From a nearby Rutherford Vineyard, the 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Sycamore Vineyard (located at the very end of Bella Oaks Lane in the foothills of the Mayacamas Mountains) is a blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5.7% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Merlot and Petit Verdot, but also aged 28 months in French oak. Notes of Christmas fruitcake, graphite, blackcurrant and black cherry are present in this wine, which is full-bodied and powerful, with high levels of tannin, amazing structure, but profound depth and richness. This baby needs to be cellared for a good 8-10 years and drunk over the following 35-50.

packed and youthfully taut, displaying outstanding energy to the deep, chewy dark fruit and mineral flavors. This very tightly coiled, sharply delineated Saint-Emilion blend has serious tannic clout that will require extended aging. Should evolve positively for 20 years or more.

Bright, full ruby. Complex, vibrant aromas of cassis, cherry pit, licorice and graphite, with a floral topnote building as the wine opens in the glass. Dense, pliant and suave, with a compellingly layered, fine-grained texture to the dark berry, licorice and mineral flavors. A wine of major dimension but today the firm, noble tannins clamp down on the fruit. I'd love to see this again in six or seven years--in a flight of top 2009 Medoc wines.

(67% cabernet sauvignon, 12% merlot, 12% cabernet franc, 7% petit verdot and 2% malbec) Good bright ruby. Black cherry, minerals, musky Cuban tobacco and leather on the nose and palate, lifted by a minty nuance. Lush on entry, then concentrated, sweet and penetrating, with superb focus and sap to the middle palate. Wonderfully expressive even if still youthfully unevolved. Finishes with full but ripe tannins and a compelling combination of sweetness and energy.

Good bright ruby. Black cherry, minerals, musky Cuban tobacco and leather on the nose and palate, lifted by a minty nuance. Lush on entry, then concentrated, sweet and penetrating, with superb focus and sap to the middle palate. Wonderfully expressive even if still youthfully unevolved. Finishes with full but ripe tannins and a compelling combination of sweetness and energy.

This is Tarraford in fine form. It has an inherent and up-front generosity but it’s oh so stylish from the mid-palate onwards. This is not a flamboyant wine but it’s something of a masterclass. It tastes of grapefruit, nectarine, pears, cedar and salted almonds, and from start to finish it oozes class. The length of the finish is exquisite.

What a beautiful wine. The word immaculate springs to mind. Plums, spices, florals, red cherries and peppercorns. A general succulence. A velvety veneer. Impeccable freshness. Settled, and balanced, but bright. It’s all positives here, start to finish, but it’s more than that. It’s a top flight producer turning out top flight wine. Every sip oozes confidence, class, climate and site. This is all perfume, brightness and give, within a structure, elongated context.

The lines are long, the flavour is pure. This is all mineral and white peach, lemonade and pear, with grapefruit biting in the background and nougat tucked within. It’s immediately impressive, beautifully well sustained, complex in a hand-in-glove way. Cellar this; it needs a year or three. It will be great.

Dark plum and boysenberry fruit is ripe and expressive, while bay leaf, sage and ink notes lend a distinct edge. Loamy and grippy through the finish, with a lingering tug of cast iron. Just a touch rugged and old-school in feel, but if you don’t mind that and have some patience, this is really solid. Best from 2028 through 2043. —J.M.

This is given a high-gloss oak treatment, resulting in stylish flanks of alder and roasted vanilla that support a solid core of gently mulled blackberry and black currant fruit. Ganache, walnut husk and dark tobacco notes course underneath, keeping everything honest. Best from 2029 through 2043. —J.M.

This is Tarraford in fine form. It has an inherent and up-front generosity but it’s oh so stylish from the mid-palate onwards. This is not a flamboyant wine but it’s something of a masterclass. It tastes of grapefruit, nectarine, pears, cedar and salted almonds, and from start to finish it oozes class. The length of the finish is exquisite.

What a beautiful wine. The word immaculate springs to mind. Plums, spices, florals, red cherries and peppercorns. A general succulence. A velvety veneer. Impeccable freshness. Settled, and balanced, but bright. It’s all positives here, start to finish, but it’s more than that. It’s a top flight producer turning out top flight wine. Every sip oozes confidence, class, climate and site. This is all perfume, brightness and give, within a structure, elongated context.

The lines are long, the flavour is pure. This is all mineral and white peach, lemonade and pear, with grapefruit biting in the background and nougat tucked within. It’s immediately impressive, beautifully well sustained, complex in a hand-in-glove way. Cellar this; it needs a year or three. It will be great.

The 2025 Chardonnay Dakél was aged for 10 months in oak barrels (around 25% new) and tasted shortly after bottling. It opens with a tropical profile of banana and a light lactic note over a backdrop of fine oak, caramel, flan, vanilla and a faint floral touch. The palate is creamy, with good freshness and breadth, combining richness with a bright, energetic finish.

The 2024 Chardonnay Dakél from Portecillo, Quirihue, Itata was aged for 11 months in French oak barrels, 28% new. It shows an expressive nose of cedar, soft vanilla, fresh pear, a hint of pineapple, a light floral note and a touch of flint. Oak leads aromatically, but the fruit defines the profile. The palate is broad and fresh, with a creamy, slightly oily texture and good overall expression. This is a Chardonnay with a Californian profile, yet with a fresher, more Burgundian core. Here, the vineyard's proximity to the Pacific, just 20 km away, plays a key role.

The 2022 Pinot Noir Dakél, from coastal Coelemu in Itata, was fermented and aged in barrel. This is elegant and fruit-driven, with precise aromas of cherry, sour cherry, rose and a hint of sandalwood. Energetic and refined, it balances freshness with finesse. This is a modern expression of Pinot Noir from Itata.

This wine smells like a combination of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Supple aromas of yellow and red apple, pear, plum, blood orange, coriander, allspice, toasty oak, and sedimentary rock waft on the nose. The flavors on the palate are strawberry, yellow plum, orange zest, citrus, mineral, and acidity on the finish. Drink now or cellar until 2030.

Chewy and ripe as Lassegue does so well but this is restrained and full of juicy red and black fruits that give lift and energy. Feels well made, certainly full of structure and concentration, this is not a weak wine, but feels precise and finessed despite clear power. Excellent winemaking, full, fun, still layered with lots of potential for ageing. I like it because it’s not trying so hard and seems to have taken the foot off the pedal in this vintage and is all the better for it! Excellent.

Intense and expressive, with wonderful purity to the crunchy star fruit, pomelo, kumquat, tangerine and lemon sorbet flavors. Details of fresh ginger, lemon zest and lemon verbena, plus a hint of sea salt minerality, linger on the sleek, mouthwatering frame, with extra torque on the finish. Drink now through 2039.—M.W.

Perfumed and spicy, showing aromas of wild blackberries, licorice, olive brine, boysenberries, bresaola and dark chocolate. The palate is medium- to full-bodied with finely tuned tannins and generous texture, leading into a saline-edged finish full of purity and freshness. Lovely lift beneath the dark fruit. Drink or hold. Screw ca

Yangarra's celebrated winemaker, the late Pete Fraser, believed the best Grenache was made in the coolest years. This reviewer heartily agrees. 2023 was one of those years, and this ceramic egg-aged wine is shining. A pale cherry hue, juicy freshness abounds with succulent red fruit, peppery spice and a mineral core, gliding along on a silky mid-weight palate and structured with fine, cat's tongue tannins. True to its nickname as the “Pinot of the South”, this has all the brightness and elegance you could ask for in South Aussie Grenache, with the complexity to age gracefully for another decade.

Raspberry cordial and damson plum are flecked in a peppery spice. There's a hoisin note behind that; a whisper of something more stony and mineral. As it opens, layers of earthy, peppery herbs and spice unfurl from the glass. It's silky and harmonious on the palate, the core of red fruit ensconced in fine, powdery tannins, with lovely freshness. It's a classy drop now, but could age gracefully for another decade at least.

A creamy, elegant expression, offering maraschino cherry, marionberry and fresh raspberry puree flavors highlighted by Saigon cinnamon, star anise and red licorice accents, with a hint of white chocolate, plus whiffs of fresh, loamy earth and white pepper. Shows plenty of intensity on the long, driven finish. Drink now through 2040.—M.W.

Hints of celery seed, Himalayan salt and grilled lemon are at the core, expanding into elements of sencha, apricot, peach and white raspberry that are generous, expansive and focused. Its sleek body and complexity leave an impression on the finish, where further notes of lemongrass and vetiver linger. Drink now through 2039.—M.W.

A new label that combines fruit from all single vineyard sites. It’s tightly wound—even a tad austere—but there’s depth and expression of all sites, while also walking to its own distinctive beat. Waxy lemon and seashells accompany a creamier, more textural palate. A through line of bright, oh-so-Yarra Valley acidity shines. This should age beautifully—likely for several decades—but it’s a classy, food friendly drop now with aeration in glass or decanter first.