The 2018 Sauvignon Blanc Journey is the top wine in the Matanzas Creek-Journey range. Classy, elegant and polished, the 2018 marries varietal character with energy in a gracious mid-weight style that is hugely appealing. Lemon peel, sage, mint and bright saline notes build into the intense, salivating finish.

Capture's 2019 Sauvignon Blanc Pine Mountain is stellar. Rich, ample and so resonant, the 2019 exudes character from the very first taste. Apricot, peach, melon, sage and dried flowers build in a gorgeous Sauvignon full of mountain character. The 2019 was aged in a combination of puncheon, stainless steel and concrete. I would give it 6-12 months in bottle, as it is a serious wine.

Red and blackcurrants, gravelly earth, tobacco, and assorted spice notes all emerge from the 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Rockfall Vineyard, and this rich, powerful 2017 has medium to full body, rich, chewy, substantial tannins, good overall balance, and a great finish. It shows more purity and elegance with time in the glass, yet it's still going to benefit from 2-4 years of bottle age and should have an easy two decades of overall longevity.

Chamomile, mulled lemons, sappy herbs, and toast are just some of the nuances in the 2019 Chardonnay Gravel Bench Vineyard, a rich, textured, yet concentrated, chalky Chardonnay that stays nicely compact and focused on the palate. It has solid structure and will keep for 7-8 years.

More chamomile, poached pear, honeyed lemon, and ample spice notes emerge from the 2019 Chardonnay Broken Road Vineyard, another ripe, rich, medium to full-bodied Chardonnay with loads to love. It's beautifully done, textured, and opulent, and ideal for drinking over the coming 4-6 years or so.

Another Anderson Valley release, the 2018 Pinot Noir Afleet Estate Vineyard has plenty of spicy, red cherry and mulberry-styled fruits as well as dried flowers, tea, and loamy earth styled nuances. I love its elegance. Medium-bodied, with a light, silky texture, light tannins, and outstanding length, it's beautifully done and will shine on the dinner table over the coming decade or more.

The 2018 Pinot Noir Jolie Estate Vineyard is more perfumed and angular, with lots of Bing cherry and dried strawberry fruits to go with white flowers, chalky minerality, and rose petal-like aromas and flavors. It's another ethereal, seamless, medium-bodied beauty that shines for its complexity, elegance, and purity.

Lots of red and black plums, briary herbs, cigar wrapper, and candied violet notes emerge from the 2019 Zinfandel Highwire Vineyard, a juicy, medium to full-bodied wonderfully pure Zinfandel that's going to continue to offer incredible pleasure over the coming 5-7 years.

The 2019 Zinfandel Russian River Valley is a gem and certainly a great candidate for those looking for a great Zinfandel, or those interested in the style and quality of this great estate. Classic red and blue fruits, sandalwood, cigar wrapper, and candied violets dominate the bouquet, and it's medium to full-bodied, with considerable structure, good purity, and a great finish. It will have 8-10 years of prime drinking.

Readers looking for an incredibly charming, delicious Pinot Noir that’s going to deliver the goods should check out the 2019 Pinot Noir Russian River Valley from Hartford Court. Revealing a translucent ruby/plum color, it has a wonderful nose of spiced red and black fruits, candied violets, orange blossom, and incense. Medium-bodied on the palate, it’s wonderfully balanced, with soft, supple tannins, nicely integrated acidity, and a great finish. Drink this beauty any time over the coming 5-6 years.

Coming from Carneros, the 2018 Pinot Noir Sevens Bench Vineyard has a spicy, black cherry, gamey style that offers medium to full-bodied richness, a round, beautifully textured mouthfeel, supple tannins, and outstanding length. It's already complex and hard to resist, yet it firms up nicely with time in the glass, and I suspect it has a solid 8-10 years of longevity ahead of it.

More tropical fruits and exotic, honeyed flower notes emerge from the 2018 Chardonnay Jennifer's, a medium to full-bodied, textured, rich, and fleshy Chardonnay that has a touch of botrytis character, yet is clean, dry, and lengthy on the finish.

Ripe and dense, but sleek and polished, with red and black licorice notes framing the core of lush plum sauce, blackberry compote and boysenberry reduction flavors. A licorice edge struts on the finish too. A showy style that should have lots of fans. Drink now through 2036.

Their first grenache to be fermented in ceramic egg. This has such attractive, fresh dark-plum and berry aromas. So pure with very pristine fruit. The tannin texture is very different, quite fine and granular. The long, succulent finish carries dark-plum and blueberry flavors. From biodynamically grown grapes. Drink or hold. Screw cap.

This is a tiny make (only two barrels) with quite a delicate, floral edge and lightly spicy elements sitting in redder-fruit aromas. The palate has a very plush, sleek and assertive feel. Taut with fresh crunchy red fruit. So fresh. From biodynamically grown grapes. Drink or hold. Screw cap.

A notably deeper colour than the Giant Steps Yarra pinots, looking more Central Otago than Yarra! The bouquet shows dark fruits rather than red, rich and ripe, with more stemmy whole-bunch overtones than the 2020 Yarra pinots, although they all have about 50% whole-bunch ferments. The wine is medium-bodied and has more weight and tannin than the Yarra wines, finishing with a conclusive grip which is in balance and simply calls for heartier food. It has less perfume and detail but more brawn. (From a vineyard near Tee Tree in the Coal Valley, 80-90m altitude and hungry soil, sand over limestone)

Buttery Burgundian complexity sets this apart from the other 2020 Giant Steps chardonnays. It's rich and remarkably complex for an unoaked wine. Ageing in clay 'egg' vessels provided some similar effects to a wood-matured effect. A more up-front, generous style and a quite remarkable wine. (50% malolactic, unfiltered. A blend of one egg from each of the four individual vineyards, Sexton, Tarraford, Applejack and Wombat Creek, plus Gruyere Farm)

Showing off its inky color, the 2017 Mt. Brave Cabernet Franc exudes class with its silky mouthfeel and great mid-palate depth and concentration. Full-throttle tar, anise, creme de cassis and loganberry cordial flavors all come together with minerals and loamy soils on the palate. High-toned dark florals add to the enjoyment as this outstanding new bottling has another fifteen years to go. Drink 2021-2038

This is made from one of the coldest sites in the appellation, planted in 1975 to a single clone. Cranberry, cherry and strawberry fruit adorn a plush and velvety palate of textured intensity and tannin, with jolts of black tea, dried herb and forest complementing and contrasting.

Lushly tropical with a richness of crème brûlée, this wine is made from several sites in the Laguna Ridge neighborhood of the appellation. Generous oak supports the layering opulence and spiciness, offering a voluptuous expression of the grape.

An exuberantly fruity, fleshy and pleasing wine, this shows concentrated flavors of green apple, pear and mandarin. The acidity is moderate and the oak spicy, with hints of nutmeg, lemongrass and Nilla Wafer that remain fresh and focused in the glass.

With small amounts of Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, this is a rounded and rich red with balanced acidity. Dark plum, berry and mocha highlight a soft, lush opulence of integrated oak with hints of baking spice and tobacco.

Processed without fear of contact on the fine lees, this young Chianti Classico shows sensory power and character. Primary hints of black cherries, orange blossom, wild strawberries and juniper berries blend with shades of cedar and pink grapefruit. Full-bodied, juicy and delicious on the palate, it gives a more than pleasant sip, important but not demanding. Delicious right away but better from 2022.

Refined and rich, this is filled with firm, concentrated cherry tart, fig paste and dark plum flavors that are filled with savory accents. Shows nuances of loam and cooking spices on the lightly toasty finish. Drink now through 2026.

This midnight purple colored Cabernet Sauvignon from Anakota opens with a black plum and sour dough toast bouquet. On the palate, this wine is medium plus bodied, balanced and smooth. The flavor profile is mineral influenced black currant with notes black cherry and oak. We also detected some hints of black tea mixed in. The finish is dry and its dusty tannins stick around for quite some time. The Panel would pair this Excellent Cab with a ribeye steak.