Inviting red fruit and a sharpness of orange peel open the way to a juicy and supple midpalate of robust richness and weight that works well within the integrated tannin and oak. With underlying acidity, it remains fresh on the palate within its hearty fruit and layered texture.

Roussanne, an important white grape in the Rhône Valley, has taken hold in Australia. Though usually blended with Marsanne and other varieties, Yangarra uses it exclusively in this wine. The grape takes its name from the russet (roux) like color of the mature grapes, according to Jancis Robinson et al’s Wine Grapes. That explains the name Yangarra uses for the wine. It's apt because the wine is beautiful, though not for everyone. You need to like minerals and bitterness. Slightly floral, it conveys stone fruit-like flavors with a hint of bitterness in the finish. Though by no means voluptuous, it is gorgeously textured. It expands and draws you in as it sits in the glass. The wine screams for food, a sautéed chicken with mushrooms, perhaps.

Juicy, plump cherry and plum flavors are framed by black licorice, gunpowder tea, tobacco and fresh sage notes, set across a firm, muscular frame. The tannins become more toothsome on the finish. Drink now through 2035.

Well-structured, with concentrated red fruit and berry flavors, supported by a vibrant lattice of acidity and tannins. Minerally midpalate, featuring savory richness that extends on the vibrantly spiced finish.

Bright, crunchy red fruit, orange peel and pomegranate play around a core of nicely integrated, well-mannered texture and acidity. Fleshy and fresh, it sparks accents of black tea, cardamom and forest floor as it opens in the glass.

Up From The Cellar #7 & Misc New Releases Complex notes of green citrus, mint, tart peach, and sappy herbs all emerge from the 2017 Sauvignon Blanc Knights Valley Helena Bench Vineyards, which is lively and fresh on the palate, with medium body, integrated acidity, and a clean finish. It's not a powerhouse yet shines for its balance, complex, and purity as well as length. It's a classy Sauvignon Blanc to enjoy over the coming 4-6 years or so, and I wouldn't be surprised to see it keep longer.

Up From The Cellar #7 & Misc New Releases Coming all from Sonoma County, the 2017 Sauvignon Blanc Journey is another textbook example of Sauvignon Blanc, and it's certainly the richest and most concentrated in the lineup. Ripe grapefruit, crushed citrus, white flowers, and a kiss of minerality all emerge from the glass, and it hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, a rounded, mouthfilling texture, and a dry, clean finish.

This single vineyard chardonnay from the northerly Anderson Valley pours quite deep lemon yellow. The nose is lifted with some reductive flinty character along with considerable toast, butter , lemon curd and some peachy fruit Quite complex. It is full bodied, firm and grippy with all kinds of energy, toast and reductive character on the palate. A bit sour edged, with some bitterness and nuttiness on the finish. The length is excellent. Tasted October 2019.

Italy’s Incredible Year: About 6,400 Wines Rated Big and rich wine with lots of fruit and tannins. Plenty of wood, too. Full body. Needs two or three years to soften. Try after 2021.

Central Coast: The 2017s and 2018s The 2017 Pinot Noir Jackson Estate Seco Highlands is terrific, with smoking good notes of black cherries, spice, sous bois, and smoked herbs. Rich, medium to full-bodied, rounded, and textured on the palate, it has terrific Pinot Noir character and is ideal for drinking over the coming 4-5 years.

Central Coast: The 2017s and 2018s The 2017 Chardonnay Grand Reserve is one of the more Burgundian, reductive wines in the lineup. Stone fruits, crushed citrus, white flowers, brioche and sulfur notes all give way to a brilliantly pure, balanced, lengthy Chardonnay that has integrated acidity as well as a sense of minerality that makes you salivate.

Central Coast: The 2017s and 2018s A mix of clones mostly from the upper section of this great vineyard, the 2017 Pinot Noir Rosella's Vineyard was 80% destemmed and spent 18 months in 40% new French oak. It has a bright, juicy bouquet of wild strawberries, cranberries, wildflowers and candied orange peel. With medium body, a rounded, supple texture, integrated acidity, and a beautiful finish, it's another terrific wine.

Central Coast: The 2017s and 2018s Another tiny production cuvée from this estate, the 2016 Chardonnay Signature Collection Katherine's Vineyard is aged 15 months in 20% new French oak. It's a richer, bigger Chardonnay with plenty of classy oak in its ripe orchard and peach fruits. More spice, brioche, and white flower notes develop with time in the glass, and it's medium to full-bodied, rounded, and sexy on the palate. It's not for the oak adverse, but it’s a rich, mouthfilling, well-done effort that's a joy to drink.

Central Coast: The 2017s and 2018s Leading off the Sta. Rita Hills releases, the 2017 Pinot Noir Fiddlestix Vineyard comes from clones 777 and 667 and was completely destemmed and aged 16 months in 32% new French oak. Bright berry fruits, leafy herbs, spring flowers, candied violets, and subtle incense notes all emerge from the glass, and it's medium-bodied, beautifully balanced, elegant, and seamless on the palate. This is a classy, balanced Sta. Rita Hills effort that leads with its fruit.

Central Coast: The 2017s and 2018s The 2017 Chardonnay Bien Nacido Vineyard offers slightly more purity and precision, with terrific notes of melon and subtle tropical fruits, honeysuckle, and white flowers. It has some classic Bien Nacido minerality and salinity, medium body, a rounded texture, and a good finish.

Central Coast: The 2017s and 2018s From a vintage described as epic from Greg, the 2018 Chardonnay Bar-M comes from a vineyard just off Highway 101 and vines planted in 1996. It offers Chablis-like lemon notes as well as hints of tropical fruits, a medium-bodied, rounded, textured style on the palate, beautiful fruit, and a clean finish.

Central Coast: The 2017s and 2018s The 2010 Pinot Noir Machado also offers a medium to full-bodied, balanced style and carries outstanding notes of spiced red and black fruits, tea leaves, earth, and dried flowers. It shines for its elegance and balance and is drinking at point today.

Central Coast: The 2017s and 2018s The first vintage for this cuvée, from vines planted in 2007, the 2009 Chardonnay 3D offers outstanding, mature notes of candied lemons, white flowers, and orange blossom. These carry to a medium-bodied, balanced, elegant Chardonnay that still has beautiful acidity, moderate length, and loads of character. Drink bottles over the coming couple of years.

Central Coast: The 2017s and 2018s There are roughly 3,000 to 4,000 cases of the 2017 Pinot Noir Sta. Rita Hills, which offers a beautiful bouquet of baked cherry tart, exotic orange rind, Asian spices, salty minerality, and forest floor. Elegant, medium-bodied, and silky on the palate, it has fine tannins and a great finish. Drink this classic Sta. Rita Hills over the coming decade.

USA, California, Napa Valley: 2017 — Napa's Perfect Storm Very deep garnet-purple colored, the 2017 Latro Knights Valley Cabernet Sauvignon opens with baked plums, crème de cassis, cardamom and tilled soil with hints of tapenade, lilacs, Indian spices and tobacco leaf. Full-bodied, rich and spicy, it fills the palate with ripe, expressive black and blue fruits, with a chewy texture and plenty of freshness, finishing long with a perfumed lift. 400 cases produced.

Fall reds to remember Freemark Abbey is enjoying a renaissance of sorts under the ownership of Jackson Family Wines. The Napa label is sizable at 24,000+ cases, but it remains a ‘reserve’ style in taste and quality. The nose and the attack are fresh and vibrant with spicy black fruit, umami-like savoury, tobacco and cedar mixed into a warm, mineral, floral undercarriage flecked with cloves and cinnamon. It’s just settling in at the five-year mark, but there is plenty more to come. Ready to drink too.

A boisterous nose, it wafts sweet hickory smoke, eucalyptus, chewing tobacco, boysenberry, cherry preserves and orange zest. It hits a medium plus stature, the tannins are long, dense and restrained while the acid is slightly elevated. The structure and balance are professional and suggest the making of a wonderful steakhouse wine. The flavors balance nicely between cherry, strawberry, plum, iron, wet dark soil, toasted oak and unsweetened peppermint that collectively produce a deep, penetrating wine. This needs a few hours in the decanter, or better yet, at least five years in the cellar as there’s more there to develop.

The aromas carry a sensual air about it, offering sweet cherry, mountain strawberry, crushed gravel, smashed flower petals and potting soil. On the palate, it has a full and svelte body with tightly-woven tannin and well-balanced acid. The structure holds a lot of promise with more age. The flavors check in with bruised cherry and blackberry, mocha, clove and pipe tobacco. While enjoyable now with a few hours in the decanter, I think this will improve demonstrably with at least five more years of bottle age.

Pale copper color. Complex but airy on the nose, with white cherry, strawberry, grapefruit, topped in wildflowers, hay, honey, with salty, oyster shell notes. Nervy and crisp on the palate with fine bubbles – dry, brisk, salty, bright appeal. Strawberry, white cherry and red apple peel, mixed with chalk, saline but plenty of doughy, honey, almond notes, too. Delicious, complex, bright stuff. Chardonnay with 43% Pinot Noir, fermented in a mix of old French oak and stainless steel, aged 24 months on the lees.

This opaque and very dark red Cabernet Sauvignon based wine from Freemark Abbey opens with a very inviting cassis and blueberry bouquet with notes of graphite and hints of Werther’s Original candy. On the palate, this wine is medium bodied, balanced and smooth. The flavor profile is a tasty mineral infused red cherry with notes of red plum and hints of cedar. The finish is rather dry and its sticky tannins are very lengthy. The Panel thought this impressive wine would pair well with Roy’s rib roast.