LA CREMA 2003 NINE BARREL CHARDONNAY(RUSSIAN RIVER VALLEY) Only 200 cases were produced of this extraordinary wine. It just explodes in unfolding waves of lime custard, pineapple tart, ripe white peach, creme brulee and Asian spice-box flavors, and a minerality usually found in Chards from the far Sonoma Coast. With that metallic stoniness comes mouth-watering, citrus acidity leading to a long, dry finish. S.H.

By blending wines from Carneros, Santa Maria Valley, and the Sonoma Coast, Kendall-Jackson has produced a stunning result. Here is the lightly earthy fruit character which is always present in fine Burgundy and which reminds some of walking through forest leaves after a rain. The texture couldn't be silkier. Near-term consumption would be best for appreciation of the wine's exceptional and youthful Pinot personality. The price may seem high, but so is the quality. If you were assembling a hypothetical 'desert island' selection of wines, this could well be one of them.

A stunning wine with deep, rich plum, blackberry and cassis; sweet vanilla oak with notes of spice, licorice and chocolate; a beautifully crafted wine with depth, complexity and finesse; long and lovely. 73% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Merlot, 8% Malbec, 3% Petit Verdot.

Stature is K-J's top Cabernet-based Bordeaux blend, and can come from any of the winery's vineyards. The '03 hails from Atlas Peak, Mount Veeder and Knights Valley. The wine is immaculate and impeccable, with impressive black currant, cedar, pencil lead and smoky vanilla aromas and flavors that finish with a great deal of complexity and interest. So balanced, so lush, it just dazzles.

This is a tremendous Cabernet-based wine. A mixture of Atlas Peak, Howell Mountain, Mount Veeder and St. Helena bench grapes, it's a masterpiece of blending. Seductive now for its lush, soft and brilliant cherry, cassis and mocha flavors that are finished with the smoky vanilla and toast of 96% new French oak, the wine is decadently good.

A blend that is 80 percent cabernet and 20 percent Merlot. Saddle leather, coffee, tobacco notes mixed with pepper, spice, blackberry jam, briar, clove, cedar aromas with black olive, caraway and cherry -- good aromatics. Rich, round, supple and concentrated, but big. Spicy, smoky, vanilla, coffee, peppery, blackberry jam, black cherry, clove, olive, cardamom flavours with a big, warm, long finish. Needs years but has finesse and excellent potential. Best yet.

The '02 Stature is a 70/28/2 cabernet/merlot/petit verdot blend that is beginning to awaken. Stature is always the best-of-the-best fruit, meaning it is a vintage dependent, block-by-block pick. Love the coffee, leather, tobacco notes as they mix with the spicy, blackberry jam, clove and cedar aspects. On the palate, the wine is rich, round, supple and concentrated. It has fine density to the corners, with smoky, vanilla, coffee, peppery, blackberry jam, black cherry, clove, olive, cardamom flavours, with a warm, long finish. It's beginning to shape up, but with its finesse and length, it has fine potential to age through 2015. Well done.

The '97 Stature cab is made largely from Mt. Veeder and Howell Mountain fruit. Intense black pepper, blackberry jam, cassis, chocolate, and smoky licorice mark the nose along with barnyard and tobacco tones. Huge on the palate. The finish is lone and stylish with vanilla, cherry and pepper flavours. A wonderful wine with a big future.

A rich, ripe and concentrated red wine, bursting with plum, blueberry and currant aromas and flavors laced with spicy chocolatey oak, echoing vanilla and cinnamon notes on the long finish. A really classy mouthful; should develop and soften through 1997 to 2000.

One of the finest wines in the Kendall-Jackson portfolio, the Hawkeye Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon is the complete cabernet, showing layers of red and black fruit, beautifully integrated tannins that lend a dynamic mouthfeel, with notes of woodsmoke and spice in the background and a touch of earthy minerality. A triumph for K-J winemaker Randy Ullom.

The huge, thick tannins are all from the wine's 1,500-foot mountain vineyard, but they're so soft and refined, the wine is instantly drinkable, although it will age for many years. Tastes dramatically luscious for the depth and length of black currant, olive, chocolate and cedar flavors.

New re-plantings have focused on various clones giving the wine big, overripe peach and floral tangerine aromas along with spicy, smoky, green apple, honey and mineral tones. Rich and round with butterscotch, spiced apple, smoky lees, and mineral flavours. Intense yet elegant and balance.

Exemplifies the meaning of rich complexity, deriving from many wines blended into a harmonious whole. The richness does not overpower the palate, but instead, refreshes.

One of the finest Chardonnays I have yet tasted from K-J is the stunning 2009 Highland Estates Chardonnay Camelot, a classic California Chardonnay exhibiting notes of caramelized citrus, pineapples and mangos intermixed with a hint of spicy, smoky oak. It displays an attractive steely minerality, full-bodied richness, a layered mouthfeel and an extremely long finish. This beauty should drink well for 3-5 years. Kendall-Jackson enjoys a well-deserved reputation for over-delivering quality vis à vis price for its wines.

Look for a huge floral, pineapple, mango/citrus nose with honey and peach aromas and a spicy, creamy vanilla note. Rich, round and oily like most big chardonnays yet it is still elegant thanks to a mineral / citrus baked apple undercurrent. The flavours are peach, mango, honey, creamy spicy lees with a floral, creamsicle undercurrent. Long, intense and balanced with good acidity and a creamy, citrus apple finish. Great stuff.

Big, mango, pineapple, toasted, smoky, lees aromas with honey, marmalade and citrus scents. Very rich, round and oily yet well balanced on the palate. Expect intense baked apple, spicy lees, creamy mango, citrus and honey flavours. Very long with good acidity, a top quality chardonnay for those who like intensity and we do. Sensational bottle of wine.

377 dozen made. Second release of a Grenache from Hickinbotham, though the vineyard is old. Slightly reductive on opening, then into all that spice and dried herb perfume, raspberry, strawberry, and a scoop of brown earth. Medium-bodied, fresh, savoury tasting rather than fruity, a little roast lamb and thyme/rosemary thing going on, firm sandy tannin, really pushing out on the finish with exceptional length and drive. Go McLaren Vale Grenache.

Preferred this Shiraz over the Cabernet this year. See, I told you I was ill. Black and red fruit, thyme and spice, roasted meat, touch of liquorice. Medium-bodied, well-defined, freshness of/and flavour, grainy but persistent tannin, energy and length. A lot of character and interest. Really very good.

From a single block of bushvines planted in ’62, aged in seasoned barrels for 7 months. Heady aromas of raspberries, star anise and a dash of Mediterranean herbs. Lovely balance and a succulence on the medium-bodied palate, where ripe, sandy tannins kick in. Pitch-perfect now.

Cabernet sauvignon (57%) and shiraz (43%) from a block planted in 1971. The shiraz spends 15 months in Burgundy-coopered French oak, 80% new. The cabernet goes into Bordeaux-coopered oak. 467 dozen were made. It would want to be given the asking price but the quality here is quite superb. It’s an accountant’s dream: strong in volume, balanced in nature, its forward estimates bright. Cloves, tar, blackcurrant/redcurrant and choc-mint, a swoosh of smoky oak. It displays both presence and decorum. You can bank on this maturing well.

Such an elegant expression of Merlot. From vines planted in 1989 and 1976 sitting 220-245m above. The wine spent fifteen months in fine grain Bordeaux barrels, 25% which were new. Deft touches of fruit and oak swim in unison. Superfine through the mouth, whispers of clove and cigar box dance through effortlessly atop a pillow of dark plummy goodness. Soft and gorgeously long, a clever wine indeed. Will age for a decade+

It’s an impressive merlot from heady fragrance – a hint of cassis, florals, dried herbs and cedary oak – to its exceptionally silky, fuller-bodied palate. It builds flavour, the tannins sitting pretty and the finish as long as tomorrow. Makes you fall in love with merlot big time.

A quiet, though self-assured wine with excellent density. Bitter-sweet chocolate aromas followed by a savoury, composed palate. Reserved dark fruits and ripe, framing tannin. One for the cellar. (Screwcap)

Deep, bright red/purple colour, with a very appealing bouquet of black fruits, licorice and pepper spice. A hint of peppermint. There's an earthy, charcoal trace that is reminiscent of more conventional McLaren Vale shiraz. A delicious wine, the palate deftly balances fruit sweetness with savouriness and tannin dryness.

The Jackson family’s Hickinbotham property is a pure A-grade estate, and this is classic Stuff. From the 1971 contour mode planted blocks, handpicked, fermented with 50% whole berries, matured for 15 months in 30% new oak. This is next level McLaren Vale Shiraz – a lovely grainy, oak polished, dark berried red shaped by oak but not dominated, the acidity and alcohol very nicely integrated. Just a pleasurable, well balanced, full bodied Vale red with superb detail. Best drinking: Now to twenty years. 18.7/20, 95/100. 14%, $75. Would I buy it? I’m not buying wine, but if I wanted a real McLaren Vale red for the long haul, $75 for this is more than fair.