The 2020 Ovitelli Blanc is today five years from its harvest, and the fruit has moved into a
floral, waxy, highly attractive space. Context is important, and it is good to taste the 2020
alongside the 2024. It appears to be aging very slowly, and while it is developing some nice
bottle-derived complexity, it hasn't moved much in the freshness stakes. It is composed of
50% Grenache Blanc, 25% Roussanne, 12% Clairette, 9% Piquepoul and 4% Bourboulenc.

The 2024 Ovitelli Blanc is led by Grenache Gris (31%), Grenache Blanc (28%) and Clairette
(22%), with the balance Roussanne. The season here was warm and dry, however
widespread rains in January positively set the tone for the season. The wine here is
perfumed and floral, with mineral/rock-based phenolics that shape the flavors across the
palate. Winemaker Pete Fraser credits the heightened aromas here to the increased
quantity of Grenache Gris in the blend. A tremendous wine, it is elegant and sophisticated,
and the experience is predicated on skin/fruit tannin.

For something approximating the quality of Lokoya's Mount Veeder bottling at a fraction of
the price, sharp shoppers should check out Mt Brave's 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon Mt.
Veeder. It does include small percentages of blending varieties (6% in total), which no
doubt contributes to the wine's complex scents of dried sage and violets alongside ripe
black cherries. Full-bodied, it's rich, ripe and rounded but concentrated, flavorful and softly
tannic, with a long, gently dusty finish that adds a seductive hint of anise. It's a terrific
value, and with 4,701 cases produced, consumers may actually be able to get their hands
on some

A blend of 37% Merlot, 23% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Malbec, 16% Cabernet Franc and 7% Petit Verdot, Caladan's 2022 Red Wine delivers ripe cherries accented by hints of sage and bay leaves. It's full-bodied, really smooth and silky in feel—almost creamy across the mid-palate—then long and suave, with lingering tannins on the finish

Elegant aromas of eucalyptus, cloves, bark and vibrant fresh cassis. The palate shows ripe, velvety tannins that are almost silky, with integrated acidity and a full body. Toasty yet balanced finish with a hint of warmth. Plenty of cabernet franc character. Drinkable now, but better in two or three years.

Ruby/plum-hued, the 2023 Pinot Noir Perilune Vineyard offers gorgeous aromatics of redcurrants, framboise, spring flowers, spice, and hints of loamy earth and forest notes. Based on clones 114 and 828 with 10% whole clusters and aged 10 months in 30% new French oak, it's medium-bodied, pure, and wonderfully elegant, with silky tannins, a pure, layered mouthfeel, and outstanding length. This classic Pinot Noir is on another level compared to the appellation releases and will drink beautifully over the coming 8-10 years. Drink 2025-2035. 

As with all the Pinot Noirs from this talented winemaker, the 2023 Pinot Noir Sta. Rita Hills was
not destemmed and was aged all in 100% neutral oak barrels. Medium ruby-hued, darker berries
and redcurrants intermixed with rose, damp forest floor, and subtle spicy, meaty nuances all
emerge from the glass. It's remarkably pure and medium-bodied, with a pure, seamless, layered
mouthfeel and ultra-fine tannins. This is classic Greg Brewer brilliance with Pinot Noir. Drink
bottles any time over the coming decade. Drink 2025-2035

The 2023 Pinot Noir Hapgood is 100% Pinot Noir that was not destemmed and spent 15 months in 100% neutral oak barrels, and it represents a more savory, complex expression of the variety. Medium ruby in color, it offers layered notes of savory red and black fruits, baking spices, rose petals, and subtle marine-like nuances. Those flavors carry onto the palate, where the wine is balanced and medium-bodied, with savory yet ripe tannins and a beautiful finish. Give it a year or two in bottle and drink bottles over the following decade. Drink 2027-2037.

Aged nine months in 100% neutral oak barrels, the 2023 Chardonnay Sta. Rita Hills offers crushed citrus, oyster shell, white flowers, and a kiss of salty minerality. It's medium-bodied, has remarkable purity, vibrant acidity, and a great finish. As I've written many times, this appellation release can stand toe to toe with any Chardonnay from Santa Barbara County. Drink 2025-2035.

The 2023 Chardonnay Hapgood, aged 15 months in neutral oak, has a medium gold hue and is a touch more reticent, offering ripe stone fruits, almond paste, Meyer lemon, and a distinctive oyster shell-like minerality and salinity. Balanced and medium-bodied, it has a layered, round mouthfeel, bright acidity, and a great finish. It’s going to age gracefully on its depth and concentration. Drink 2025-2040.

From a producer that's deftly making wines of refinement and finesse, the Flavorscape series represents more of a let-your-hair-down approach. The distinct influence of the vineyard area's plentiful river-borne basalt cobblestones in undeniable. This 100% Grenache spends 17 days on its skins and includes 30% whole clusters. A pick-early mantra and a light touch, combined with ageing in 50% new French oak barrels, brings tension and depth to the wine.

The 2023 Syrah Perilune is lights-out fabulous: clear, precise and expressively aromatic. Fleshy yet focused, with dense, floral-inflected red fruit, cedar, lavender, crushed rocks and mint, the Perilune Syrah is a swan song for this vineyard that will sadly no longer be in production moving forward. What a beautiful wine.

The 2023 Pinot Noir 3D is deeply mineral and savory, turning out shades of chalk, salt, smoke, crushed rocks and intense, gravelly minerality. Black-tea-like tannins and notes of rooibos tea are enshrouded by particularly suave textures. The 3D presents such a compelling, engaging juxtaposition of textural suppleness vs structural sternness. It's the most cerebral wine in the lineup.

The 2023 Chardonnay Perilune delivers a whisper of stylistic flinty reduction that highlights its sexy base layer of creamy stone fruit. Mouthwateringly juicy and impeccably focused, the 2023 impresses with its palate presence and calibrated balance. The It's an inherently rich white that makes all the right moves to keep it between the lines. Gorgeous.

The 2023 Chardonnay 3D is a powerful, intense white with loads of salty concentration and inner power to burn. Leesy, minty overtones lift a core of golden apple, toasted hazelnut and cream. Classic Sta. Rita Hills salinity and minerality speak clearly and intentionally here. This is everything Chardonnay from this part of the world can and should be.

Fresh, floral and dense with lovely sweet blackcurrant and blackberry fruit. There’s a sweet core to the fruit and a purity. Generous with a twist of ginger and dried herb sitting under the sweet, generous, floral, expressive fruit. A really lovely, complete wine.

This is firm, grippy and dense with a wide dynamic range with sweet blackberry and blackcurrant fruit, with a nice tension. Grippy and expressive with massive potential for development, with the ripe fruit hemmed in by nice acidity and firm tannins.

This is ripe and concentrated, with lovely dense blackcurrant fruit and some warm berry character. Lovely weight and texture in the mouth: smooth but well defined with fine-grained tannins. Has a hint of Indian spices around the edges. Lovely in a ripe style.

A dry year with low yields, with tiny berries. This is dense and structured with vivid blackcurrant fruit and some fine spicy detail. The oak integrates well. Good tannic structure here with a core of sweet fruit. So textural and vivid, with great balance and intensity. Ripe but firm, and avoids being at all jammy.

Powerful and structured with concentrated blackcurrant fruit and some sweet floral cherry notes around the outside. Pure, structural, with nicely integrated oak. Nice tannins here: they are present but not overpowering, and are resolving really nicely. Powerful and dense but with real finesse.

The first vintage of Chardonnay from Zena Crown, the 2021 Chardonnay Desiderium is more rounded and textural than the 2022. It pours a bright yellow/golden hue and reveals aromas of honeyed lemon, ginger, fresh flowers, caramel apple, and marzipan. Medium to full-bodied, it has a waxy texture and a golden hue, suggesting this wine will age beautifully. This marked Zena Crown's first white wine after a history of exclusively producing Pinot Noir. Drink 2025-2045.

The 2022 Pinot Noir The Sum comes from volcanic soils and includes a high proportion of whole clusters. It pours a medium ruby hue and opens with spice-laden aromatics of cardamom, incense, darker cherries, wild herbs, and cedar. Medium-bodied, it has a lifted, layered complexity and never turns astringent. Structured yet silky, it lingers long after the last sip. Drink 2025-2040.

From the west side of the vineyard near Justice Vineyard of Bethel Heights, the 2022 Pinot Noir Conifer is sourced from marine sedimentary soils. It opens with red cherry, porcini, mossy earth, and savory forest notes. Medium-bodied, it has clarity and purity beneath its savory depth, finishing with chalky tannins and a mouthwatering lift. Drink 2025-2040.

The 2022 Chardonnay Dropstone reveals a more pronounced reductive edge, with matchstick, wet stones, citrus blossom, grapefruit, and a hint of tropical fruit. Bright, laser-like acidity balances a silky mineral texture, and it’s fully dry, with delicate oak spice on the finish. Drink 2025-2037.

The 2022 Chardonnay Upland pours a bright yellow-straw color and was inspired by Pierre Overnoy in the Jura of France. The nose is expressive and savory, with ripe white peaches, stony earth, orange pith, and white mushrooms. Made without sulfur, it remains clean and focused. It’s medium-bodied, with mouthwatering acidity and a chalky, stony texture. Drink over the next 10 years.