Ripe plum nose; dense and dark with a velvety texture and complex flavors of spice, chocolate, and black cherry. Intense but always refined and elegant, this is yet another Chris Carpenter masterpiece.

The 2015 Cardinale is heavenly juice made from 91% Cabernet Sauvignon and 9% Merlot that’s from a number of AVAs in Napa Valley. It offers a beautiful perfume of crème de cassis, black raspberry jam, graphite, and scorched earth. This gives way to a full-bodied, elegant, impressively concentrated 2015 that has the deep, concentrated fruit of the vintage, yet stays fresh, lively and graceful on the palate. This is high-class stuff that can be drunk anytime over the coming 20-25 years.

Weekend Wine Picks The Cardinale blends with 50 separate sample blocks and under winemaker Chris Carpenter the number is reduced to a handful of the most complex and aromatic awash in intensity, texture and length. A third of the final blend comes from Spring Mountain’s volcanic loam soils; Howell Mountain kicks in 25 per cent. The final blend is an 88/12 mix of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot aged 19 months in French oak, 94 per cent of which is new. Complexity is a big part of Cardinale, with additional fruit sourced in Stags Leap, St. Helena, Diamond Mountain District and Mount Veeder. It’s a wine for the ages from Carpenter and Napa that will repay a decade of bottle age. If you can’t wait, roast lamb would be a fine match.

Bright ruby color with a soft plum nose; bright cherry and boysenberry with notes of vanilla, toast, and spice; deep, intense, and ageworthy. Another Chris Carpenter masterpiece that's incredibly elegant, precise and generous.

Highest of the High-Priced The Top Ten Wines over $100 in 2018 (So Far) Bright ruby color with a soft plum nose; incredibly elegant, rich, and precise; generous with bright plum, cherry, and boysenberry notes with hints of vanilla, toast and spice. Another Chris Carpenter masterpiece – deep, ageworthy, and long.

The 2014 Cardinale is a captivating blend of 88% Cabernet Sauvignon and 12% Merlot from talented winemaker Chris Carpenter. This is truly an appellation wine, as it was sourced from vineyards across the entire region with Spring Mountain District (Yverdon, Wurtele and Spring Mountain Vineyard) the base, to which Veeder Peak and sites in the Howell Mountain, Diamond Mountain and other sub-appellations round out the blend. The result is an utterly complex Cabernet which immediately opens to profound aromatics of ripe dark currants and black cherries woven together with graphite, spring florals, pipe tobacco and touches of sweet spices. On the palate this is full-bodied, layered and beautifully polished with gorgeous ripe dark fruits at its core. It remains dense and concentrated as it builds up to the long, voluptuous finish. While the 2014 is already absolutely stunning, it also possesses all the characteristics to indicate a fantastic future ahead.

Bright ruby color; soft plum nose; another Chris Carpenter masterpiece; incredibly smooth and elegant, rich and precise but generous; bright plum, cherry and boysenberry with notes of vanilla, toast and spice; deep and intense, ageworthy and long.

Cardinale starts out with 50 different wines, and under winemaker Chris Carpenter that number is reduced to a handful of complex, aromatic samples awash in intensity, texture and length. In 2014 there were only a few heat spikes, leaving Carpenter to settle on 24 different wines, spanning six different appellations and 12 vineyard sites. A third of the final blend came from Spring Mountain’s volcanic loam soils, which Carpenter credits with fine tannins and delicate floral notes. Howell Mountain kicks in 25 percent, bringing dark fruit characters, herbs and weight adding complexity and depth. The final blend is an 88/12 mix of cabernet sauvignon and merlot aged 19 months in French oak, 94 percent of which is new. Complexity is a big part of Cardinale, with additional fruit sourced in Stags Leap, St. Helena, Diamond Mountain District, and Mount Veeder. It’s a wine for the ages from Carpenter and Napa that will repay a decade of bottle age. If you can’t wait, roast lamb would be a fine match.

Napa Cabernet Sauvignon worthy of your cellar 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot. Youthful, intense and broad with a mix of red, dark and blue fruit framed by vegetal accents and notes of mineral spiciness. A massive wine with grippy tannins and tonnes of acidity which brings harmony and proportion. This wine easily will develop over the next 30-40 years.

The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon is simply stunning. A real head-turner, the 2013 possesses superb density and tons of pure power. The flavors are deep, powerful and explosive. Mocha, new leather, and licorice wrap around a core of dark, sumptuous fruit. This dense, powerful Cabernet Sauvignon will require considerable patience, but it is super-impressive. And then some. Chris Carpenter crafted the 2013 from an assortment of parcels, most of them mountain sites on Diamond Mountain, Mt. Veeder and Howell Mountain. This is a real stand out.

Exotic, layered and stunning, the 2009 Cardinale Red Wine is an incredible blend of 91% Cabernet with the remainder Merlot. Having an extremely deep hue, this opens with hoisin sauce, mocha and blackberry cobbler aromas. The texture is outrageously good, as is the mouthwatering acidity. Black tea, mocha and creme de cassis flavors impress. The exceedingly long finish dazzles.

Another fabulous Cardinale, better than the 2007 but short of the perfect 2006. This is so complete; it tastes like Cabernet on a cloud, light but ethereal, with ripe, polished blackberry and cherry flavors and touches of mocha, spice and cedar. The tannins are a wonder—soft and pliant—yet gorgeously complex. Drink now-2016, at least.

The 2002 Cardinale Red Wine is a stunning blend of 88% Cabernet with the remainder Merlot. 26% of the fruit was sourced from the To Kalon Vineyard. This begins with exotic aromas of rose petals, red cherry and blackberry cobbler with coffee grounds. This has a marvelous combination of weight and tension. Blackberry pie, mocha, anise and creme de cassis flavors impress. Downright delicious, this has a long life for the cellar.

One of the gems in this report is the 2013 Harmonie Red Wine (85% Cabernet Franc, 9% Merlot and the balance Cabernet Sauvignon). Sourced almost all from the Alexander Mountain Estate and aged in 20% new French oak, its singular purple color is followed by an incredible bouquet of crème de cassis, black cherries, damp earth, and spring flowers. This sensational red hits the palate with a huge, opulent texture, perfect balance, and ultra-fine tannin. Count me impressed by this quintessential expression of Cabernet Franc from Sonoma. It’s straight up awesome today yet is going to keep for two decades or more.

A blend of the favorite blocks (14 and 18) of the estate vineyard and 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2015 Revelation Red Wine is another wine from Sam Teakle that flirts with perfection. Awesome cassis, graphite, crushed rocks and Pauillac-like lead pencil notes all flow to a full-bodied, deep, sexy Cabernet Sauvignon that has sweet tannin, no hard edges, and a blockbuster finish. As with the Harmonie cuvée, it’s going to keep for 10-15 years or more.

Cambria Vineyard and Winery is quickly earning a reputation for rich, Santa-Barbara-style chardonnay. This buxom wine offers a solid array of melony fruit and oak scents, followed by a full, creamy mouth-feel and a long, vanilla-toned finish. Admirable for its great concentration, all the big elements are well-balanced in place.

It would be impossible to exaggerate the grandeur and majesty of the overachieving 2015 Arcanum. The blend is 74% Cabernet Franc, 10% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon and 6% Petit Verdot. This full-bodied wine is mostly defined by its texture that is exceedingly rich and smooth with significant infusions of blackberry, plum, spice, tobacco and cured leather. The wine achieves beautiful balance, yet it remains intense and powerful all the while.

Very deep purple-black in color, the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Helena Dakota Vineyard has a compelling savoriness of char-grilled meat and roasted nuts on the nose with a core of crème de cassis, violets and crushed plums plus a touch of garrigue. Medium-bodied and tautly structured with firm, fine-grained tannins and seamless freshness, it has a incredible depth of primary fruit and earthy layers, finishing with incredible length and a lovely mineral hint.

12.7% alc., pH 3.65, TA 0.53, 348 cases, $100. Sourced from Zena East blocks 5 and 6 that stretch from the highest point of the vineyard at 600 feet down to areas of lower elevation. Clone 667, seven years old. Harvest Brix 22.2º-22.7º. Aged 17 months in French oak barrels, 85% new, medium to medium plus toast. · Moderately dark reddish purple color in the glass. You need to be sitting down when you drink this beauty. Pleasant aromas of earth-kissed black cherry, crushed berries and mushrooms. Upon entry, there is an explosion of purple grape and berry flavor that is eye-opening. The sappy fruit saturates the palate with goodness, carrying through to a finish that displays uncommon intensity and length. Even better the following day when tasted from a previously opened and re-corked bottle when the aromas and flavors became exhumed in an orgasmic display.

Planted in 1946 on a sand dune in the cooler, elevated northeast of McLaren Vale. Hand-picked and sorted, then wild fermented. It is a glorious example of grenache picked early, retaining all the freshness of red cherries/berries, spices starting to build, tannins beautifully shaped.

Biggest Australian Wine Tasting Ever: 2,700+ Ratings A majestic grenache that has a super impressive level of poise and concentration. Raspberries, blueberries, red and dark cherries, as well as fresh-tilled earth and dry spices abound. The palate has a very succulent and fresh-cut core of blue-tinged fruit and long, majestic, unwavering tannins. Superb. Certified organic. Drink now. Screw cap.

From the highest section of the vineyard planted ?46 on the deepest sand, hand-picked, 50% whole berries, cold soak, open-fermented, wild yeast, matured in used French oak for 12 months. This is in another league altogether. There is total fusion between the fruit and tannins first up, oak likewise subsumed by the fruit. There is a bright display of a blaze of red fruits, so vivid the structural components are relegated to the bac

Whole bunches, wild yeast, open fermenters and all-French oak (35% new). The quality here is sensational. It delivers a power of fruit in the freshest of ways, its glove of smoky/cocoa-like oak the perfect partner. Seriously ultra-fine tannin, and accompanying length, completes what must be described as a beautiful picture.

An outstanding colour with a mulberry hue. Glorious sweet-fruited aromatics. Vibrant, pure, mulberry aromatics. Tight, pure, poised, lively. Not a foot out of place. Perfectly integrated acidity. Magnificent in its composure. Stylish. Will age gracefully. Vibrant and full-bodied.

50% whole berries, 50% destemmed, wild yeast open-fermented, matured for 10 months in used French oak. Just another $30 McLaren Vale shiraz? Absolutely not. This is profoundly exciting, another masterpiece from Peter Fraser, Wine Companion Winemaker of the Year '16. It's not often I'm tempted to sneakily swallow half a mouthful of a wine, it's almost as if an unseen force refuses to let me actually drink a little. The wine is spicy, textured, with a rainbow of dark fruit flavours - bloody gorgeous.