A warm-vintage blend of 60% Merlot, 32% Cabernet Franc, 4% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Petit Verdot, the 2017 Valadorna is exceptionally soft and velvety, in a most pleasurable way. Merlot is the star of the wine, and although there are doubts concerning its performance in a changing climate, this wine delivers the goods. You get it all: volume, depth and complexity. You also get a noticeable 15% alcohol content. Production is 12,350 bottles.

This is a terrific value. The 2019 Il Fauno di Arcanum shows an inky dark color with thick concentration and lots of luscious dark fruit. This blend of 43% Merlot, 32% Cabernet Franc, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Petit Verdot is modern and very well crafted. It would pair nicely across from steak or tender lamb chops. An ample 113,100 bottles were released.

The 2019 Chianti Classico Riserva shows velvety richness and good textural support. This comes thanks to the warmer microclimate and thicker soils, sometimes with a lot of clay, that distinguish the Castelnuovo Berardenga region of Chianti Classico. The finish is dry and long, but there is plenty of sweet earth, dark fruit, plum and balanced cherry in the mix. This is a 54,500-bottle release.

The 2019 Chianti Classico Riserva (90% Sangiovese and the rest Merlot) takes on more spiced layers of smoke, cedar, menthol, and blackberry. It is full-bodied, with snappy acidity and fine tannins, and is noted with redcurrant, orange zest, tea leaf, and clove. Hold another year or two and drink 2025-2035.

Made from a single vineyard planted in 1999, this 2020 King's Wood presents a rich fruit core with subtle touches. Dark cherry and blueberry aromas are lifted by clove and fennel seed with ample volume and weight, with oak hardly in play. Mouth-filling levels of flavor follow, but with delicious delicacy illustrated by violet and old spice complexity. A solid base of tannins will see this wine drink well over the medium term.

The 2019 High Sands delivers a powerful expression as it oozes with ethereal red licorice, baked earth and tobacco leaf aromas, with strong and attractive earthy undertones. Dry with a velveteen texture, it delivers waves of flavor punctuated by bright acidity before finishing with supple tannins.

Thanks to its classic style, the 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon Trueman, with a touch of Malbec, will appeal to Cabernet tragics. It opens with bright, expressive aromas of well ripened blackcurrants, graphite and crushed leaves. These flavors are closely aligned with a liberal serving of mocha oak. The palate is defined by its mix of acidity and sinewy tannins, which underpin stylish blackberry and cedary flavors through a long, seamless finish. Beautiful now but also has the integrity to enjoy over the medium term.

The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Cougar Ridge offers a compelling mix of opulence and hillside structure. Super-ripe red cherry/plum fruit, rose petal, mint, sweet spice and blood orange all meld together. This is an especially overt, racy style, and yet there is plenty of supporting structure here.

The 2019 Pinot Noir Van der Kamp Vineyard is one of the most distinctive wines in this range. Then again, Van der Kamp is an incredibly singular site. Bright floral and mineral accents complement a core of sweet red berry fruit in a beautifully layered, vibrant Pinot that impresses with its balance and persistence. Give the 2019 a few years to come together.

The 2019 Chardonnay (Alexander Valley) is one of the hidden gems in this range, as it so often is. Rich and tropical, but also light on its feet, the 2019 is a total knockout. All the elements are so nicely balanced. There's terrific complexity and plenty of character. The purity of the flavors is compelling. A hint of new oak frames the finish nicely.

The 2018 Merlot Jackson Park Vineyard offers notable freshness and energy, which works so well in complementing the natural plushness of Merlot. Black cherry, gravel, spice, menthol and licorice lend nuance throughout. This is such a classy wine.

The 2019 Pinot Noir Afleet is a very pretty, gracious Pinot. Crushed red berry fruit, mint, sage and rose petal meld with whole cluster overtones that lead through to the bright, saline finish. I especially like the vibrancy here. This, too, needs quite a bit of air to show at its finest.

The 2019 Pinot Noir Stormin' shows plenty of dark cherry, plum fruit along with the body typically associated with the 777 clone that is at the core of this blend. Ample and creamy, with striking depth, the Stormin' has a lot to offer. Give it a year or two to soften.

The 2020 White Pinot Noir is an unusual, creamy wine. Orchard fruit, dried flowers, mint and chamomile all grace this delicate, incredibly distinctive wine. In 2020, some of the edges are a bit evident, but I suspect most of that has to do with the conditions of the growing season.

The 2019 Chardonnay Jennifer's is a wild, exotic wine that combines heady, tropical inflections with strong phenolic character such that it could be easily confused with a red wine. Apricot, chamomile, spice and tangerine oil give this Chardonnay tons of personality. Intensely cool, coastal air extends the growing season, yielding a wine of notable distinction.

The 2019 Chardonnay Sevens Bench offers lovely textural richness and nuance. Apricot, peach, lemon confit and white flowers meld together in a Chardonnay that deftly balances textural richness and energy. Sweet floral top notes lift the finish nicely. There's certainly plenty to like here.

The 2019 Pinot Noir Land's Edge Vineyards, a blend from Far Coast and Seascape, is bright, effusive and wonderfully inviting. The aromatics and the vibrancy of the fruit are so appealing. Sweet red cherry fruit, kirsch, rose petal, blood orange and mulling spice all meld together in the glass. Shorter time in barrel (10 months) relative to the other Pinots seems to really accentuate the vibrancy of the fruit.

The 2019 Syrah Brosseau is a powerful, dense wine. Black cherry, scorched earth, leather, game, licorice and tobacco infuse the Brosseau with tons of brooding intensity. This is an especially savory, mineral-driven style, with the fruit pushed to the background.

The 2019 Syrah Hawkes Butte offers terrific brightness and energy. Sweet red berry fruit, white pepper, mint, blood orange, cinnamon and chalk lend notable aromatic intensity to the high-toned flavors. Medium in body and attractively nervy, the 2019 has a ton to offer.

The 2019 Chardonnay Skycrest is bright, airy and finely cut. Lemon confit, white flowers, mint and white pepper all grace this high-toned ethereal Chardonnay from
Copain. This opens beautifully with some air.

The 2019 Chardonnay Tidal Break is absolutely delicious. Apricot, tangerine oil and light tropical inflections all grace this classy, beautifully layered Sonoma Coast Chardonnay. Silky and plush, with terrific persistence the 2019 is another winner in this range. The 2019 is impeccably done.

The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Vales Edge is packed with sumptuous dark fruit, chocolate, spice and sweet spice. It is one of the riper wines in the lineup, and yet it has plenty if the vibrancy that is such a signature here.

This is a fine, glossy, full flavoured chardonnay from the Russian River Valley. There is a real sense of elegance here. The nose is generous with hazelnut, dried flowers, custard and peachy fruit. It is very smooth, somewhat sweet and intense. So rich! Excellent to outstanding length.

Deep red/purple colour, youthful and bright. Intense bouquet of plum and dark cherry laced with toasty char oak. Herbs and Chinotto, too. The flavour is concentrated and bold, bright and very much alive, with high but invigorating acidity, delicious flavour and firm but balanced tannins. Oak has been used fairly liberally for a straight grenache. It's a strongly built wine which needs time and promises much if cellared. An idiosyncratic style of grenache, a far cry from your cuddy, fruit-sweet, soft Aussie styles. It needs time: I wouldn't touch it for at least two years.

Deep-ish red with a tinge of purple and a very smoky, seemingly oaky bouquet, plus lots of crushed-rock mineral notes. The acid is high, the tannins abundant and firm, and the wine should be long-lived. It's very tight and firm. A total contrast to the rich, opulent fruit-sweet styles of lower altitude McLaren Vale sites. (14.5% alc.)