This pitch-black colored Cabernet Sauvignon from Jackson Estates opens with a mild black currant bouquet with hints of black cherry and black olive. On the palate, this wine is full bodied, balanced and very smooth. The flavor profile is a graphite infused black currant, blackberry and black licorice blend with notes of oak. I also detected hints of chocolate and black pepper mixed in. The finish is dry and its flavors and mild tannins drift away nicely. This wine would pair well with Roy’s rib roast.

Pale ruby-purple, the 2017 Pinot Noir Vista has a nose of loamy earth, licorice, prosciutto, dried flowers and blackberries. The medium-bodied palate is grainy and fresh with concentrated, layered, floral-laced fruits and a long, flavorful finish.

Pale ruby, the 2017 Pinot Noir Slope has fine accents of cinnamon, autumn leaves and potpourri with savory red and black berry fruit. The concentrated, medium-bodied palate has a compelling dichotomy of firm, broody fruits and fresh, spicy uplift, and it finishes long.

Pale ruby, the 2017 Pinot Noir Conifer opens slowly to notes of red berries, powdered sugar, dusty earth and amaro with accents of dried flowers. The palate is delicate, silky and fresh with a lifted finish.

Pale ruby, the 2017 Pinot Noir Triple Black Slopes opens with singular perfume of laurel and dried violets with notions of dusty earth and fresh red and black berries. The light-bodied palate is broody and firm with a long finish and should age well in bottle over the next 3-5 years.

Pale ruby, the 2017 Pinot Noir Terres Basses has broody scents of aniseed, underbrush and earth with floral-laced blackberry fruit. The medium-bodied palate is firm and juicy, with a dichotomy of broody earth and bright fruit character, and it finishes long and lifted. Give it another couple years in bottle.

This is the first vintage of the Ridgecrest cuvée from Penner-Ash. Medium ruby-purple, the 2018 Pinot Noir Ridgecrest Vineyard has lovely aromas of crushed blackberries and boysenberries with notions of tea leaves, dusty earth, aniseed and dried flowers. The medium-bodied palate is silky and fresh with bright, crunchy, fresh fruits and a long, juicy finish.

Medium ruby-purple, the 2018 Pinot Noir Yamhill-Carlton has broody aromas of crushed cherries and blood orange with accents of forest floor and exotic spices. The medium-bodied palate is silky with uplifted, floral-laced fruits and a long, vivacious finish.

This dark ruby colored Cabernet Franc from La Jota opens with a blueberry and vanilla bouquet with a hint of boysenberry. On the palate, this wine is medium plus bodied, very nicely balanced and juicy. The flavor profile is tasty red plum with notes of black raspberry and crushed gravel. We also detected some hints of black tea and oak mixed in. The finish is dry and its very dusty tannins build-up and stick around for very long time. The Panel suggested pairing this very good Cab Franc with Emeril's spicy root beer and bourbon glazed baby back ribs or with the wagyu meatballs from Strega.

The 2017 Merlot Jackson Park Vineyards is racy and energetic. Far from an easygoing Merlot, the Jackson Park needs time to unwind. Black cherry, lavender, espresso, licorice and menthol add character to the wine's dark, virile personality. I would give it a few years for the tannins to melt away. This is an especially tense, nervy style.

The 2018 Sauvignon Blanc (Bennett Valley) shows just how captivating Sauvignon can be in the cool vineyards of Bennett Valley. Lifted, airy and weightless yet with remarkable depth, the 2018 is captivating from the very first taste. Tangerine oil, lemon confit, mint, white flowers and light tropical accents all grace this striking Sauvignon Blanc from Matanzas Creek.

The 2017 The Silks is a new Cabernet Franc-based wine in the range. Bright red berry fruit, floral overtones and bright acids give the 2017 its distinctive personality. This is an especially refined wine that shows a more gracious, restrained side of Stonestreet.

The 2017 Farrier is a blend of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot. Black cherry, espresso, menthol, licorice, plum and spice notes all meld together in this racy, super-expressive red. A whole range of savory and mineral nuances lend terrific energy, while beams of supporting tannin give the wine a real sense of vibrancy and its shape. I would cellar it for at least a year or two, as the contours could use some time in bottle to soften.

The 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate is an attractive wine. Unlike most vintages, the 2017 needs time to soften, as the acids and tannins are a bit edgy at this stage. Black cherry, plum, chocolate, licorice, spice and menthol infuse the 2017 with terrific depth and plenty of complexity.

Graham Weerts makes the Legacy wines at the Field Stone Vineyard, a property acquired by the Jackson family in 2016. He includes fruit from that vineyard as well as the family’s Jimtown and Alexander Mountain properties, focusing this blend on cabernet sauvignon (74 percent), along with small amounts of four other Bordelais varieties. Fermented in small French oak uprights and aged in French oak barrels (60 percent new), the wine is generous in its tannins, showing notes of lanolin, black mushroom and full-on chocolate richness. Everyone on the panel went immediately to an herb-roasted leg of lamb.

Greg Brewer’s wines are always intriguing and sometimes challenging, often recasting what one grape can be. This bottling from a vineyard in the Los Alamos Valley leads with dried lime, wet wool and citrus pith aromas. The palate is laser-focused on citrus peel and pith and yet somehow also earthy, reflective of damp sand.

Meaty and iodine on the nose, the fruit is pretty much hidden behind those two elements. Maybe a little herbal as well (mint?) or eucalyptus. This is “different” as it seems to focus on secondary (or even tertiary) elements over the fruit. But me likey. Excellent.

Medium color, translucent. Sweet corn and red cherry on the nose. Big, luscious fruit on the palate, more of a ripe style here. Lovely tartness, a touch of earth. Fantastic. Excellent.

Powerfully structured, with crackling acidity backing the intense red fruit flavors, layered with minerality. Savory flourishes show on the finish. Best from 2021 through 2025.

Sleek and vibrant, with snappy raspberry and red plum flavors accented by sweet basil and spice and finishing with fine-grained tannins. Drink now through 2027.

Give this Yarra Valley Chardonnay, from renowned producer Giant Steps, some time in the glass or decanter to open up, for it's a subtle and somewhat reductive wine at first that needs some air (it also may need a few more months in bottle to knit together). With time, it unveils delicate, pretty notes of citrus blossom, ginger and flinty minerality. While there's less texture and complexity here than on this producer's Sexton Vineyard Chard, this is nevertheless a balanced and ultra food-friendly drop.

Shows off a core of silky fresh cherry and raspberry flavors, with accents of black tea, toffee and nutmeg, delivering plenty of concentration and intensity. Hints of blood orange and green tea pick up momentum on the finish, where the tannins provide some appealing structure. Drink now through 2034.

Lou Primavera planted this vineyard in 2001; it’s a northeast-facing site in Woori Yallock. As the vines have matured, the Giant Steps team has begun to hold the fruit separately for a single-vineyard bottling. Cherry-blossom notes carry through this wine’s light, transparent flavors, grounded by gaminess and gentle minerality. The cherry flavors allow the soil character to show through, extending and deepening the flavor, setting the wine up for crispy roast duck.

Hints of smoke and gunpowder tea give way to fresh, vibrant pomegranate and cranberry flavors on a sleek frame, with notes of baking spices and caramel coming in on the finish. Harmonious and complex, featuring polished, fine-grained tannins. Drink now through 2035.

Showing more peachy, tropical notes than the other bottlings, the 2018 Tarraford Vineyard Chardonnay is a ripe, generous effort. It's medium-bodied, round, silky and easy to drink, yet it remains fresh and clean on the finish, with citrus notes more like tangerine than lime or lemon. Like the other single-vineyard wines, it was fermented and aged in 20% new French oak.