From the estate plantings, biodynamically farmed, hand picked and sent to winery to natural ferment. It hangs out in tank mostly but some older oak is also applied. It’s a good thing to drink, I reckon. Would love to be on the White House (the Yangarra ‘mansion’) patio drinking this on a summer’s night pre dinner. Feels like a good thing to start an evening with. Subtle, fine, elegant expression of viognier. Has a soft, nutty complexion amongst the faint apricot, ripe apple, peach kisses in flavour. It’s very long, supple, licked at its heels with oatmeal savouriness, finishes with a quick zest of mixed citrus. So very easy to like the calm, even nature of this wine, and flavours are pleasing. Almost like a comfort white.

Estate-grown, 1 tonne/acre, hand-picked, basket-pressed, fermented in stainless steel, matured for 4 months in used French oak. The decision to use the basket press was presumably directed to limit the pressings to free-run juice and possibly oxidise some of the phenolics. Regardless, this is a juicy viognier with light chalky acidity.

Medium yellow-green; the wine has clear varietal expression, with a mix of apricot, peach and citrus, the finish fresh, bracing and without any phenolic load.

This dark yellow colored Chardonnay from Wind Racer is impressive. It opens with a lemon and pineapple bouquet. On the palate, this wine is full bodied, balanced and rich. Like the nose, the flavor profile is a tasty pineapple and lemon blend with notes of nicely integrated oak and hints of quince. The finish lingers and lasts for a very long time. This Chardonnay can certainly be enjoyed on its own. With food, I would pair it with lemon butter scallops over parmesan risotto.

Silky and smooth with vanilla, mellow spice and lovely balance; bright and juicy with finesse and crisp acidity.

Bright and racy (no malolactic) with minerals, tangy acidity, pure, focused flavors and elegant style; vibrant, lush and balanced with good length and a lively finish.

This is the first rosé Willakenzie has produced -- to which I say cheers, santé, slainte! It is a deliciously stylish wine, crisp and dry, with hints of strawberry, white peach and pink grapefruit. With good, but not biting, acidity, this is a rosé to enjoy all year, not just in summer.

Perfectly differentiated from the winery's equally excellent Pinot Blanc, this is a bit fleshier, with fresh flavors of apple and pear. The texture, mouthfeel and mineral-drenched acids all flow into a mouthwatering finish.

This thoroughly delightful wine puts a polished sheen on this grape, that is so often lost in the shuffle between Pinot Gris and Chardonnay. Here the clean and fresh flavors of grapefruit, white peach and melon mingle gracefully, with palate-pleasing texture and zippy acidity.

PinotFest 2018 WillaKenzie’s Gisèle is all about agility and expressiveness of the place, of the fruit, and of this dark ruby purple-tinged semi-transparent 2015 Pinot Noir. Delivers complexity and good flavor content to the glass – strawberries, boysenberries, violets, and just a hint of allspice and forest floor. The agility manifests itself as animation and responsiveness in the touch and feel. This is also a complex wine. WillaKenzie calls the winery a “site-driven, estate winery”. Gisèle, named after the founder’s sister, is a 40/60 blend of fruit from the Jory Hills and WillaKenzie Estate vineyards. The vineyards are named after the soil types: Jory’s soil is volcanic, and WillaKenzie’s is ancient sedimentary soil of marine origin. Cellar treatment on this 180-case production included a six-day cold soak, partial whole berry fermentation, with total time on skins of about 20 days. Élevage, 10 months in French oak, 20% new.

Deep brilliant red. Ripe red berries, cola, incense and a hint of vanilla on the highly perfumed nose. Juicy, appealingly sweet raspberry and cherry flavors show very good depth and pick up a succulent herb nuance on the back half. Finishes very long and smooth, displaying subtle tannins, strong persistence and a touch of lingering smokiness.

Of the three tasted together, the 2015 WillaKenzie Estate Aliette is the most delicate. It’s quite perfumed with a bouquet of Spring flowers and rose potpourri, cherry, strawberry, juniper, clove, and allspice on this high-toned nose. The palate is modest in weight, but round and smooth. Tannin is well integrated, while the acid is pleasantly juicy and slightly tart. The range of red fruit is impressive: strawberry, cranberry, huckleberry and raspberry, plus a not-so-minor role for plum. Tar, pepper and mulled spices feature on the back end. Pretty, but uninspiring at the moment, I suspect it will reach a higher elevation with three to five years of aging. 92 points, value A-.

Taut, focused, sleek and inviting, with blueberry, currant, pepper and floral flavors, lingering easily on the lively finish.

Dark and fruity, this juicy wine is packed with black cherry and highlighted with tobacco and coffee. The tannins are substantial, and hint at clean earth. It's big and full through the middle, but tails off a bit in the finish.

A slightly bitter tobacco note frames black-cherry fruit. The tannins need more time to smooth out, and that bitter streak is a bit worrisome. But that said, this powerful deep compact wine may explode with flavor if you have the patience to cellar it.

A ripe and fresh wine with dried-berry, chocolate and walnut aromas and flavors. Medium body, a solid core of fruit and a crisp finish.

This full-bodied wine comes charging ahead with spicy berries and Bing cherries. The tannins are granular, with strong flavors of tobacco, coffee grounds and dark chocolate in the foreground. It's a big-flavored wine from start to finish, with the power and polish to age.

The wine is named after founder Bernard Lacroute’s father, it is a more masculine and structured expression of this estate vineyard. · Moderate reddish purple color in the glass. The nose is somewhat primary, offering only scents of savory herbs. Much more expressive on the palate, with a mid weight plus core of black cherry fruit. Structured, yet suave, with exquisite balance and a giving, but not exceptional finish. This wine has a strong physique and is keeping back some of its charm at present and needs more time in bottle. I think this wine will be more glorious in another 2-3 years.

Aromas of violets, blueberries and raspberries follow through to a medium to full body, lightly chewy tannins and a flavorful finish. Needs a year or two to soften.

IPNC: notes on 33 Pinot Noirs from Oregon Supple and sweetly fruited with a sweet, lush black cherry quality. Smooth and sweet with a bit of black pepper. Very attractive wine with nice polish.

IPNC: notes on 33 Pinot Noirs from Oregon Sweetly aromatic. Showing some development with sweet black cherries, some earth and a hint of undergrowth. Ripe, sleek and sweetly fruited.

Bright ruby-red. Roasted red berries, tobacco, game, coffee and animal fur on the nose. Lush, layered and sweet, with sexy flavors of roasted berries and game. Finishes uncompromisingly dry, with building, ripe tannins.

Good full ruby-red. Superripe aromas of black fruits, minerals, licorice and roast coffee, with floral, roasted and medicinal elements. Minerally, lush and sweet; dense and very long. A very long-scaled 2000, more filled in than the overwhelming majority of red wines from this vintage.

(89% merlot and 11% cabernet sauvignon) Saturated medium ruby. Smoky aromas of redcurrant, Cuban tobacco and game. Dense, concentrated and silky; suggests almost roasted ripeness yet also possesses excellent verve and lift. This has lovely fruit. Finishes with dusty tannins and excellent length. 92 points

His 1998 Merlot is an inter-appellation blend of 62% Sonoma and 38% Napa. It is a 2,000-case blend of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. Eighty-five percent of the malolactic was done in barrel and the wine was bottled without any clarification. It is a blockbuster Merlot, and certainly a formidable achievement for 1998. The wine shows a dense black/purple color, an enormous nose of espresso roast, melted chocolate, blackberries, cherries and sweet truffle/earthy notes. Very full-bodied, astonishingly concentrated, extremely pure, and well-balanced, this is a blockbuster effort that can be drunk now or cellared for 15-20 years.