From vines planted in 1995, the 2021 Chardonnay Three Jacks Vineyard was barrel fermented and matured for 14 months in 31% new French oak. It has detailed aromas of lemon confit, honeysuckle, oyster shell and crème fraîche. The palate is so dynamic! It has a luxuriously satiny texture and surprisingly concentrated flavors that range from lemon to honey and ginger. It’s structured by lightning-like acidity and has a very long, mineral-driven finish. 338 cases were made.

Barrel fermented and matured for 14 months in 13% new French oak, the 2021 Chardonnay Fog Dance Vineyard has a unique expression that’s both exotic and precise. It opens with gregarious scents of candied peaches, orange blossoms, honey and cashews. The palate pairs concentrated layers of spicy peach and tropical citrus fruit with tangy, laser-like acidity, and it has a very long, shimmery finish. 300 cases produced.

The 2021 Chardonnay Stone Côte, from a block within the Durell Vineyard, was barrel fermented and matured for 14 months in 13% new French oak. It has detailed aromas of apricot, citrus blossom, oyster shell, matchstick and beeswax. The light-bodied palate combines expansive, mineral-driven flavors with tangy acidity, and it has a long, textural finish. 386 cases were made.

Downright sexy from first sniff, Applejack evokes wild raspberries, mulberries, crushed roses, summer herbs and sweet-savory-earthy nuances like hoisin sauce-glazed mushrooms. It glides across the tongue like glycerin, buoyed by the midpalate with a lick of tart berry acidity, and tugged by savory, cat's tongue tannins. Well-developed now, it could evolve further for another eight to 10 years. 

Sexton is the richest of the trio of single vineyard Yarra Chards. Medium gold in hue, it opens with opulent aromas of caramel, gingersnap, citrus and mushroom. Its generosity on the palate is brightened by lovely, unforced acidity. Long, with a mineral note creeping in amid the more polished oak-and-lees characters, this drinks nicely now but should evolve beautifully over the next several years and until 2034.

Pronounced aromas of fresh, juicy black currant and beet juice, with cloves and a briny olive note behind, open. The mocha-like oak shows a touch too. There's succulence and fruit concentration to the palate. It's weighty but balanced by tangy acidity. Fine, well-tucked tannins add structure and food-friendliness. You could drink it now, but it will greatly reward patience as it evolves over the next 10 to 15 years.

The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Helena Montana Vineyard was matured for 15 months in 85% new French oak. It has an opaque ruby color and unfurls slowly on the nose, segueing from soy sauce, tar and Chinese five spice to red and black cherries and aniseed. The full-bodied palate is most notable for its Goldilocks ripeness—it sits at a modest 13.6% alcohol—and its youthfully coiled flavors are streaked with spice and iron tones. It has an exceptionally powdery texture and bright acidity, and touches of herbs and flowers emerge on the long, latent finish. 990 cases produced.

The Ovitelli Grenache is fermented and matured in ceramic eggs, the Hickinbotham Grenache in cocciopesto stone amphora and the High Sands Grenache in old oak. The maturation vessels largely define the personalities of the wines—the vineyards too—and so the differences between them are stark. I like this 2022 Hickinbotham Grenache, as it gives permission for us all to "have a favorite" without declaring one is necessarily better than another. Here, the fruit is from Clarendon (hence Hickinbotham, the other part of Jackson's Family Wine Estates in McLaren Vale) and has an inherently darker register of flavor and tannin. The fruit was destemmed and crushed prior to its 150 days in amphorae, and this seems to emphasize the licorice and wet asphalt, petrichor and black tea, black olive tapenade and caper brine. Bitter amaro herbs are profuse in this wine, with dried rosemary and thyme, orange peel and tobacco, old rose petals and blood orange acidity. As this wine opens up in the glass, it is knitting together admirably, leading me to suggest that time in a decanter is a necessary action. Gritty tannins through the finish complete the picture. 14.5% alcohol sealed under screw cap.

Subtle nutty notes mingle with lime blossom and fresh pear. Very silky, very fine, with a beautiful velvety texture. Acidity is deep set, and has some subtle textural notes providing interest on the palate. Gently saline. Very long – and should age with interest. Their oldest Roussanne vines, hand-picked, fermented in ceramic eggs. Half was fermented on skins and remained on them for 120 days before pressing. All matured for four months in ceramic eggs before bottling.

Exotic spice woven through vibrant fruits. Some slightly earthier elements too: porcini powder, candied beets. High notes of bergamot and white pepper. It moves with a slippery momentum, plush fruit pulled along by gently buffed tannins and a precise acid line. Complex, composed and a harbinger of great things to come.

During my tasting with winemaker Kristy Melton in July of 2024, she unveiled this brand-new wine for the Freemark Abbey portfolio. There has not been a new single-vineyard Cabernet in the Freemark Abbey portfolio since 1984, until this Colline Vineyard bottling. Sourced from blocks at the front of the Cardinale property on the east side of Highway 29, in the same bale clay loam soils as To Kalon across the street. 100% Cabernet Sauvignon aged 26 months in 66% new French oak. A very pure, dark fruit character resonates in the glass, nuanced by expressive graphite minerality and that fragrant oakville garrigue of sagebrush, along with elegant cedarwood notes. Full-bodied with a wonderful core of inky black fruit framed by superfine-grained tannins that coat the palate, resolving with lovely savoury notes of black liquorice, black olive, a hint of violets and charcuterie. Very polished. This will remain the portfolio moving forward with an annual production of around 500 cases. In its debut 2021 vintage, only 100 cases were produced due to low yields.

This wine is rich, with aromas of blackberry, cassis, plum, orange zest and allspice on the nose. The flavors on the palate are red plum, pomegranate and orange marmalade, intertwined with vanilla cream, bay leaf and a dry, silky finish. Hold or drink until 2034 Pair with short ribs.

The nose shows aromas of lemon pith, orange zest and jasmine. The palate is full-bodied and textured, with bright acid and a long, lingering finish that has notes of honeydew melon, green papayas, red apples and flint. Powerful with restraint. Grown at 550 meters in vineyards planted in 1982. Drink or hold.

This red shows a balance of power and restraint, with aromas of black cherries, dark chocolate, coffee and cloves. The palate is full-bodied, showing fine tannins and acid with lingering notes of blackcurrants, cured meat, earth and tomato bush. Grown at 670 meters on volcanic quartz soil. Drink or hold.

The aromas are rustic and savory, with dark fruit, brambles, dark chocolate and thyme. The palate is full-bodied with silky yet firm tannins, bright acidity and layers of blackcurrants, charcuterie, graphite and sage. Very good. Single vineyard grown at 600 meters on a southeast-facing slope. Drink or hold.

This Pinot, about $10 a glass, absolutely overdelivers. It tastes like it costs way more than it does. There’s lots of beauty and length here. Plus a core of scrumptious, sophisticated, rich fruit. But what I love most is how much the Gran Moraine Pinot smells like the Oregon countryside itself—Earthy wet forests, tender juicy wild berries, rolling hillsides of orchards, ancient volcanic rock. Nature, in a state of aliveness.

The 2022 Chardonnay Perilune is a big step up from the 2021. At this stage, one year makes a huge difference for a vineyard that was planted so recently (2017). Airy, bright and chiseled, the 2022 has a ton to offer. This is an especially taut, sculpted style for Brewer-Clifton.

The 2022 Chardonnay Perilune is cut from the same cloth as the Hapgood, with a clean yet savory, mineral-laced style. Toasted bread, stone fruits, crème brûlée, and chalky notes all define the aromatics, and it brings a medium to full-bodied, broad, concentrated, layered style on the palate that stays lively and focused, with good acidity. It will drink brilliantly for a decade or more. 192 cases.

Lastly, the 2022 Pinot Noir Machado has a juicy, upfront nose of wild strawberry and framboise-like fruit as well as spring flowers, violets, and baking spices. Shining for its remarkable purity and freshness, it has medium to full-bodied richness, a round, layered mouthfeel, ripe tannins, and a great finish. It's much closer to the 459 in style than the Perilune (although these each have their own unique style) and is one for those who love the more pure, lively, fruit-driven style of Pinot Noir. 761 cases.

The 2022 Pinot Noir 3D is slightly darker hued and offers a more savory profile of mulled cherries, leather, loamy earth, forest floor, and spring flowers. Medium to full-bodied, this supple, elegant 2022 has fine tannins, a nicely balanced, silky mouthfeel, and a great finish. It has a more approachable style yet will still benefit from just a year or two of bottle age. It's another gorgeous wine from the talents of Greg Brewer. Drink bottles through 2034. 294 cases.

It is a characteristic cat pee bouquet, with a contrasting sweetness profile on the palate and subtlety that makes it
remarkably inviting but also doesn’t erase its character. Coming from a fairly high elevation between 250-350m, the
fruit isn’t as ripe and bright as it could be– it’s much more muted– but delightful and satisfying nonetheless. The
acid sings as it should,. Dink now til 2028

From six estate blocks, split between ironstone and sand, destemmed with half left as whole berries; élevage in French puncheons, with 25% new and the remainder 1–3-year-old oak. This is remarkably pretty upfront, bursting with red berries and cherries, underneath a bedrock of ferrous minerality – the split of soils writ large – along with baking spices and rosy florals. Trademark Yangarra tannins kick in swiftly and carry the flavours long through a savoury finish. This is charming, but it’s also built for food. Seems like a very fine year for shiraz at this address.

From across the estate’s 13.3ha of '46-planted bush-vine grenache. Half whole-berry ferment with gentle pumpovers and extended maceration on some parcels (up to 10 months); matured in older French puncheons, foudres, ceramic eggs and amphorae. Structured and compact, with a pervasive line of acidity, this requires considerable air to amplify its charms. Once achieved, the flavour set remains savoury but with more levity. Dried cranberry and cherry, faded red florals, cracked earth and pepper, the tannins mouth-puckering and sandy – nebbiolo-like. This needs ample time and will age extremely well.

From block 208, contour planted in '73; destemmed and some lightly crushed, with 21 days on skins; matured in 100% new French oak for 15 months. This is showing some maturity but still has fruit-forward notes and a lifted perfume, with tobacco, green peppercorns, tomato leaf and bay, along with Worcestershire sauce, crème de cassis, blackberry and currants. Tannins are still impactful, with more time, no doubt, bringing even more rewards.

A blend of 87/11/2% cabernet franc/merlot/malbec. From a block planted in '13; crushed fruit fermented with native yeast; 16 days on skins; 15 months' maturation in French oak (60% new), then blended and matured in old oak for two months. This is an expressive take on cabernet franc, but as with all the wines in the '22 range, elegance and varietal clarity are prized, with this clocking in at moderate alcohol and with refined structural drive.