The 2018 Pinot Noir Maggy Hawk shows a different side of Anderson Valley. There is lovely savoriness and energy, and maybe a bit less fruit than in some of the other wines. A whole range of floral and spice notes lend complexity as well as persistence.

The 2019 Trousseau Copain Estate is another absolutely exquisite wine in the range. Bright red berry fruit, orange peel, cinnamon, pine and amaro herbs infuse the 2019 with striking aromatic complexity and nuance. Translucent and so expressive, the Trousseau is a winner. The 2019 is a blend of fruit from the Copain estate and a second site in Anderson Valley.

The 2018 Chardonnay Les Voisins is rich, open-knit and seductive. Apricot, peach and light tropical accents all elevate this creamy Anderson Valley Chardonnay. Bright saline notes underpin the finish, nicely balancing some of the more overt leanings.

The 2018 Red Blend is a bold, juicy wine driven by a core of Petite Sirah that gives it richness and unctuous texture. Ripe red cherry, red plum, mocha, licorice and spice are all kicked up in this flashy, juicy Napa Valley red.

Here’s a serious, rich and maturing merlot with deep colour and a great, dense yet satiny texture. The nose displays very ripe plummy fruit with very fine oak spice and violet florality. It is full bodied, almost velvet in texture with fine tannin. The 14.5% alcohol brings some heat to the finish. The length is excellent.

Dark ruby red in colour. Red cherry, plum, blood orange, sage and violet floral. Shows superb intensity. Sweet tobacco and liquorice alongside zesty mineral finish.

This medium ruby colored Pinot Noir opens with a very inviting Dr. Pepper and black raspberry bouquet with hints of black plum and clove. On the palate, this wine is medium bodied, nicely balanced, round and delicate. The flavor profile is a delicious red cherry and spiced red plum blend along with notes of cinnamon, vanilla and pomegranate. The finish is dry and its flavors and soft tannins drift away nicely. The Panel would prefer to drink this Pinot on its own. With food, they would pair it with Frutti di mare (seafood spaghetti).

Deep rich colour and a rich, concentrated bouquet led by smoky char-oak and the palate is likewise quite oak-driven, with medium to full-body and slightly gritty texture. Sweet raspberry fruit core. It could reward a little time in the cellar. It's a bit young at this juncture.

A low-yielding vintage but one which resulted in great concentration and acidity. Vinification was much the same as for the 2019 vintage: 40% whole-bunch fruit was used, with no fining and filtering and racking and bottling done by gravity. Though here the eight months' maturation was in a mix of barriques (10% new) and 4,000-litre oak vats. As with the Chardonnay, it's blend of various parcels that just miss out on being part of the single-vineyard wines: here Sexton (giving ripe cherry fruit), Applejack (a distinctive bitter orange Campari note), Tarraford (mocha and cocoa earthiness) and Primavera (floral perfume). A crunchy, delicate, quaffable Pinot packed with succulent cherries, savoury autumnal notes, soft acidity and gentle spice.

Giant Steps' Yarra Valley Chardonnay is a blend of various parcels that just miss out on being part of the single-vineyard wines. In this vintage it's a blend of Sexton, Tarraford and Applejack fruit. In most vintages none of the Chardonnays go through malo, but winemaker Steve Flamsteed won't stop it if it occurs spontaneously – as here with 20% of the blend, contributing a smooth mouthfeel. There's no lees stirring, which ensures the perky acidity remains vibrant, and the eight months oak ageing (10% new) gives roundness over any wood influence. A really delicious wine this vintage, and great value for the price, packed with classic Yarra Valley lemon curd tang, lifted apple blossom and a musky melon finish.

Crisp lemon and lime aromas meet with a crushed sea-shell tone on the nose of this bottling. There’s a taut feeling to the palate, where pome-fruit and stone-fruit flavors wander through the engagingtexture.

Vivid fruit, toasted oak and black-tea flavors find excellent balance and make a great impression on the palate as this full-bodied wine layers complexity on depth. It shows a nice tension in the texture, lifting black-cherry, rhubarb and hints of mushrooms.

This medium ruby colored Pinot Noir opens a very fragrant red licorice, cola and peat moss bouquet hints of wild blueberry and lavender. On the palate, this wine is medium bodied with medium acidity. We also found it to be balanced, rich, smooth and savory in the aftertaste. The flavor profile is pomegranate and red plum with notes of loam and red cherry with hints of smoke and oak. The finish is dry and its mild tannins and flavors linger for quite a while. The Panel would pair this Pinot with a Peking duck breast.

This medium gold colored Chardonnay from Hartford Court is very good. It opens a very fragrant pineapple, ripe pear and vanilla bouquet. On the palate, this wine is medium plus bodied, balanced, lush and rich. The flavor profile is pear and lemon blend with notes of pineapple, vanilla and oak. We also detected hints of chalky minerality mixed in. The finish is dry and nicely extended. The Panel would pair this tasty Chard with roasted chicken with garlic or broiled scallops.

From a hot and sunny vintage, the Tenuta di Arceno 2017 Chianti Classico Riserva opens to dark cherry fruit, blackberry and plum. Indeed, you get a wide assortment of purple and black fruits in this generous, medium-bodied Riserva to be served with a sliced, grilled sausage and rosemary potatoes. There are streaks of ripeness and sweetness here, and the glass conjures up nutmeg and toasted almond as well. This hot vintage is slightly more near-term compared to some the recent editions we have seen.

Dense, quite structured, but with plush black cherry and blackcurrant fruit. There’s a lovely fruit core here: it is fresh and quite detailed, with nice fruit sweetness. Accessible and also with a hint of seriousness. I really like it: modern Chianti Classico.

This pale ruby colored Pinot Noir from the "Edmeades Vineyard" in the Anderson Valley is quite inviting. It opens with faint blueberry and red raspberry bouquet with a hint of vanilla cola. On the palate, this wine is light to medium bodied, nicely balanced, soft, smooth and delicate. The flavor profile is very tasty mild red raspberry and red plum blend with hints of red cherry, cola and allspice. The finish is dry and its flavors drift away nicely. This Pinot would pair nicely with a pecan encrusted red snapper.

Opens with a wealth of baking spices and pastry, as well as baked blueberry and rose hip. Red fruit rises up in the mix with air. The palate delivers a smooth line of poached-raspberry flavor. Pure and ripe. Drink now.

This sits in a fragrant and ethereal style with aromas of wild red cherry, raspberry, pomegranate and fresh-picked herbs. The palate is bright and smooth with a supple, fleshy core. Very drinkable now.

Dakél is an ambitious new Chardonnay from Jackson Wine Estates, made with consultant Andrés Sánchez. Textured and creamy, it uses three different clones for complexity (4, 76 and 96) and completes malolactic fermentation. The second use wood is well integrated, the stone fruit flavours sweet and engaging, the acidity refreshing.

Andrés Sanchez and Randy Ullom make this ambitious Itata Valley Pinot Noir, sourced from two sites in the Itata Valley with clones 667 and 777. It's quite a ripe style, with 14.5% alcohol, but it has plenty of texture, flavour and weight, with floral top notes, sweet oak and mulberry and wild strawberry fruit flavours.

Tenuta di Arceno: chasing perfectionStrada al Sasso is the top cru of the estate. It lies at 400 metres above sea level, the ideal elevation to grow Sangiovese here. The 2018 vintage was more fleshy than structured in Castelnuovo Berardenga. This Gran Selezione is purplish, vinous on the nose due to its extreme youthfulness, showing a great definition of elegant cherry fruit completed by liquorice and graphite in depth. Floral notes of fresh violets enhance the flavour. Full, a bit warming with its 15% of alcohol but well balanced by brilliant acidity, this is a rich Chianti Classico with firm yet ripe tannins.

This wine isn't shy; its dark plum scents and turfy, black-cherry flavors are bright and generous. But there's a vibrancy and foresty savor that keeps the wine lifted despite its richness. It could stand up to something big, like a pasta with roast chicken and mushrooms.

This grows at the Jackson family's estate vineyard in Annapolis, a far-coast site one ridge inland from the Pacific. That cold ocean influence lends tartness to the fruit in flavors of sour cherries and scents of foresty herbs. Oak adds richness in nutty scents and dark tones that meld with the forest floor notes. The fruit's fresh refinement will play well with a fatty cut of roast pork.

The Jackson Family added Saralee's Vineyard to their portfolio in 2013; it's a site that has been farmed for grapes since the 19th century, replanted by Saralee and Richard Kunde in 1989, now 200 acres of vines. Those vines produced a classical Russian River Valley pinot noir in 2017, rich and plush with red cherry and black currant flavors. It's full bodied with lively intensity, a wine to enjoy on its own or with a rare roast beef.