A soft, delicate, restrained wine with aromas of white flowers and a whiff of almond meal. Cashew-nutty too. A more straightforward style and a trifle short on the finish compared to other vineyards. It's remarkably backward and restrained considering it’s the lowest altitude vineyard and earliest harvested. (100m altitude, south-facing)

Merlot - Always Friendly, Never One to Tout Its PopularityInky dark in color with a nose smellng of dark chocolate and eucalyptus, this is an incredibly polished yet very, very powerful Napa Valley wine. Chalky but fine tannins focus the palate, but it's the pleasant acidic lift on the back palate that gives this wine drinkability. Concentrated and bold yet suave, this will be one to swoon for at a steakhouse table. It wouldn't hurt to give it a bit more bottle age, even though it is going-on five years old. Mulberries and black plums line the lingering, slightly warm finish.

Smoky, ripe strawberry and warming Christmas cake tones, complemented by rosehip, sappy cherry fruit and chalky minerality.

A supple and sultry red wine that is brimming in baking spice and tannin, this small-production wine shows the appellation’s funk and earthiness to great effect. Tree bark, tea and a bit of barnyard work well within a generously full-bodied context of concentration and dense red fruit.

Earthy and herbal in cedar, pencil shaving and sage, this wine has thick, firm tannin structure and an enduring elegance. Full bodied, it holds its power in check, with rich layers of cigar and dark chocolate leading to a seamless finish.

Rounded, with substantial, elongated tannin, this is a richly layered, concentrated wine that expertly showcases the appellation in its embrace of dark blue and black fruit, cola, tea and baking spice.

Showing earthy, foresty complexity already, this has red cherries and a spicy thread, as well as leafy tones. The palate is quite open and fluid and builds a gently grainy tannin texture at the finish. Drink or hold.

Vibrant, expressive and spicy, with fresh raspberry, cherry and pomegranate flavors, and notes of toasted cumin, cardamom, sage and dried orange zest that linger on the finish, where details of loam emerge. Drink now through 2035.

The Bordeaux outpost of the Jackson family winery has produced a rich wine in this vintage. It is structured with swathes of ripe black fruits. The tannins promise some serious aging for this complex ripe wine with its solid texture. Drink from 2023.

Attractive violet and blueberry aromas here with cassis and gentle herbal accents. The palate is smooth and velvety with a plush and open-knit feel. This has ample, fleshy dark-cherry flavor. Drink now.

Inviting notes of warm brioche, honeysuckle and candied orange peel are layered with flavors of green fig, melon and salted almond in this elegant white. Bright acidity is lightly mouthwatering and refreshing throughout, defining the lush and lingering, spiced finish.

Rich and toasty, a medium-bodied white, with a lush range of glazed apple, smoky grilled brioche, lemon curd and candied ginger notes reined in by sleek, well-knit acidity. The lasting finish is lightly mouthwatering, with pretty lime blossom and flint notes. Drink now through 2026.

There is a certain freshness and fragrance that captures an essence of this grape that I really like, and that many Napa cabs sometimes miss. It is that lifted blackcurrant, minty/caper greenness, tobacco nicely fitted with oak vanillin and cedar. There is excellent complexity here. It is full bodied, fairly open knit and a touch juicy, with some green tannin. The length is excellent. Moving into a good drinking window, and should hold five years.

Fine-textured, with good lift to the luscious pear tart and apple pastry flavors. Plenty of toast notes midpalate lead to a long, spicy finish, with tropical fruit and buttery nuances. Drink now through 2025.

This is a little more ready to drink than the 2010 vintage at this point, but still delivers plenty of rich, fleshy black fruits through the mid palate. A little tight at first, but as it settles in the glass, a sweetness to the fruit becomes clearer, with blackberry puree and vanilla bean, along with a juicy hawthorn savoury finish. An early harvest in this vintage, but doesn't feel like an overly hot vintage in terms of its fruit character.

Cassis and blackberry laced with cumin, turmeric and saffron - these are plenty of tannins here even at 11 years old, but they are melted into the body of the wine. As it opens, a slate minerality tugs underneath, adding texture to the close of play and suggesting there is plenty of life ahead. An unusual blend, with higher Cabernet Sauvignon than usual, thanks to a hail storm in May that took out a sizeable section of Merlot grapes, and left a yield of around 22hl/ha.

This slightly cloudy and deep yellow colored Chardonnay opens with a musty green apple bouquet with hints of lemon and almond. On the palate, this wine is medium bodied and slightly acidic. The flavor profile is a tart green apple and light lemon blend with notes of mild minerality and chamomile tea. There is some hints of oak towards the end. The finish is dry and its acidity and flavors fade away nicely. This Chard would pair well with halibut chowder.

The sandy loam soils at this seven-acre vineyard on Wood Road have sustained zinfandel vines planted in the early 1900s, now farmed by Don Hartford’s team using organic practices. This 2019 has the juiciness of fresh blackberries in the middle of summer, and rich wine with energy and pungent, old-vine tannic grip. That structure will sustain it in the cellar, though it’s lovely to drink now with meats off the grill.

I like how Australian chardonnays sneak up on you with an inviting, nutty, citrus that mixes effortlessly with a creamy undercoating and plenty of lees to feed its complexity from front to back. It is rich in a Grand Cru way but not overpowering. This is a terrific discovery for the Vancouver market. I hope some of this gets distributed out to retailers so all can enjoy it. It joins a short but impressive list of Down Under chardonnays that are lighting up the category. The 30 hectare Sexton Vineyard, planted in 1997, is located on the steep, north-facing slopes of the Warramate Ranges. The topsoil is thin, and vines sit on shallow, gravelly loams over a rocky clay base. Vigour and bunch yields are naturally low.

You are going to love this 2020 regular label that is so fresh and juicy with blood, red cherry, and a lovely earthy forest floor undercurrent that it is anything but regular. Wow, just delicious. The estate pinot is made with a mix of vineyards: Sexton, Applejack, Primavera, and Tarraford, harvested between February and April. The average yields were lower across all the pinot blocks thanks to tighter and smaller bunches, all set off by wonderful natural acidity. The fruit is hand picked, chilled and cold soaked over four days before it warms to a wild ferment in small vessels, both stainless steel and open oak vats. About 40 percent of the fruit goes in the whole bunch, and it is all matured in French oak, 10% new, for eight months in a mix of 225-litre barriques and 4000-litre oak vats. The winery suggests handmade pappardelle and shredded confit duck leg and arugula, and I say bring it on.

Deep garnet color, lush plum aroma, dense, meaty, spicy with soft tannins with notes of plum and toast, balanced and long, give it a couple of years to come around.

How good is the new Australia? Plenty good, maybe even scary good. Few GSM I have experienced have the mouth presence and cushioned weight that is the perfect bed for a wine packed full of fragrant old bush vine grenache (60 percent) planted in 1946. The remainder is 22 percent shiraz, and 18 percent mourvèdre. The result is an aromatic layered wine that is more red than black, with licorice and peppercorn flecks in the finish. It’s the balance and mouthfeel that attracts. You can serve this with any favourite wood-fired entrée, from pizza to steak.

The Old Vine Grenache was the first release in 2007. In 2019 the growing season was extremely dry, leading to super-low yields easily seen in the concentration of this wine. These bush vines were planted in 1946, and the vineyard is certified biodynamic, which appears to add pure bounce to the wine's vibrancy. It is planted on the Blewitt Springs estate's deep, sandy soils. It is fermented with 50% whole berry and kept on yeast lees in older French oak. Black plums reign, with a dusting of white pepper and a salty mineral finish. Wow.

The 2018 Syrah High Rock Ranch emerges from a site at 1,200 feet in elevation. Bright red berry fruit, iron, dried flowers, chalk, mint and white pepper inform this taut, savory Syrah. There is maybe a bit less body than in some of the other wines, but more than enough persistence to compensate.

The 2018 Pinot Noir Côte Bannie, from site in the Petaluma Gap, shows the wilder side of Pinot. Game, black pepper, iron, licorice, mint and dried flowers give the Côte Bannie a distinctly Syrah-like character. This is an eccentric wine but has just enough fruit depth to balance things out.