A dry-farmed site planted 100 years ago and head-trained still, Dina’s is a study in baked cherry, blackberry and plum, rich and viscously thick. Velvety tannins and ample weight provide an unctuous lushness that is complemented by underlying acidity.

From a high-elevation site on a mountain ridge north of Fort Ross, this blustery, full-bodied red shows the extremes of its growing conditions, offering broad, bright and fruity intensity. Juicy black cherry, plumand blackberry fruit meet graphite, dark chocolate and crushed rock, a note of sea spray and forest never far behind.

2017 was a solid vintage marred only by the horrific wildfires that swept through the region in October. The nose alone will tell you this wine was picked just prior to the fires. Both floral and mineral, with exotic spice penetrating the wine from front to back. The wine was fermented in stainless steel and then underwent native malolactic fermentation in barrels to round acidity and softly integrate the vanillin character of French oak (94% new). It is barrel aged for months and is bottled without fining or filtration. The blend is 94/3/1.5/1.5 cabernet sauvignon, malbec, cabernet franc, and petit verdot, and it is a giant of a wine packed full of black and blue fruit, purity, and a bony cedar tannic backbone. It will require a decade to rest and settle into a wine you can enjoy by the bottle. For now, a glass or two with a favourite steak is the best way to explore this terrific wine. Mt. Brave Vineyard sits high atop Mt. Veeder at an elevation of 1,400 to 1,800 feet on an area planted since the early 1860s. On the western flank of Napa Valley, the estate is named for the native Wappos, who first called it home. The mountain site is all about high elevation and thin, rocky soils planted to four cabernet clones (191, 4, 8, and 337) and three rootstocks (3309C, 101-14, and 1103P) that combine to neutralize some of the issues in what is usually a slow-moving, long, cool growing season above the fog line.

This is a convincingly concentrated and complex pinot that offers deep dark-cherry aromas with spice and cedar, as well as violet and blueberry. The palate holds shape well with a sweeping build of ripe cherry and blueberry flavors. Very resolved. Drink now.

Tenuta di Arceno: chasing perfectionThe first Bordeaux blend of the estate, based on Merlot and Cabernet Franc with a shot of Cabernet Sauvignon and a drop of Petit Verdot, is aged in 30% new French oak barrels for 18 months. It is restrained at present, scented with violet and cassis, undergrowth, chocolate and eucalyptus. It's smooth on the palate, with creaminess and great ripeness, super-refreshing and savoury. In the classic 2018 vintage this is definitely more elegant than powerful.

Tenuta di Arceno: chasing perfectionCompared to the older and warmer 2011, which is a bit rustic and jammy, this 2013 is a fairly classic vintage for Merlot. It was harvested in September, marking a return to the usual picking dates. The percentage of the Merlot here reaches 74% of the blend, in order to maximise its fleshy character in a relatively cool year. The nose is evolved yet with an amazing complexity of tobacco, earthy tones, clean leather and balsamic depth. On the palate cassis fruit melds with leather and spices, supported by polymerised tannins and natural refreshing acidity.

Tenuta di Arceno: chasing perfectionThis is a truly exceptional preview since the wine will not be released for another three years. The 2018 vintage of Valadorna is the first 100% Merlot of the estate. Until then, the grapes had not achieved the right level of ripeness and quality to produce an unblended Merlot. This vineyard is one of the cooler plots of the estate, where the harvest is delayed. Extremely youthful, it displays plenty of estery notes alongside plum fruit of great vibrancy. A layer of slightly herbal aromas (in my opinion preferable to jammy notes) is followed by a milky, chocolatey, supple palate with refreshing acidity and velvety tannins.

Tight and structured red with blackberry, fresh-herb and violet aromas and flavors. Full-bodied with chewy tannins and a long, flavorful finish. Needs time to soften. Better after 2023.

Beautiful, dense Chardonnay with phenolic tension and layers of fruit. Full-bodied with lots of complexity, pretty intensity and tightness at the end. Dried pineapple and hints of tropical fruit and praline. Made from Howell Mountain, Carneros and Napa City. Drink or hold.

Blackberries, fresh herbs and violets on the nose. Mint and olives, too. Full-bodied with delicious, round and juicy fruit and softness. Lightly chewy and pretty now. Delicious now.

A tight, dense red with berry, chocolate, currant and hints of bark. Full-bodied, yet tight and nicely framed with firm and tight, fine-grained tannins. Goes on for a long time. Fresh and attractive for a 2017. Drink or hold.

Lots of pine and walnut with gravel and dark fruit on the nose. It’s very fine-tannined with nice austerity and a dusty texture. Long and juicy. Needs to soften. Better in a year or two. Try after 2023.

Deep red/purple colour, youthful, with a dominant charred-oak note, smelling like heavily toasted oak barrels - but there is abundant blackberry/cassis-like fruit aroma as well. Very aromatic. The flavour is sweetly ripe and lush on the tongue, rich and full with a backing of fine, emery-like tannins. Good persistence and balance, and has potential to age well. (50% new oak; 3% cabernet sauvignon. Vines planted 2013.)

Deep, darkling purple/red colour, with a bouquet of wood-smoke and undergrowth. The wine is full-bodied and somewhat subdued in its fruit expression while the tannins are very abundant and quite firm, leaving a determined grip at the finish. Latent cherry and plum. A big, generous, solidly built shiraz that will reward cellaring.

Very deep, dense glass-staining purple colour. A dusty, earthy, oaky bouquet, which turns very sweetly-fruited on the palate, soft and succulent, almost syrupy, but nicely balanced in the final analysis. A big, hedonistic style of shiraz that will age well. (3% malbec, 10% whole bunches, 50% whole berries. Matured in a mix of barriques, foudre and puncheons, 30% new oak)

Impressive chardonnay with grapefruit, lime, white peach, biscuit, ginger, struck-flint and attractive nutty-oak flavours flattered by a peaches and cream texture and supported by juicy acidity.

This vintage of single-block, biodynamically grown Shiraz is more textbook than the cooler 2017. While it lacks the sexiness of ’17, it still offers more restraint and elegance than many of its South Aussie counterparts. An aromatic lift of tangy blueberry, raspberry and plum fruit interlaces gentle baking spice, ground pepper and terra-cotta notes. There’s muscle to the highly textural tannins (both chalky and granular), but it’s woven into layers of flavor. A charming yet serious wine for drinking now until 2030.

The 2018 Château Lassegue emerges from the home estate of Pierre Seillan, who's also behind the incredibly quality of Verite in Sonoma County. It's a beautifully seductive, seamless 2018 with a wonderful core of red and blue fruits, notes of leafy herbs and tobacco, nicely integrated tannins, a great mid-palate, and a rounded, mouth-filling texture. Beautifully done, enjoy this irresistible Saint-Emilion over the coming two decades.

Subtle aromas of sweet berries, Spanish cedar and blackberries with some black mushrooms. Medium-to full-bodied with fine yet chewy tannins and a long finish. Solid and racy. Tight now. Drink after 2024.

40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 59% Merlot, 1% Petit Verdot. Which is a bit more merlot and a lot less petit verdot than was used to make the 2018.My initial impression was that this is a more voluptuous style than normal but then it quickly honed and straightened. This is complex, energetic, ripe and just plain lovely; it’s medium in weight, herb-flecked and clearly from the cabernet family and yet it’s seamless and svelte too. Seductive but with extras. True to itself but not without flair. You get the idea. It’s good. Structural but with freshness and flesh.

Tiny bunches (40-50g) from a very low yielding vintage. Total production is 150 dozen. Rather than make Wombat Stew, Flammo opted for the techniques he used while working in the Cote de Brouilly. I’ve been using the word ‘frisky’ of late, perhaps a little too often, though this wine is absolutely definitely of the frisky kind. It’s very spicy and perfumed, strawberry and raspberry, a peppered steak spread thing happening, and also, something a little like Turkish delight. Light in body, tight and sappy, red berries, perky and frisky, a fine dusting of soft tannin, pomegranate tang and white pepper on a nice long cool finish. It’s a light and feathery wine, but it lays the charm on heavy.

2011 California Cabernet - 10 years onAromas of dark roast coffee, oiled cedar, bramble and blackberry. A delicious combination of plush fruit, energetic acidity and rusticity on the palate, with a surprisingly juicy finish. The wet conditions of 2011 instill notes of menthol and mint throughout, balanced with La Jota’s signature polish and grit. A blend of 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot.

The Peake is an American’s (Chris Carpenter’s) ode to the classic Aussie red blend. 2017 was a fairly cool vintage and it shows here. More elegant, lucid and fruit driventhan the ’18, this may not age as long but it’s drinking pretty darn well now. Notes of cherry, blueberry, licorice, violet and five-spice powder are wound in sappy, savory tannins that have lovely texture and integration. A powerful but harmonious wine that should age gracefully until 2035.

Rich plum in colour, this grips right from the off, and moves slowly and carefully through the palate, revealing brambly blue and red fruits, and a lovely sense of energyand uplift. Extremely good quality, with sage and saffron edges alongside layers of fine tannins that close in towards the finish, slowing things down even more. Thiswill age well, and is an elegant yet concentrated wine.

California Syrah: top Mendocino County winesThe Hawks Butte vineyard consistently delivers savoury, elegant and complex wines – this being no exception. Ocean influences meet woodsy, forest notes on the nose. A perfectly balanced texture gives off chocolate-covered plum and allspice flavours.