Pomegranate, raspberry, carnations, rose petals and toasted sage fall into harmony on the nose of this appellation blend. Black-raspberry and light thyme flavors show on the palate, which deftly balances weight and acid.

This full-bodied wine offers seductive, pretty fruit aromas and flavors that reflect ripe black cherries, blueberries and strawberries. It tastes pure and uncomplicated, nicely polished in texture and with a lingering berrylike finish.

McLaren Vale Delivers Top Mediterranean Styled RedsThis grenache rosé nails the bright, fresh brief with aromas of light strawberries, peaches and apples, leading to a very elegant, zipped-up palate that delivers crisp, fresh appeal. This is right on the stylistic bullseye. Drink now. Screw cap.

McLaren Vale Delivers Top Mediterranean Styled RedsThis has a very attractive, fresh and spicy nose with rich, darker-plum and blackberry aromas. Chocolate and raspberries, too. This is a vintage that delivers bold, fleshy, darker fruit. Supple, fleshy texture and nice chew on the finish. Drink or hold. Screw cap.

McLaren Vale Delivers Top Mediterranean Styled RedsPlenty of ripe red plums and purple flowers with a cedary and spicy oak thread, too. The palate has a succulent, smooth feel with a bold, assertive cut to the tannin. Ripe, rich and punchy merlot.

Sonoma: Another Brilliant Vintage in 2018Coming all from the estate in the Alexander Valley, the appellation 2018 Chardonnay Estate reveals a medium gold color to go with lots of honeyed stone fruits, buttered almonds, brioche, and that classic mineral and white flower character that seems to be present in all of these Stonestreet Chardonnay. It's balanced, medium-bodied, and has loads of character.

Sonoma: Another Brilliant Vintage in 2018From a cool, windy region south of Monterey, the 2018 Pinot Noir Santa Lucia Highlands offers a fruit-forward, medium-bodied, classic style that carries lots of black raspberry fruits, a touch of floral and violet notes, and plenty of spice-like aromas and flavors. This rounded, plush, and sexy Pinot Noir is ideal for drinking over the coming 4-6 years.

Sonoma: Another Brilliant Vintage in 2018The flagship Sauvignon Blanc, the 2018 Sauvignon Blanc Journey is a mix of Alexander Valley, Knights Valley, and Bennett Valley fruit and was brought up all in neutral French oak, mostly larger puncheons. It has an exotic, tropical bouquet that includes plenty of tart pineapple, grapefruit, and floral notes. This carries to a medium-bodied, dry, crisp white with good concentration, bright acidity, and a great finish. It's one of the more serious, age-worthy releases in the lineup and I suspect it will keep for over a decade.

Sonoma: Another Brilliant Vintage in 2018The 2018 Sauvignon Blanc Helena Bench comes all from the Knights Valley AVA and includes 5% Sauvignon Musque, which no doubt contributes to the wine’s exotic aromatics of citrus, pineapple, exotic flowers, and honeysuckle. It's another beautifully balanced, vibrant Sauvignon Blanc with good acidity, plenty of fruit, and a clean, dry finish.

Sonoma: Another Brilliant Vintage in 2018Lastly, the 2018 Chardonnay Journey is a smaller production cellar selection from vineyard in Sonoma County. Brought up all in French oak (new and used) and going all through malolactic fermentation, it has plenty of orchard fruit as well as subtle tropical hints to go with a medium-bodied, juicy, racy style on the palate. It has bright acidity, good concentration, and plenty of sweet fruit. Drink this classy, classic California Chardonnay over the coming 4-6 years.

Sonoma: Another Brilliant Vintage in 2018Brought up in a mix of new and neutral French oak, the medium-bodied 2018 Chardonnay Cougar Ridge is another pure, elegant, beautifully balanced wine from Marcia Torres Forno. Lots of white fruits, white flowers, spice, and a touch of toasted bread all emerge from the glass, and it has a great texture, plenty of acidity, and a good finish. Drink it over the coming 4-6 years.

Sonoma: Another Brilliant Vintage in 2018Fermented and aged in 35% new French oak, the 2017 Chardonnay Kelli-Ann Vineyard comes from the Russian River and spent 14 months in barrel prior to bottling. A ripe, classic bouquet of buttered apples, white flowers, toasted bread, and hints of nuttiness give way to a medium-bodied Chardonnay that's nicely balanced, with good acidity and a great finish. It's another high-quality Chardonnay from this estate that I'd be happy to drink.

Sonoma: Another Brilliant Vintage in 2018From a selection of growers in the Russian River Valley, the 2017 Chardonnay 9 Barrel has a ripe, tropical bouquet of tart pineapple, buttered lemons, flowers, and toasted bread. This carries to a medium to full-bodied Chardonnay with a terrific mouthfeel, integrated acidity, and a crisp finish. Impeccably made, it’s a terrific Chardonnay to enjoy over the coming 4-6 years. I don't think it matches the 2016, but it's a beautiful wine.

Sonoma: Another Brilliant Vintage in 2018The 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Jackson Estate Trace Ridge is also all varietal and comes from the Kellog Vineyard in the warmer Knights Valley AVA. Aged 19 months in just over 60% new French oak, it offers rocking crème de cassis, spicy oak, lead pencil, and violet notes as well as a plush, medium to full-bodied, impressively textured style on the palate. It still shows those 2017 tannins but is beautifully done.

Sonoma: Another Brilliant Vintage in 2018Last of the Chardonnay, the 2018 Chardonnay Jackson Estate Camelot Highlands comes all from the Santa Maria Valley (which is a cooler region) and was fermented and aged all in French oak. Brioche, honeysuckle, toasted nuts, and orchard fruits all define the bouquet, and this beauty is rich, full-bodied, and concentrated on the palate, with terrific balance. It's another rich yet balanced, incredibly high-quality white from the team at Kendall-Jackson.

Sonoma: Another Brilliant Vintage in 2018Savory spice, dried herbs, rose petal, earth, mulled cherry, and cranberry notes all emerge from the 2017 Pinot Noir Muldune Trail, which comes from an estate vineyard in the southern end of the Anderson Valley, located at 1,600 feet in elevation. Aged 17 months in 42% new French oak and bottled unfined and unfiltered, it's medium-bodied, elegant, and ethereally styled, with light tannins and solid length. It's going to keep for 7-8 years, but it’s not one of the more singular wines in the lineup.

Sonoma: Another Brilliant Vintage in 2018Leading off the Chardonnays (there are two early release 2018s), the appellation 2018 Chardonnay Russian River Valley is a great introduction into the wines of this estate and has a richer, expansive, medium to full-bodied style offering lots of golden apple, musky pineapple, brioche, and honeysuckle aromas and flavors. It's a textured, beautifully balanced, superb appellation Chardonnay to enjoy over the coming 4-5 years.

Powerful, supple, fragrant.A pretty yet powerful Pinot boasting alluring aromas of sunwarmed raspberry, vanilla, anise, cedar chips, muddled blueberries and a field full of violets. Generous sweet blueberry and raspberry flavours are layered with baking spice, bittersweet cocoa and tealeaf flavours. It has suppleness and density, but also levity and length. At 14.5% alcohol, it's a bit warm on the finish, but the fruit here really shines.

Jammy and bursting with lively raspberry flavors, laced with smoky anise, allspice and pepper notes that linger on a polished finish. Drink now through 2028.

Traditional Skin Contact White Wine #1 : 2017 Yangarra Estate Roux Beaute RoussanneHow to refer to it: Skin contact or macerated white wine, or skin contact or macerated roussane.Yangarra is a historic estate in Australia’s McLaren Vale wine region focused on producing Rhone varieties off its single estate vineyard, which was first planted in 1946. In 2001, the estate was purchased by Jackson Family Estates. A year prior, it took on then-new winemaker Peter Fraser. I got to meet Peter in 2019 and try a new series of high end Yangarra wines, this one among them, that use techniques different from the rest of the winery’s lineup.Half of the grapes for the 2017 Roux Beaute Roussanne go through 193 days of maceration (skin contact) in large ceramic eggs, which allows more oxygen to interact with the wine than the traditional stainless steel fermentation vessel used for most white wine. The remaining 50% of the grapes went through fermentation in ceramic egg, though without skin contact. This approach, combined with the use of wild yeast, gives the wine more structural layers than it would otherwise have, and adds flavors and aromas impossible without maceration. Tasting note:A slightly musty aroma gives way to peach, apple cider, nectarine, petrol and something I can only describe as “dank.” Though medium in body, it floods the mouth with juicy acid and ripe skin tannin, forming a glycerin sensation. Flavors include white peach, apricot, sour tangerine, orchid, white pepper and dandelion.

Tangy red-cherry and plum-skin aromas are leveled by slight hickory smoke and a pinch of wild herbs on the nose of this top-tier bottling from a large estate winery. The plummy flavors of the palate are cut by green peppercorns, which provide an almost extreme level of spice.

This is a tight, structured and youthful white wine, which develops nuance and complexity in the glass. Textured with a presence of toasted oak, it is rich and layered, opulently appealing in pear, stone fruit and vanilla.

With smooth, rounded edges of dark cherry, black currant and dried herb, this is a well-made and nicely structured wine with a strong tannin profile and integrated use of oak. Robust in clove, black pepper and a pinch of tobacco, it finishes with length.

The nose is menthol and cherry, saline and pepper. The palate entry is crisp and waxy black cherry with licorice and silky blue plum on the finish. Drink 2020 -2025.

The nose is rough-sawn juniper, cedar and crème de cassis. The palate entry is deceptively silky and poised herb and black stone fruits. It lingers on the finish leaving a mouth-coating lavender and forest floor with a notable riff of acidity. Drink 2020 -2025.