Estate-grown 13yo vines, 50% foot-stomped and fermented in a 675l ceramic egg, remaining on skins for 160 days before pressing, 50% also fermented in a ceramic egg without skins, the final blend resulting in 60% extended skin contact, 40% without skins. It's incredible that so little evidence of wild, way out winemaking has produced a bright straw-green wine, that truly tastes of roussanne, a non-aromatic variety. The only sign is a touch of heat or ginger (I don't know which) that flickers every now and then.

Yangarra Goes Even Higher: Four Outstanding Super Premium Releases This is what Australian Roussanne should taste like. 13yr old Roussanne vines, the fruit separated into two parcels – one batch destemmed and fermented on skins in ceramic eggs, remained on skins for 137 days. The other half was taken off skins and matured more traditionally (but still in eggs). 60/40 skin contact parcel vs non skin contact in final blend. Numbers: TA 5.62, pH 3.35. An entrancing Roussanne, with a thrust of concentrated pear juice, the layers of succulent and tangy pear juice is offset by this vague phenolic punch. That textural grip is just a delight – no oak but who needs it? Layers of mealy apple pie flavour. It’s so full and yet the tannins matches perfectly. What a drink! Best drinking: I’d drink this within six years as it’s probably perfect now. 18.5/20, 94/100. 13.5%, $72. Would I buy it? Yes.

Take Note: Real Australian Wine Is Here A much more complex wine here. This has a different palate structure too with a more sleek, polished and elegant texture. Superb freshness and gently layered, pastry-like texture. A long, satisfying finish. Drink now. Screw cap.

2014 Yangarra Estate Vineyard Roux Beauté Roussanne - 94 points Two ceramic eggs, with one left on skins for 100 and something days. Final blend is 60% of the extended skin contact egg. I'd love to have tasted a 100% version, though that's just me. Honey and almonds, something like chicken stock, subtle apricot perfume. Juicy and almost peachy, with citrus and almonds, suede-like tannin, spot on acidity and a savoury, yet honey nut cornflake infused finish. Yum. Feels a little bolder than last year, but tastes just as good.

Whatever they are doing over at Yangarra with Roussanne, is very much the right thing to do with Roussanne over at Yangarra. Roussanne, you don't have to put on the red light, those days are over. Cedar, lemon and preserved lemon, spice, fennel and honey and maybe a bit of chicken stock. Fresh but weighty, good acid balance, tight line, and a particularly intense burst of flavour and acid on finish. Pow! Sour yoghurt and flint and spice - all very nice. Very good! Such a lovely well balanced and entertaining

While the 2015 WillaKenzie Estate Emery is a bit reticent on the nose at the moment, it delivers licorice, molasses, blackberry and pepper. The body is big and round, though the acid keeps it plucky and the tannins are integrated sufficiently to maintain the smooth profile. Slightly savory on the palate, it offers uncured bacon, red currant, red plum, Acai, black pepper and tarragon. This is a compelling package that I’d love to revisit in five plus years. 94 points, value A.

The 2015 Willakenzie Pierre Leon was the revelation of this entire Oregon Wine Month line up for me. It offers a very ripe and pretty nose wafting raspberry, cut cherry, perfumed rose and tangerine peel. It’d medium in weight with very juicy acidity, I just love how it coats the mouth. The tannins are subtle, but the wine is no wimp. The flavor profile is also ripe and pretty with raspberry, cherry, potpourri, tangerine, light tobacco, white pepper and Chervil. This is an elegant wine in structure, aroma and flavor. It reminds me of Musigny. I’d love to have it with another 5-8 years of age. 94 points, value A.

From the oldest part of the estate, planted in 1992, this excellent effort seems to have entered the phase where more aromatic complexity appears. It has lovely delineation of both scents and flavors, a matrix of fruit, soil and Pommard clone. Strong streaks of tobacco and chocolate annotate the core of raspberry puree. The concentration and length are impressive.

The 2001 La Muse (85% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Malbec; 500 cases) possesses a dense purple color as well as a big, sweet bouquet of chocolate-infused blackberries and cherries intermixed with hints of smoke, earth, an truffles. Full-bodied, with great intensity, tremendous purity, sweet, well-integrated tannin, and a long, blockbuster finish that lasts for 40+ seconds. It offers both power and finesse, a rarity in the super-charged world of big California reds. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2020+.

The Surprise of 2015 in Napa and Other California Wine Reviewed Aromas of blackberries and pine needles. Blackcurrants, too. Very perfumed. Full-bodied, very tight and linear. Firm and silky tannins. Closed up now. Shows beautiful potential. Better in 2021.

The 2012 La Muse is plump, juicy and forward; in other words a very typical expression of this vintage. Now at nearly five years of age, the 2012 is beginning to develop pretty aromatic notes that add complexity and nuance. Sweet tobacco, licorice, raspberry jam, mint and anise are all pushed forward. With time in the glass, the 2012 turns delicate and more refined, but it also seems to be going through a bit of a lull today.

The 2010 La Muse (14.4% alcohol) is a blend of 84% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Franc and 3% Cabernet Sauvignon. One of the more soft, opulent, precocious wines I have tasted from this estate, it exhibits abundant notes of spicy oak, plum, Asian soy, new saddle leather, barrique, black cherries and black currants. Round and generous with considerable fat and succulence, it can be drunk in 2-3 years or cellared for 15-20.

The 2006 Le Desir (900 cases) is a combination of Cabernet Franc (49%), Merlot (41%), Cabernet Sauvignon (8%), and Malbec (2%). The most forward and complex of this trio at present, it offers up sumptuous aromas of fruitcake, black fruits, pain grille, chocolate, earth, and truffles. The complex aromatics are followed by a wine with an inky/ruby/purple hue, excellent fruit, dense, full-bodied flavors, and softer tannins and more accessibility than its siblings. It should be drinkable in 2-3 years, and keep for 25 thereafter. With Bordeaux winemaker Pierre Seillan in charge, owner Jess Jackson has clearly positioned Verite as one of the two or three flagship wines in his impressive empire. These cuvees represent California versions of Bordeaux appellations, with the Merlot-dominated La Muse very Pomerol-like, the Cabernet Sauvignon-dominated La Joie a hypothetical California version of a Medoc, and the St.-Emilion look-alike, the Merlot and Cabernet Franc blend, Le Desir. These wines are fashioned from the finest Sonoma vineyard sites owned by Jackson, and are meant for long-term aging. In 2007, the Bordeaux varietals (Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Petit Verdot) grown in California’s North Coast exhibit sweet tannins as well as superb fragrance and purity. Yet, Verite’s wines are among the more structured, dense, and powerfully backward of the vintage.

Lots going on in this mountain-grown wine. It's perfectly dry and strong in tannins, with an elusive quality of excellence that testifies to the best terroir. Showing blackberry, black cherry, mineral and oak flavors, it should develop bottle complexity for at least the next decade.

Dense, ripe and spicy; dark and concentrated, juicy and youthful with rich texture; supple, balanced and complex.

Rank Number 11 - 94 Points

2004 VERITE LE DESIR Verite's spin on Bordeaux St.-Emilion, the 2004 Le Desire (again sourced from the same three sites as its siblings) is a blend of nearly equal parts Merlot and Cabernet Franc with a small amount of Cabernet Sauvignon and even a touch of Malbec. The deepest of this trio, it boasts a plum/purple hue along with a big, sweet nose of Christmas spices intermixed with black currant jam, sweet cherries, incense, Allspice, Licorice, and herbs. Powerful, full-bodied, and opulent, in terms of its phenolics, it is as tannic and extracted as La Joie. However, the fruit seems to be more noticeable, and there is a degree of opulence present that La joie will not reveal for a few more years. The beautiful Le Desir combines full-bodied power with the sweetness of mountain-styled, cool climate California fruit and French savoir-faire when it comes to structure and......

Peppery, spicy, tobacco, meaty, saddle leather, coffee, orange peel, chocolate, green olive, spicy, savoury aromas. Rich, round, full and supple with fresh acidity and grainy tannins. Coffee, leather, licorice, orange, vanilla, peppery, spicy, black tea, plum jam and black cherry flavours. Good finesse, intense with good fruit and complexity. Young and a bit hot, needs 5-7 years but very good potential

(84% merlot, 8% cabernet franc, 5% cabernet sauvignon and 3% malbec) Bright red-ruby. Enticing aromas of plum, licorice, iron, mocha, tobacco and sexy nutty oak. Plush, spicy and sweet, with a lovely light touch to the silky flavors. Very suave wine, finishing long and firm, with noble tannins and lively acidity. Balanced to age but already accessible. Winemaker Pierre Seillan notes that the cabernet sauvignon component is to add shoulders to the wine, while the malbec contributes a spicy element.

Attractively aromatic, this has ripe dark fruit scents with a touch of smokiness. The sumptuous mouthfeel is energised by exemplary Cabernet Franc freshness, while the liquorice-infused finish is long, elevated by an ethereal airiness. 52.7% Merlot, 41.2% Cabernet Franc, 5.1% Cabernet Sauvignon and 1% Malbec.

Boasts a sweet nose of chocolate-covered blueberries, blackberries, melted licorice, smoked herbs, and earth. This opulent, full-bodied, luscious 2002 conceals plenty of tannin behind its voluptuous personality. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2020+.

Full ruby color. Smoky aromas of currant and roasted tobacco. Lush, sweet and rich; a huge wine with a silky utterly mouthfilling texture but also plenty of underlying structure. Finishes with very fine tannins, superb sweetness and lingering notes of black cherry and violet. Built to age but distinctly user-friendsly today.

A blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Merlot (85% Sonoma fruit and 15% from Napa), this fully mature 1998 should drink well for another 10-15 years. Notes of cedar, tobacco leaf, Christmas fruitcake, black currants and loamy soil emerge from this beautifully constructed, rich, full-bodied effort. It comes across like a serious Pauillac from Bordeaux.

The 2017s From Sonoma Fully mature yet still with ample life and longevity ahead of it, the 1998 La Joie reveals a ruby color as well as classic tobacco, bay leaf, saddle leather, and cassis aromas and flavors. Possessing full-bodied richness, a layered texture, good purity, and plenty of length, drink it any time over the coming decade or so.

Dark cherries, smoke, graphite, licorice, menthol and plums are some of the notes that open up in the 2012 La Joie. Here the flavors are bold, intense and incisive, with notable freshness and intensity. Give this large-scaled Cabernet Sauvignon-based red another few years in bottle. The finish alone is striking.