Charm, Freshness and Vibrancy The 2017 Stormin’ Pinot Noir for me took an early lead out of the gate because I could immediately perceive its depth, freshness and acidity. My opinion of this wine diverges from the winemaker’s notes, which describe it as “rich and assertive” and “dark and brooding.” I perceive the richness, but find freshness of red fruit expression, precision and vibrancy within that richness. I do agree that this wine has a “muscular frame,” but my palate experiences the elements of freshness and vibrancy rather than the weight.

Charm, Freshness and Vibrancy The 2017 Unforgettable is an enigmatic Pinot Noir because it is a big wine and yet it shows elements of freshness and light. Its aromas and flavors are in the ripe black-fruits realm, with cocoa and floral notes. Tannin is noticeable in the wine’s structure, but the fruit balances the tannin, and the tannin balances the alcohol. The pieces come together into a rich, ripe, flavorful Pinot Noir that expresses power without overwhelming you. This wine derives from two blocks and two very different clones — 777 and 2A — vinified separately, which accounts for its duality of expression.

Honey, almonds, tropical fruit, butter, sweet spices, nectarines are all present in the 2011 Chardonnay Camelot Highlands. The 2011 possesses gorgeous inner sweetness and perfume with plenty of body but no excess heaviness. Today, it is compelling. I tasted the 2011 from tank, just prior to bottling.

OC Very unusual mix of marzipan, dry chocolate and blackcurrant. It is quite tannic, but does have some violet scent and sap to lift it. SJE Textbook aromas: blackcurrant with a hint of green pepper. This is a modern and glossy approach to Cab. Fleshy blackcurrants and a firm undertone of cedar. TG Quite a jammy Cab, but still has that cassis and green pepper note, plus soft vanilla oak and grippy tannins.

Moderate reddish purple color in the glass. Lovely aromas of peppery cherry, dark rose and earthy loam. The mid weight black cherry core is framed by firm tannins and accented with a compliment of oak. Earthy and savory, with soft acidity, and a remarkably intense and long finish. Will benefit from more time in bottle.

Vivid ruby. Smoky cherry-cola and Indian spice scents show very good energy and focus. Rich but lively, offering intense dark fruit flavors and a brighter note of orange zest. Shows impressive clarity and energy on the finish, which features fine-grained tannins and a late touch of candied rose.

Dark ruby. Pungent, spice-accented aromas and flavors of bitter cherry, cola and Indian spices. Sappy, penetrating and pure, with a note of star anise gaining power with air. Closes on a smoky note, with impressive cling, chewy tannins and persistent sweetness.

Full ruby. Primary dark berry and cherry pit aromas are complicated by notes of lavender and peppery spices. Silky and appealingly sweet, offering vibrant black raspberry and floral pastille flavors and an exotic touch of star anise. Silky tannins make a late appearance and add shape to a smooth, clinging finish.

Vivid ruby. A pungent, exotically perfumed bouquet evokes fresh red fruits, cherry pit, anise, vanilla and medicinal herbs. Sappy, penetrating red currant and cherry compote flavors gain sweetness with air and show a suave, silky texture. A spicy nuance adds lift to the impressively long, sweet finish, which leaves a juicy raspberry note behind.

Vivid ruby. Deep aromas of black raspberry, cherry-cola, minerals and cocoa powder. Concentrated and ripe but tightly wound, with a sappy cherry compote flavor brightened by zesty acidity and slow-building spiciness. Shows very good energy and a mounting floral quality on the finish.

Bright red. Intensely perfumed aromas of fresh strawberry, raspberry, lavender and Asian spices. A bright, juicy and incisive midweight with red berry flavors and complicating floral nuances. Closes with very good clarity and vivacity, leaving a tangy blood orange note behind

Vivid red. A heady, spice-accented bouquet evokes cherry-cola and blackberry, with smoke and floral notes in the background. Dense and chewy in texture, offering potent dark fruit flavors lifted by a touch of white pepper. Shows very good energy on the finish, which leaves sappy dark fruit and cola notes behind.

Bright, green-tinged yellow. Intensely perfumed bouquet evokes dried pear, honeydew, jasmine and chamomile. Spicy and firm on the palate, with bitter lemon and orchard fruit flavors that flesh out with air. A juicy melon nuance emerges in the glass and carries through a long, supple, spice-dominated finish.

Saturated bright ruby. Restrained but pure aromas of blackberry, kirsch and licorice, plus a suggestion of sweet butter. Tightly wound and less giving than the Helena Dakota, showing a strong mineral spine and distinctly cooler, slightly medicinal flavors of black cherry and blackberry. Less generous and sweet than the Helena Dakota, finishing with tougher tannins that still require patience. This may yet merit a higher rating but it's painfully unevolved today.

The 2021 Chardonnay Silene captivates with its Chardonnay essence, complemented by nutty oak, lemon and green apple notes alongside hints of fynbos. Medium to full-bodied, it unfolds on the palate with a subtle kiss of reduction, while the energetic acidity and hints of baking spices linger on the finish. 15,000 bottles were produced.

Sourced from estate sites in Oakville and Calistoga and incorporating purchased fruit as well, there are 11,000 cases of the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley, about half the usual volume. Aged in just under 50% new French oak, it easily marries cherries with notes of vanilla and brown sugar. It's full-bodied and concentrated, richly tannic but ripe, with a lingering, dusty finish.

Cerebral and unforced, the 2022 Pinot Noir Wombat Creek Vineyard emerges from one of the highest- elevation vineyards in the Yarra. It opens slowly to reveal sous bois, cinnamon sugar, fruits of the forest and a nice touch if vanillin oak. Lovely forest floor and sour cherry flavors follow, with touches of wintergreen, gently framed by supple tannins. This is pretty and refined, with room to improve.

There are roughly 2,000 cases of the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Rutherford, which comes from the Red Barn, Bosche, and Sycamore Vineyards. A blend of 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, and 8% Petit Verdot, this black-fruited, medium to full-bodied, nicely balanced 2019 has plenty of up-front fruit, velvety tannins, and a great finish.

A more embryonic Grenache from 2020, the Ovitelli is fermented and aged in ceramic eggs for 170 days without any oak maturation and offers a wild ride. It initially bursts with primary red fruits, particularly raspberry and strawberry, topped by stony minerality and a distinctive herbal edge. A drying, chalky, savory palate follows, with flavors bound up in slightly hard-edged tannins. Excellent mineral length is also displayed, but the wine needs a little more time to flesh out.

Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2019 Merlot wafts easily out of the glass with notes of juicy red plums, bay leaves, and tilled soil, plus hints of cracked pepper and wild fungi. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is taut with muscular, youthful fruit and firm, rounded tannins, finishing long and earthy.

A blend of 82% Merlot, 11% Petit Verdot, and 7% Tannat, the 2019 Merlot is deep garnet-purple in color. It leaps with savory notions of black olives, dried herbs, and charcuterie over a core of redcurrant jelly, cassis, and ripe black plums. Medium to full-bodied, the palate delivers mouth-coating black fruits with lifted red berry flavors and a firm, grainy texture, finishing long and refreshing. 1,038 cases were made. Sadly the six rows of Tannat that went into this were frozen and killed last year, so there will be no Tannat in the blend going forward for a while.

Blackcurrant, dried raspberry and redcurrant, coffee with cream, violet, and a fair amount of peppermint and sage It’s full-bodied, fresh and stony, a slick of Turkish coffee tannin offering plenty of grip, but also quite a lot of mint chocolate flavour, which is maybe a little overt, though the intensity and length is quite something, albeit somewhat dry in tannin. Lively and assertive, but just a little too minty and oaky, I feel, at least as at now.

USA, California, Central Coast: The 2017 Vintage in Santa Barbara County The 2016 Pinot Noir Sta. Rita Hills has a pale to medium ruby-purple color and scents of blueberry, boysenberry, warm black cherries and berries with touches of smoke, turned earth and a faint floral hint. Light to medium-bodied, it offers great intensity of blue and black fruit in the mouth with a frame of firm, grainy tannins and great juicy acidity, finishing long with some warm spice coming through.

USA, California: More Napa & Sonoma New Releases Already bottled, the 2018 Chardonnay Russian River Valley sings of fresh Bosc pears, white peaches and pink grapefruit with hints of powdered ginger, shaved almonds and white pepper. Medium-bodied, the palate has great vibrancy and juiciness with effortless fruit expression and lovely savory layers on the finish. I wish all Chardonnays at this price point tasted this good!

Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2014 Red Wine Innovent is a little closed at this youthful stage, revealing notes of roses, blackberries and cassis over notions of bay leaves, spice box and cedar. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is taut and firmly structured, yet approachable, with generous fruit and nice ripe, grainy tannins, finishing long and lively.