USA, Northern California, Napa Valley: 2016 & 2017 – A Tale of Two Vintages The 2016 Hartford Court Pinot Noir Seascape Vineyard is pale to medium ruby-purple colored and opens with vibrant cranberries, pomegranate and Bing cherries scents with touches of underbrush, wild sage, red roses and mossy bark with a waft of tilled soil. Medium to full-bodied, the palate packs in the elegant red fruit and earthy layers, finishing on a long, lingering, provocative mineral note.

The 2017s From Sonoma I also loved the 2016 Pinot Noir Arrendell Vineyard. Located in the Russian River and planted in 1975 to a heritage Martini Clone, this cool site struggles to ripen, giving this 2016 an exotic, complex, vibrant style along with its ample red and black fruits, candied violets, potpourri, and sandalwood. It’s one of the more vibrant, racier wines in the lineup, yet its acidity is nicely integrated, it’s flawlessly balanced, and it has a great, great finish. Give bottles a year or two and enjoy over the following decade.

USA, Northern California, Napa Valley: 2016 & 2017 – A Tale of Two Vintages The 2016 Hartford Court Chardonnay Jennifer’s Vineyard displays intense notes of grapefruit, green guava, mango and pineapple with nuances of talc, oyster shells and fresh ginger. The palate is medium-bodied, elegant and super intense with tightly wound layers of citrus and tropical fruits and bags of mineral notions on the epically long finish. This needs time but should emerge from the cellar gloriously in 2-3 years!

USA, Northern California, Napa Valley: 2016 & 2017 – A Tale of Two Vintages A blend of 88.2% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4.4% Petit Verdot, 4.2% Cabernet Franc and 3.2% Merlot, the deep garnet-purple colored 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Sycamore Vineyards comes skipping out of the glass with a spring it its step and singing notes of crushed blackcurrants, fresh blackberries and red and black plums with touches of underbrush, fungi, wild sage, chocolate mint and cigar boxes. Full-bodied and built like a brick house, it has a rock-solid frame of firm, grainy tannins and seamless freshness supporting the generous, crunchy fruit, finishing long with a touch of minerality.

Aromas of leather, cedar, crushed wild blackberries and red raspberries alongside perfume and savory pine. Mouth-filling acidity and luscious red and black fruit flavors marry seamlessly with finely tuned tannins and a long finish. Pure and focused. Delicious. Drink or hold.

Planted in 1982, Upper Barn is, in my opinion, one of the most distinctive Chardonnay sites in Sonoma. It’s a vineyard that naturally leans into an expressive herbal character, delivering a wine that’s unapologetically itself. The 2022 opens with a very aromatic profile: wild chamomile, lemongrass, citrus oils, and a savoury thread of mountain herbs. The palate is rich yet layered, with a nutty note reminiscent of Spanish turrón and a lift of orange water, accompanied by a gentle phenolic grip. The texture is silky with a finish that is long and lifted.

From Les Collines and 50% whole-cluster, the all-varietal 2023 Syrah is aged in neutral French oak for 20 months and not yet co-fermented with Viognier, though that may be the case in future vintages. Meaty, fluffy tannins form a core of structure around rich layers of medium-bodied sweet and savory character, all white pepper and brambleberry and supple, velvety texture. This is an outstanding wine with only 145 cases made. Drink now through 2035.

From two blocks at the top of the hill, at near 1,600-feet elevation, the full-bodied 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon Skysill Vineyard has smooth tannins and salty, leathery berry fruit. Vibrant and present, one of the blocks is always the last to ripen, contributing to that savory, cooler-climate complexity. There’s ample complexity and ageable structure to go another 10–15 years if not longer.

Cocoa powder on the nose, Chinese five spice - aromatic spices for sure - with dark berry fruit and some menthol notes too. Finely grained and streamlined, this has a poised core, direct and svelte, not so much richness or concentration with the Cabernets more delineated and straight but still with layers and depth. I this this has lots of personality and great ripeness without being overpowering. If I had the money I'd buy a case and share the bottles with lots of friends during fun dinner parties. Great stuff with so much energy, I love it. 6% Petit Verdot completes the blend. Owner Jackson Family Wines with director and winemaker Pierre Seillan of Château Lassègue in St-Emilion.

The 2021 season in South Australia was a ripper—long, mild, free from viticultural disaster or major risk—and the best wines show superb balance and longevity. This 2021 The Peake Cabernet Shiraz comprises 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Shiraz, and this was a result of discussions between winemaker Chris Carpenter and late Yangarra winemaker Pete Fraser—the Cabernet just looked so good in this season. The wine shows immense power and balance, with mineral freshness, graphite tannins and great length. It shows the best of the season. This has grown substantially since I last tasted it, and most certainly for the better. My initial assessment noted that the tannins are fresh and ashy, making for a chewy, pliable sort of finish, and this remains relevant again here today. 14.5% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.

The 2015 The Peake Cabernet Shiraz hails from the excellent 2015 vintage. It is brighter and more intense than the 2014 vintage tasted alongside. The cepage here reflects that of the 2014 vintage: 56% Cabernet and the balance Shiraz. This has a higher register of spice and denser base of fruit and tannin, yet it feels eminently perfumed and long. This is an excellent wine here, looking sensational at the end of its 10th year from harvest. This vintage, as with the 2014 vintage, was also made alongside Charlie Seppelt. 14% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.

The 2022 Le Désir is tremendous. A wine of poise, balance and immeasurable depth, the 2022 is so lifted and bright, almost radiant in its technicolor vibrancy and beguiling Franc character. Blood orange zest, bittersweet chocolate, lavender, dried herbs and iron filings march across the palate, saturating the palate with intense yet perfectly measured concentration. Le Désir boasts a very intense structure, but also a sense of immediacy and fine beauty that is impossible to miss. Magnificent.

Super clear, barely any hue at all in the glass. The classic provençal nose of subtle red fruit and white flower. Wonderful on the palate, just a delight. Sure, it’s subtle and reserved but near impeccable balance with lovely fruit and an acidity that persists for days.

Gorgeously pure aromatics of crème de cassis, graphite, scorched earth, and mineral nuances all define the 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon, a blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc, 8% Malbec, and 2% Petit Verdot aged in 73% new oak. It's medium to full-bodied on the palate, with plenty of ripe tannins, terrific overall balance, and a great finish that's very much in the pure, structured style of the vintage. Hide bottles for 4-5 years and enjoy over the following two decades. There are 2,683 cases produced. Drink 2029-2049.

Composed of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Franc, and 6% Petit Verdot, the 2022 La Joie has a deep garnet-purple color. It springs from the glass with bold notes of black currant preserves, baked plums, and juicy blueberries, followed by suggestions of mint tea, underbrush, and lilacs. The full-bodied palate has a rock-solid structure of grainy tannins and bold freshness to support the generous black fruit layers, finishing long with a minty lift.

This is taut, concentrated and very fine. There’s a lovely purity to the lemon and lime fruit, with just a slight hint of peach and pear richness, showing lovely crystalline fruit with a stony minerality sitting underneath. Not showy: this is restrained and intense with lovely precision, and potential for development. One of Australia’s great Chardonnays.

The 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon Spring Mountain is a classy, elegant wine. It shows all the f inesse of Spring Mountain, with a fair amount of tannin. Dark red/purplish fruit, lavender, rose petal, spice and blood orange open with some reluctance. The Spring Mountain Cabernet is usually more sensual and approachable in the early going. The 2023, on the other hand, needs quite a bit of time.

The 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon from Cardinale is dense and packed to the core. Dark red cherry, plum, mocha, spice and espresso all race across the palate. Cardinale is a blend of top sites across Napa Valley, both valley floor and mountain, which yields a more plush, generous Cabernet Sauvignon relative to the wines Chris Carpenter makes from pure mountain sites. There's a bit more new oak imprint as well

Notably complete, with aromas of fresh flowers, cherries, wild berries, graphite, minerals,
plum skins and blood orange. The palate is silken, with no hard edges, finely tuned tannins
and notes of five spice and red and blue fruits, plus an herbal, savory edge. Excellent, with
plenty of flair. Drink or hold. Screw cap.

This wine is all about nerve and minerality, with aromas of lemon pith, lime blossoms,
honeysuckle, grapefruit, oyster shells and struck matches. The palate is powerful and
tightly wound, with notes of crushed stones, gingerbread, cordial, lime curd, pastry and
sherbet. Flashy and concentrated, with a fine line of acidity, this is a great example of the
new wave of Australian chardonnay. Excellent. Drink or hold. Screw cap.

A notably complete single-vineyard bottling, with an excellent balance of tension and
power. Aromas of lime leaves, sliced lemons, sea spray, green apples, oyster shells and
flint. The palate is tense and nervy, with a strong mineral drive and strength, which will
unravel beautifully over time. Floral and mineral in character, this chardonnay will reward
time in the bottle. Drink or hold. Screw cap.

Full of brambleberries, bruised cherries and rose hips with rich aromas and flavors of scorched earth, black licorice and allspice. Substantial yet lively, especially through the finish. Long, supple and structural tannins elongate, promising over a decade of easy aging. Drink or hold.

Perfumed with rose hips and hibiscus with a succulent yet chiseled mouthfeel. So long on the palate, showing pomegranate, cranberries, red tea and a pop of citrus. Amazing precision fans out with aromatic layers through the endless finish. Drink or hold.

Vibrating with an inner core of energy but supple and filigreed at the same time. There’s a distinctly Burgundian character here as crushed-rock, mineral and turmeric-powder aromas and flavors dust Meyer lemons and a kiss of white flowers through the finish. So complete. Drink or hold.

The 2024 Ovitelli Grenache is a confluence of two important elements: the first is the warm
year defined by amplitude and florals, and the second is the process of maturation,
whereby this wine is matured exclusively in concrete egg, which emphasizes the austerity
of the tannins and enhances the focus of the palate. Together, the wine looks both supple
and tightly coiled, and it bears all the hallmarks of aging impressively well over the week it
has been open, and decades into the future too. This is a super wine.