The 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon Mount Veeder is the most obvious wine in this range, but it is also among the most elegant, polished and translucent. Crushed rose petal, bright redtoned fruit, chalk, mint, iron and white pepper are all beautifully delineated in this sculpted, taut, young Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. It demands patience. What a wine.

The 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon Diamond Mountain is laced with graphite, cloves, lavender, licorice, pencil shavings and crème de cassis. There's gorgeous depth and vertical intensity here. A wine of nearly indescribable beauty, the 2023 is pure and total seduction. It's another stellar effort from Chris Carpenter.

2021 was a lauded vintage in South Australia. It was long, mild and dry during the growing
season and well set up with healthy yields due to favorable conditions during flowering in
the spring of 2020. Here, the 2021 High Sands Grenache is just starting to emerge from its
shell—the tannins that wrap around the fruit are layered with graphite and dusted licorice,
dried rose petals and paprika dolce. The fruit is pure and speaks of soft black cherry and
pomegranate. This is a wine that, in the context of this lineup, has only just emerged from
"inchoate" and will, like the others, have an extraordinarily long life ahead of it.

The Jackson family purchased the Veeder Peak property in 1994, from which the fruit for
this Lokoya bottling comes. The 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon Mount Veeder offers up fabulous
spice notes, ranging from cinnamon and clove to anise and sage, all layered atop a darkfruited base of black cherries and cassis. Full-bodied, concentrated and rich, yet silky
smooth, this is tannic but ripe and polished, balanced and long on the finish. Maybe the
strongest of the Lokoya bottlings this year?

Sourced entirely from the Jackson Family's Keyes Vineyard, Lokoya's 2022 Cabernet
Sauvignon Howell Mountain brings an aromatic hint of fir to its core of blueberry fruit, then
adds a touch of savory mocha. A full-bodied wine, it has a wonderfully creamy, lush texture
that envelops its considerable tannins, great concentration and a tremendously long finish.
Great stuff, which should drink well for at least a couple of decades.

Beautiful fruit and dark spice flavors enjoy great balance and structure in this linear, almost muscular wine. Wonderful blackberries, black licorice, black cherries, blueberry pie, star anise and nutmeg, along with hints of wood char, tobacco leaves, dried cherries and pomegranates, give amazing complexity. Taut in texture, vertical drive, agile and muscular in fine-grained tannins, yet balanced and elegant. Drinkable now and best from 2032.

There’s an indulgent purity to the cassis fruit here. Scratched leather. Fresh leaf tobacco. Candlewax. Graphite by the nuclear reactor core full. A gloriously exuberant wine but also so cool and composed at the core. I find this fresher than La Muse and just as expressive of its Cabernet Sauvignon identity as Le Désir is of its Cabernet Franc identity. Plump and juicy on the finish. Exquisite. 

The 2022 Pinot Noir Slope displays a deeper, jeweled ruby hue and offers remarkable depth. Aromas of raspberry liqueur, leather, crushed flowers, and grenadine lead into a concentrated, finely structured palate with velvety tannins and mineral persistence. This contemplative, seamless wine unfolds beautifully and leaves a lasting impression. Drink 2026-2045.

 It's hard to pick favorites from this brand's always stellar lineup, but this clonal selection
from Machado Vineyard earns very high marks this vintage. Fascinatingly delicious aroma
of cherry compote, black raspberry sorbet and alluring mint show on the nose. The vibrant
palate is addictively quaffable, throwing cherry candy and spearmint clippings atop a
grippy texture.

The Rockfall is one of the most extreme sites on the Stonestreet mountain estate, between 2,000 and 2,400 feet in elevation. Fully exposed to sun and wind, it’s earned the nickname “the solar panel” from the team. Often the first Cabernet harvested each year, the wine reflects the raw character of the site: wild, rugged, and precise. The aromas are earthy and dusty, layered with ground spices like turmeric, black pepper, and a hint of bay leaf. There’s a sense of plushness, but tension is more prominent on the palate, with notes of plum skin, tart blackberry, and a green, briny edge. A deeply expressive wine that feels ready ten years in, but with plenty of life to be lived.

Another high-elevation vineyard, Christopher’s, sits above 2,400 feet on steep, quartz-laced volcanic soils just above Upper Barn. The 2015 wine exhibits incredible depth and concentration, a trait that seems to be characteristic of the dry vintage. Classic aromas of the variety, such as currants, tobacco, and leather, mix with savoury dried herbs and a stony edge. There's a cooling herbal finish of menthol that carries through the palate, balancing the rich aspect of the wine, which features ripe berries and plums. It's a fantastic wine with an opulent feeling, and after 10 years of ageing in the bottle, truly shows off the potential of mountain Cabernets in Sonoma.

The 2022 Cardinale is impressively built. You have to understand—there was a major heat
event near the end of the growing season. But this wine? It shows none of it. Not even a
whisper. If anything, the tannins are slightly more approachable, a touch more supple—but
they're no less stratospheric than what we've come to expect from this bottling. The real
kicker is the mid-palate density and length. The wine has tremendous persistence, tension,
and detail, with dark berry fruit unfurling in layers—blackberry, black cherry, and
mulberry—woven with perfumed rose petals, violets, white pepper, and underbrush. With
air, blue fruit tones begin to emerge, adding lift and intrigue. There's an impressive balance
of spice, minerality, and tension—rare for this vintage. Hats off. In my tasting with
winemaker Chris Carpenter, we spoke at length about how Lokoya expresses Napa’s
mountain sub-appellations with site-specific clarity. But with Cardinale—the Oakvillebased crown jewel of the Jackson Family portfolio—the philosophy is different: the sum
must be greater than the parts. This is not an estate wine. It is a masterful blend, culled
from multiple appellations—typically three to nine per vintage—crafted for harmony,
complexity, and longevity. In 2022, the blend is 96% Cabernet Sauvignon from Diamond
Mountain, Spring Mountain, Howell Mountain, Mount Veeder, Atlas Peak, Stags Leap,
Rutherford, and St. Helena, with 4% Merlot from the Keyes Estate Vineyard on Howell
Mountain. The wine was aged for 22 months in 81% new French oak.

Cabernet Franc has been made continuously at La Jota since 1976, says winemaker Chris
Carpenter. Due to the wine’s growing popularity, additional Cabernet Franc vines were
planted at both the Keyes and La Jota estate vineyards. The 2022 is utterly gorgeous. Most
of the fruit was already off the vine before the late-season heatwave arrived—and if it
wasn’t, it was in cooler zones anyway, Carpenter notes. The wine is dark-fruited, led by
pure blackberry and black cherry wrapped in tobacco, with stunning herbal and floral
aromatics. The palate is full-bodied and precise, featuring firm, fine-grained mountain
tannins that are both powerful and refined. Layers of black truffle and loamy earth add
intrigue, gliding toward a long, savoury finish of graphite and sagebrush. Tension-filled,
pure-fruited, and thrilling

This Merlot hails from the same block in the W.S. Keyes Vineyard that Tom Rinaldi once
sourced for Duckhorn Merlot in the early days. Winemaker Chris Carpenter has a bold
vision for this wine—he wants it to compete on the world stage with the greats, from
Masseto to Petrus. The Merlot grapes here have thick skins, and Carpenter doesn’t hold
back, blending in 20% Cabernet Sauvignon from the same site to amplify structure and
depth. Native ferments occur in stainless steel, and the wine is aged for 22 months in 77%
new French oak barrels. With pH levels hovering around 3.5–3.6, the wine delivers
freshness and precision. It opens with a rush of juicy mulberry, cherry, blackberry, and
blueberry fruit, all vivid and inviting. Then the tannins emerge—firm, soaring, and intense,
yet polished and poised, providing remarkable structure and length. The acid tension lifts
the palate, keeping the wine bright and energetic, never heavy or lingering too long. It’s a
marvel of balance and power, and one that promises to hit its stride two decades from now.

From the Applejack vineyard, planted on grey clay soils at 300m in Gladysdale in '97 by Ray Guerin. 40% whole bunches and 40% less wine in '24. Darkly fruited and more intense than the '23 with aromas of wild blackberry, raspberry, briar, and just a hint of sous bois. On the palate, this is as concentrated and mouth-filling as the bouquet suggests it will be, culminating with succulent, grippy tannins on the long, tapering finish. It's a touch more 'sauvage' and a little less floral than normal but, even in this warmer vintage, one of Australia's most celebrated pinot noirs is in impressive form.

The 2022 Lokoya Cabernet Sauvignon Diamond Mountain District is a tour de force, offering a
Latour-like nose of pure cassis, lead pencil shavings, graphite, crushed stone, and new leather. Fullbodied, powerful, and incredibly rich on the palate, this doesn't get much better in the vintage. The tannins are beautifully integrated, and the overall balance and purity are simply awesome. This 100% Cabernet Sauvignon spent 22 months in 85% new French oak, and while it's certainly
approachable with a decant, it will benefit from 4-5 years of bottle age and keep for 25+ years.

The 2022 Caladan Cabernet Franc Napa Valley is a Right Bank-inspired expression from Spring
Mountain that delivers an impressive array of red and black fruits, black cherries, and sappy spring
flowers, along with some classic Spring Mountain wildness and meaty, iron nuances. A blend of
81% Cabernet Franc and 19% Merlot aged 22 months in 63% new French oak, this medium to fullbodied effort shows beautiful concentration and depth, with ripe tannins and a beautifully
balanced mouthfeel. It's a gorgeous, complete wine that will evolve gracefully for 15+ years.

From three blocks in the heart of the vineyard, the 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon Skysill Vineyard is old school in its complete embrace of sublime earthiness and is a highly impressive wine. Violet aromatics waft from a creamy texture of substantial weight and complexity, the currant and cassis fruit full bodied but subtle. This is structured for aging 20 or more years.

The 2021 Le Desir is based on Cabernet Franc with the addition of 10% Merlot and 3% Malbec. It’s savory and expressive on the nose with aromas of wild, coiled blackberries, cassis, juniper, minty and peppery spice, and dark earth. Full-bodied, with velvety tannins, even, focused acidity, and a long finish, it’s drinking very well now and is a bit more immediate compared to the La Joie. It has notes of black tea through the palate, with a long earth note and its more noble structure making itself known as it lasts long on the palate. It’s going to drink well over the coming 20 or more years. It’s another exceptional wine in the range. This wine has a more rugged, mountainous feel texturally, but it’s done at the highest level. 2500 cases were produced.

A similar saturated dark red color, the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Christopher's comes from a northern exposition at 2400 feet elevation on decomposed volcanic soils. it’s layered and deep, with hallmark aromatics of cigar box, tobacco, blackcurrants, wild minty herbs, and leather. The palate has a lovely purity and ripeness to the fruit, with a velvety texture, and its darker mineral and mouthwatering accents emerge after the wine is gone. It’s a lovely wine with considerable complexity that can be enjoyed over the next 15 years.

The 2022 W S Keyes Merlot is a blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon. Deep garnet-purple in color, it needs a little swirling to coax out notes of blackberry pie and plum preserves, giving way to nuances of dusty soil, tobacco, and cinnamon stick. The medium to full-bodied palate is tightly wound with black fruit and minerally flavors, supported by firm, grainy tannins and great tension, finishing on a lingering ferrous note.

The 2022 W S Keyes Chardonnay prances out of the glass with graceful scents of honey-drizzled pears, white peaches, and allspice, followed by hints of baking bread and marzipan. The medium- to full-bodied palate shimmers with vibrant orchard fruit layers, supported by a racy backbone and satiny texture, finishing long and chalky. Stunning!

This year, Pete Fraser will launch the High Sands, Ovitelli and Hickinbotham together, giving a better chance to view the connectivity. Well, there is certainly a theme in the '23s. A degree of alcohol less, lower colour and a commanding, yet incredibly fine, structural framework. This is a very different High Sands, a reflection of the cool year, but also an evolving direction, leaning into elegance, soaring fragrance and savoury tension. Red cherry, tart raspberry, intensely floral, swirling with North African spices, musk and orange peel. The palate is coiled at this stage, but the fruit has flex and will bloom with time in bottle, radiating out from the core of mineral-feeling tannin and skein of vigorous acidity. This is truly magnificent now, but the future is one of dazzling possibility.

Vibrant ruby and purple, youthful and bright in the glass. Blackberry pastille, Chinese five spice, and pastrami aromas. Palate is instantly alive with power and intensity yet a youthful vibrancy. Red and black berry fruits sit in the central pylon, strung from there we see a mélange of powdered spices, curing meats and earthy undertones. Tannins are prodigious in their power but never stray beyond the required tension, allow the full textural joy of this wine to carry to an almost limitless end. A wine of juxtaposition, carrying a lightness of being that belies its power and intensity.

Deep-ish ruby red with a lot of purple in the colour; a reserved but engaging nose of dried herbs and earthy, undergrowth scents, a note of balsamic herbs floating across to suggest some whole-bunch influence, while the palate is gorgeously sweet fruited and succulent, with ample superfine tannins in support but very sotto voce, the finish filling out superbly into a long peacock's tail with the flavour and tannins perfectly matched. An exquisite pinot noir.