Exuberant aromas of cherry and strawberry play against slight hints of forest floor and balsam on the nose of this bottling. The palate snaps with cherry and strawberry candy flavors, but it's the underlying sense of menthol that makes everything truly pop.

The 2024 Pinot Noir Dakél Portecillo from Quirihue, Itata, was aged for 11 months in 25% new French oak. It is two-thirds clone 667 and one-third 777. The nose shows high fruit intensity, with sour cherry, cherry and elderberry alongside a delicate hint of strawberry and rosehip. A subtle oak note sits in the background. Dry and smooth, the palate is enveloping yet agile, leaning toward a Californian style and finishing with attractive fruit expression.

This wine is named appropriately because the storm is a-brewing. Lively aromatics of sagebrush, alpine florals, wild raspberry, youthful plum, molasses, and sedimentary rock waft on the nose. Flavors on the palate convey concentrated damson plum, red currant, allspice, maple, orange zest, and supple, spiced tannins on the finish. Drink now or cellar until 2038.

The 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon is fabulous. A burst of dark red/purplish fruit, lavender, rose petal, chalk, mint, iron and white pepper makes a strong first impression. The 2023 offers tremendous breadth and power while also screaming with Mount Veeder character. This is a fantastic value in the world of top-rate Napa Valley Cabernet.

Floral, textural and very expressive, showing aromas of orchard fruit, citrus blossoms, talcum powder and melon. The midweight palate has a fine line of acidity and phenolic grip that adds another dimension—an excellent balance of freshness, tension and power. Lots of aging potential yet with early-drinking appeal. A blend of 31% grenache gris, 28% grenache blanc (skin contact), 22% clairette and 19% roussanne (skin contact). Aged 100% in ceramic eggs. Drink or hold. Screw cap.

This sits on the edge of reduction, showing briny, savory, meat-driven notes carried by deep dark fruit, spices, earth, tapenade and ink. The full-bodied palate has firmly framed yet refined tannins and a bright line of acidity that drives a high-tension, saline-tinged finish with an herbal touch. Built to unravel beautifully with bottle age, yet generous and giving in its youth. Drink or hold. Screw cap.

Yangarra's longtime winemaker, Pete Fraser, who tragically died in late 2025, was renowned for Grenache, but he had an expert grasp of Shiraz, too. This vintage takes the senses on a dive down a hedgerow-lined path of blue and purple berries, black olives, dried herbs and florals, tinged in a rock dust note, like the path itself. That core of generous dark fruit continues on the silky, supple, downright charming palate, where fine, taut, quietly powerful tannins ground a still-young wine that will age beautifully for many years to come.

Bright, plump raspberry and strawberry fruit is sprinkled with white pepper, dried herbs, rock dust. It's silky to the taste, filling the mouth with berry and plum fruit, and florals, too, with mouth-watering acidity and a frame of fine, chalk dust, sweet-and-savory tannins. An elegant, cocktail dress of a wine for sipping now or anytime over the next 15 years. 

Spiced citrus and pineapple rind are underscored by toasted cashew and nougat, with a saline note, too, like seashells. There's a lovely laser-like focus to the palate, the acidity an arrow pointing straight down the middle of the tongue, giving the wine shape and dimension. This could age—it's still young—but it's a complete wine now, with Burgundian flare and Victorian sunshine. — Christina Pickard

Blueberry, wild blackberry and huckleberry flavors are generous and fresh, with forest floor accents including crushed pine needle and rosemary. Darjeeling, black pepper and five-spice powder notes leave an aromatic thread. With a muscular frame but plush tannins, this is velvety in feel, showing a long, expressive finish. Drink now through 2038.—M.W.

Blood orange, raspberry and cranberry flavors are plush, supple and juicy, with notes of matcha and cumin, plus a touch of wild thyme. Impressive for its vividness and precision, with a long, expressive finish, where details of lavender and tomato leaf linger. Drink now through 2039.—M.W.

Shows an impressive, focused and generous mix of salted and preserved lemon, grilled pineapple, and guava notes that are aromatic, precise and juicy. Details of sesame seed candy, brown butter, crunchy sea salt and crispy shortbread add complexity, as does the floral thread of orange blossoms. There’s plenty of harmony and a persistent finish. Drink now through 2038.—M.W.

Coming from the same site used for their Blanc de Blancs, the 2023 Chardonnay Red Point Vineyard is a more golden yellow color and has layered complexity and dark flinty reduction giving way to grilled pineapple, ginger, and honeyed citrus oils. Full-bodied and deeply textured, it still retains terrific energy and bright acidity throughout. Drink 2026-2040.

The 2023 Chardonnay Gravel Bench Vineyard is a bright yellow/silver color and features a gravelly mineral drive that defines the wine. Once heavily marked by new oak, the élevage has been reduced dramatically and now sits closer to 20% new oak, allowing the terroir to shine through. Aromas of saffron-like spice, lifted minerality, and subtle flinty smoke emerge from the glass. Silky and rounded, it has terrific balance, saline energy, and a refined backbone that should allow it to improve over the next decade or more. Drink 2027-2042.

Stonestreet Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Monolith Pouring a youthful black/purple color, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Monolith Vineyard reveals notes of pen ink, espresso crema, blackcurrants, and plum. The thick skins bring intensity and angular tannins, though the structure never feels monolithic. Full-bodied, it remains balanced, with a silky texture, refreshing lift, and exceptional persistence despite its power and warmth. Very impressive all around. Drink 2026-2050.

Bright medium yellow; intense flinty reduction over smoked charcuterie and underlying lemon and grapefruit flavours. The acidity is energising and the wine has superior concentration and decent length. A generous and powerful chardonnay which also has poise and finesse

The 2022 Maggy Hawk Unforgettable Pinot Noir from Anderson Valley, aged 16 months in 34% new French oak, perfectly straddles the line between power and poise. The wine achieves harmony between fruit, spice, and earth, delivering both vibrancy and depth without leaning too far in either direction. The bouquet unfolds with aromas of black cherry, wild raspberry, and dried rose, accented by subtle notes of clove, cedary herbs, and cocoa husk. The palate is plush yet finely tuned, offering layers of ripe strawberry and black tea supported by polished tannins and a gentle lift of acidity. Hints of allspice and forest air weave through the long, refined finish, adding complexity and nuance. It’s graceful now, but the structure promises an elegant evolution over the next decade. Pair this Pinot Noir with roasted squab served over lentils and pancetta, accompanied by a drizzle of balsamic reduction. 111 cases were made. Highly recommended.

The 2023 ‘Cascade’ utilizes clone 115 and 667 Pinot Noir. The wine was aged for 10 months in 44% new French oak barrels and it is fat and deeply concentrated stuff. Loaded with black and red fruits, with thyme, bay leaf and fresh sage notes, alongside salty soils, this beauty has a long life ahead of it. Drink 2026-2042

Nothing is quite as it seems. The focus is intense, with aromas showing a searing line of bright lemon pith cased in a stern mineral grip. Yet while the nose suggests severe austerity and an especially tight line, the flavour palette immediately ushers a flowing rhapsody of soft, supple lemon pith and fragile white peach with a lick of marzipan. The flavours may seem supple and subtle but they carry on and on, with remarkable persistence. Bright citrus rings like a crystal bell at the finish. This is only Giant Steps’ second release from this extensively re-worked vineyard, already showing serious elegance, but with the promise of much more excitement ahead.

Delicious dark fruit flavors in this
smooth, full-bodied wine. Nicely
framed by moderate tannins, offering
black cherry, dark plum, orange zest
and floral flavors. Excellent
concentration and balance. Drink now
or hold.

A luscious, mouth-filling, fruity and
spicy wine that’s silky in texture, with
good richness balanced by tangy
citrus acidity. Green apple, Bosc pear,
lemon zest and subtle ginger flavors.
Long and lingering finish. Drink now
or hold.

Super ripe and fruity at first, with
lavish flavors of oak spices, poached
apples, cinnamon and vanilla bean.
Sleek, full-bodied and well balanced,
energized by lemon zest, lime curd
and vivid acidity. Drink or hold.

The W.S. Keyes Vineyard is one of the last remaining Chardonnay blocks on Howell Mountain. Approximately 30% of the fruit is sent directly to press and then to barrel, where it undergoes native fermentation. The remainder is fermented on the lees and divided between barrels and 130-gallon new French oak puncheons, with the balance aged in used barrels. The wine sees 22 months of lees stirring and does not undergo malolactic fermentation, with just 12% new oak overall. In 2023, the wine is incredibly bright, fresh, and mineral-driven, bursting with vivid citrus fruit, anise, and pressed floral notes. Ultra-fresh and inviting, it delivers mind-boggling saline acid tension, crushed Marcona almond nuances, and a finish marked by subtle beeswax and honeycomb.

Sourced from blocks at the front of the Cardinale estate on the east side of Highway 29, this wine comes from the same Bale clay loam soils found across the road in To Kalon Vineyard. It is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, aged for 19 months in 56% new French oak. In 2023, Colline is notably acid-driven, a trait that accentuates the tannins, which are profoundly layered, expressive, and build steadily through the finish. Threaded throughout is a distinctive crushed-graphite and wet-rock mineral character, shining through layers of mixed berry fruit and Asian spice. Powerful, distinctive, and complex, this is a wine with clear cellar potential and the structure to reward patience.

This is juicy up front, with generous notes of plum, cherry and blueberry, but the savory, umami thread of porcini, loamy earth and hinoki accents is what sets this wine apart. Herbal details of sage, bay leaf and palo santo, along with malty Assam, leave a strong impression on the finish, where the tannins firm up slightly. Drink now through 2039.—M.W.