished texture. Hints of fresh cherries and dried flowers with crushed stone character at the end. Drink or hold.

A structured Chianti Classico with black berries, black cherries and hints of cedar. Full-bodied, chewy and flavorful. Needs a year or two to soften. Structured red. Best after 2023.