“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.”

Under wax and cork. I received this from the great people at Jackson Family Wines (who acquired B-C shortly before this fruit was harvested) in December 2021, shortly after my annual American Pinot Noir tasting. Oops. Well, this had been sitting in my cellar until my wife randomly grabbed it tonight. Good choice. Whoa. The nose is rich, fruity, brambly, and loaded with character. The palate is all New World in style, this would never be confused with a Pommard or a Nuits-St-Georges, but nor does it try to be. Rich, even unctuous, loaded with red and dark brambly fruit, this would likely piss off every French wine drinker on the planet, but this is a big, tasty gem. Outstanding.

“Dry, grapey, and yet inherently savoury. This is pretty wild, pretty exotic, flowers and herbs flying. Cranberry, strawberry and red cherry with twig and herb notes. The finish here is so dry, with so much crunch and grip, that I’ve underlined the words ‘crackle and squeak’ in my notes. And yet – importantly – all this dryness is served with a juiciness running through it. If you like the lighter/more structural style of Yarra Valley pinot, then I’d reckon that you should be bullish on this.”

From the Upper Barn vineyard at over 480m in the Alexander Valley planted in 1982 to Old Wente clone Chardonnay, old vines in this part of California for Chardonnay. This wine shows a wonderful elegance and depth of rich stone fruits. Honeyed pear and ginger mark the aromas, followed closely by white flowers and beeswax. The palate flashes opulence while maintaining a delicate character. Honeyed apricot flavours, grilled peach richness and lifted seaspray minerality. There is ample verve and freshness to this wine to complement its depth.

The fruit meets the structure of the wine in the plush palate of this wine at 16 years. Aromatics of violets meeting cinder, blackberries and fresh mint. The lushly fruited palate is a core of blackberry fruits, dusty gravel, and finely built tannins that compel this wine ever-forward.

A stunning wine at 12 years on from a cool and raining vintage, winemakers recall it was hailing on the crush pad. Gorgeous herbal aromas of fennel, dill, and eucalyptus. Shows the complexity of cool vintage Cabernet, flashing elegance along with structure. Savoury notes of bay leaf, forest floor, currants and smoked cedar plank all come together beautifully before a finish marked with mineral character and bright acids.

Cabernet Franc dominant this blend offers wonderful savoury freshness and complexity; from a warm vintage that started with plenty of winter precipitation, the wines show a corresponding balance and longevity: fresh herbes de Provence, pencil lead, violets and oak-derived notes of cassia bark. The palate reflects the wine's rich aromas, with anise, fennel and dark chocolate embracing a core of fresh brambleberry fruits and a kiss of fresh spearmint. The structure is something to behold, with fine tannins that show perseverance and elegance.

A wonderfully savoury and nearly feral Cabernet from a proper mountain Cabernet vineyard site at the rugged Rockfall vineyard high up in Mayacamas. Mediterranean scrub, eucalyptus and lavender leap forth with a kick of white pepper spice. The palate offers a core of dusty blue and black fruits, California bay leaf, anise and freshly crushed stone minerality to finish the wine with a savoury edge.

This wine shows the wonderful complexity and ageability of the Vérité house in the inaugural bottling of La Joie. Without a doubt, this wine has improved over its years. Anise, violet and rose petal aromatics hint at the elegance of the wine. Concentrated red and black berries are met with a beautiful savouriness.

Wildly floral, this Merlot-based blend from 10 years ago still aromatically puts on quite the fireworks. Far from fatigued, this wine feels like it's just getting warmed up. Dried violets and cherry kirsch notes balance ripe aromas with mineral graphite tones. The palate shows balsamic and strawberries, fennel, leather and mint. The wine remains exceptionally structured a decade later.

Less a homage to the Lucy Lawless television series and more a clever turn of phrase and nod to the Zena Crown Vineyard, this wine is pure Oregon terroir in character. Elegance balanced with robust blue fruits, this wine shows aromas of pine bough, brambleberries and a savoury herbal melange. The palate shows clove star anise, smashed raspberries and fresh mint. It is balanced and brilliant.

A Merlot dominant blend with whispers of Cabernet Franc and Malbec (5% each). More generous than dense with ample structure, silken texture and elegance alongside understated power. Aromatics are marked by espresso beans, irises, violets, and crushed stone alongside cedar plank and cinnamon spice. The palate is elegantly outlined, with fine tannins, mocha powder, blue fruits denoted by huckleberry and fig and a sinuous streak of graphite across the finish.

At over 730m the, Christopher's site produces concentrated Cabernet with freshness and lift. It is a rugged vineyard site atop the Stonestreet estate mountain complex—aromas of evergreen bough, chicory root, crushed raspberries, and mineral notes of smashed black stone. The palate shows a density of black fruits lifted by bay leaf, Chinese five-spice, crushed stone minerals and pine tar. It's still coming along at nearly a decade.

From the Upper Barn vineyard at over 480m in the Alexander Valley planted in 1982 to Old Wente clone Chardonnay, old vines in this part of California for Chardonnay. Aromas of roast corn husk, peach fuzz, and savoury herbs flanked with a crushed chalk mineral character. The palate is finely etched in its precision, honeyed apricot, lemon cream and candied ginger with a laser-focused minerality. This Chardonnay is evolving beautifully.

A polished Pinot Noir from the Mendocino County Docker Hill site. Savoury aromatics of mountain herbs with cocoa nibs and blue fruits. The palate shows ample elegance, structure and gorgeous texture. A core of blue fruits, evergreen tips, cocoa nibs, and a finish lifted by fresh mint.

From the Upper Barn vineyard at over 480m in the Alexander Valley planted in 1982 to Old Wente clone Chardonnay, old vines in this part of California for Chardonnay. 2019 shows the early makings of the 2011 and is developing a similar elegance but is complete in its richenss of fruit at present. Cardamom and bruised apples and accents of lemon cream aromatics lean into a palate of lemon cream, honeyed peach and almond notes. It doesn't show the laser precision of the 2011 but offers generous, ample fruit.

Released in 2022 after 7 years en tirage. Pretty aromas of crushed chalk and slate meet lemon cream. The palate shows cut Granny Smith apples, tangy lemon cream, flaky almond cream pastry notes, and a depth of ripe stone fruit.

The Laguna Ridge soils have higher iron content, producing wines of great minerality. This Pinot flashes beautiful blue fruit aromatics with hints of cola and crushed slate. The palate is showy, with turned earth-based umami, fresh red berries and a spiced cassia bark undertone. Fresh, bright mint carries a finish of true elegance.

The Jennifer's Chardonnay is stunning from Hartford Family, showing the old Wente Hyde heirloom clones. Located smack dab in a wind tunnel, this site produces wines of verve and energy. White flowers and bee pollen aromas are showy and bright. This wine has a richness and body that is carried on by bright green mangoes, lemon cream and early-season papaya—a beauty of a wine.

This wine eschews stereotypes and delivers on depth, complexity and minerality while offering an incredible value. Aromatics of honeyed apricot, candied ginger and bee pollen hint at ample elegance. The oak adds structure and helps raise the wine without becoming it. Spiced apple, nutmeg and cardamom flash on the palate, balanced by freshness and lemon drop brightness to finish.

“Well this is apple-like, it’s not just the power of suggestion, it’s like biting into something cold and crunchy, lemonade and frozen meal, backed by nectarines, backed by nuts and stones. This dials back the intensity slightly, lifts the elegance, splays the flavours into a complex carpet, and then stretches its legs fully through the finish. It’s a stunning wine, and my pick of this year’s releases (by a whisker)”

“This is an absolute bloody cracker. It tastes of cranberry and red cherry with pomegranate and twiggy, peppery spice. It’s lively, perfumed, juicy, complex and complete. There’s crunch here, there’s perfume, there’s difference and yet there’s pure, ripe, juicy, urgent fruit. Great face, great body.”

“When we taste the Giant Steps chardonnays we usually start at the warmer of the single vineyard sites and work our way up, or to cooler sites. Two we have here. Tarraford is a leased vineyard though it’s a key member of the Giant Steps SV range.
This is a tight release, though highly textural, but what really shows through here is the fruit intensity of the year. There’s a concentration to this wine, a sense of bounty. It tastes of brine, apples, citrus and cedar, with attractive bacon and salt-like highlights, plus quartz, plus some greenery. I wrote the word ‘incredible’, which says it all.”

A beautiful, elegant Pinot Noir from the Sta Rita Hills site, John Sebastiano. Silky, textured, and fresh, this wine flashes delicate purity and minerality. Pungent floral aromas of dried violets, sois bois and evergreen tips are accented by seaspray minerality. The palate is a study in beautiful blue fruits, crushed stone and grilled orange peel. This Pinot shows ample depth and a true sense of the wonder of the Sta Rita Hills.

Gary's Vineyard in the Santa Lucia Highlands features a suitcase clone, Pisoni and varied elevations throughout the site. Fresh fruited with ample barrel spice, the aromas hint at a ripe Pinot Noir. The palate delivers ripeness, but it's backed with great dried savoury herbs, black plums and spiced fig. A wine is carried out on a spicy, peppery finish.