Named for Edward John Peake, who planted a vineyard on these ridges above the town of Clarendon in the 1860s, this blend is floral and spicy, with McLaren’s contrast of elegance and earthy rusticity. Its fragrant shiraz notes last, while cabernet adds freshness and fine, if substantial tannins. A wintry red to drink fireside.

The Jackson family of Sonoma bought the Hickinbotham family’s vineyard in the hills above McLaren Vale in 2012. Chris Carpenter, one of the group’s lead winemakers, now travels to Clarendon to make the wines with Charlie Seppelt. This is a floral cabernet with a tight structure that keeps giving juicy red berry flavors. The fruit darkens with air and the florals deepen to violet scents, all of it saturated with oak richness.

2017 & 2018 Napa Valley In Depth The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley) is plump, juicy and forward - all characteristics that make it a terrific choice for drinking now and over the next decade or so. Sweet black cherry, plum, new oak, spice, new leather and coffee notes are all pushed forward in this mid-weight, succulent and highly appealing Cabernet.

Juicy black and red fruit highlight a weighty, full-bodied and fruit-forward style of powerful flavor in this well-made appellation wine. Baking spice and cola round out the profile.

Soft and smoothly textured in measured richness, this wine offers rounded flavors of strawberry, dark cherry and cola. With integrated tannin and oak, it presents a seamless experience across the palate, seasoned in hints of black tea and cinnamon.

Supple and smooth, this is loaded with sweet purple berry fruit and a lush streak of mocha. The blueberry pie flavors come with enough of a tannic spine to give the wine good focus through the finish. Drink now to 2025.

89–91 Château Lassègue. St-Emilion Grand Cru. The top wine produced by Jess Jackson in St-Emilion, Lassègue is soft, ripe, open, packed with dark plums, very opulent. —R.V.

Good deep red-ruby. Black cherry, dark berries, minerals, cola and sexy oak on the nose; became more perfumed with aeration. Sweet and fine-grained, but with solid underlying spine to its dark fruit, spice and cola flavors. Thanks to its impression of lushness without weight, this is the most refined wine yet from this property.

The wine pours a deep gold with lemon and vanilla cream on the nose; it is light, just pushing medium in body with flavors of green apple, lemon meringue, light cream and vanilla; some mineral notes and a little oak in the finish. Really well balanced and presented nicely.

Tensile, with concentrated white plum, dried sage and preserved citrus flavors that are bound by focused acidity. Saline accents linger with meringue notes on the finish. Drink now through 2024.

The 2017 Chardonnay has a light bouquet of Golden Delicious apple, freshly sliced pear and light marine scents. The palate is well balanced with a creamy texture, but for me, the oak is a little heavy compared to other cuvées, even if it does lend this Chardonnay a seductive mouthfeel. What is missing is tension and nerve on the finish. That said, I can imagine this having wide appeal.

Red cherries, strawberries and dried herbs on the nose. Medium-bodied with good intensity and presence. Well-integrated tannins. Juicy with pleasant wet-stone character. Drink now.

Aromas of plums, black cherries and dried herbs. Full-bodied with well-integrated tannins. Good intensity and depth. A savory, herbal finish. Drink now.

Fragrant and clean, this is a classic-style Chardonnay, with a white-floral tone and balanced notes of citrus, honeyed tropical fruit, and salty pine nut. Aged eight months in French oak, stainless steel, and concrete egg.

A spearmint aroma meets pomegranate and raspberry jam on the nose of this widely available bottling. There’s a rocky grip to the palate, where fresh mint and strawberry sorbet flavors are enhanced by turned loam and dried herb elements.

The Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir is the largest production red made by La Crema, one of the boutique producers operating as part of the Jackson Family Wines portfolio. It offers appealing pure fruit flavours with subtle oak spice and a smooth, supple texture. The style is fresh and inviting. Drink now to 2024.

If you love big, bold reds, this wine is for you. This wine is reminiscent of bruised apple, blackberry jam, with hints of herbs and pepper. The palate has a nice savory appeal to it, along with a good concentration of fruit and enough acidity to complement that density.

Fragrant, modern, effusive.An reliably delicious and expressive California Cabernet, the 2018 delivers aromas of kirsch and black raspberry, baking spices, pencil shavings, chocolate nibs, vanilla and violets. Lovely cassis on the palate is layered with cocoa, cardamon, cinnamon and clove.It's a mouthfilling and modern wine with sweet tannins.

Big and richly-spiced, with plenty of custardy accents to the baked apple and ripe pear flavors that are bound to ripe acidity. Lemon grass and shiso leaf notes line the finish. Drink now through 2024.

Moderate in body weight and structure, this wine is richly concentrated in tropical fruit and butterscotch, with an undercurrent of toasted oak. The texture is lush and plush, with impressive length.

Dried lemon-peel, mango and persimmon aromas emerge on the nose of this bottling. There’s a tart Meyer lemon edge to the palate, where cantaloupe and lychee flavors arise.

Pinot Noir Retrospective 2007-2008Here is further evidence that rich and lusty Pinot Noir, when made well, can age impressively. Even with a bit of a cedary, woodsy note in the aromas, the wine is still very forward and nicely fruity for its age. It is supple and full in body with that extra bit of concentration typically seen in the best of this label. It is wine that you can sink your teeth into, and what it lacks in silky, velvety texture is more than made up for by its ability to be a splendid mate to well-seasoned roasts and chops.90 points at first review.

Well-structured, with crunchy green apple and yellow plum flavors, which are backed by fresh acidity. Minerally snap on the finish with savory accents. Drink now through 2024.

Aromatically evolving now, if still somewhat smoky, the palate on Freemark Abbey's 2017 is yet still very firm and tightly wound, with a combination of gritty, dusty tannins, hard acids and high alcohol that combine to result in an astringent, unyielding texture. Despite the full body and 14.7% alcohol declared, the stuffing on the mid-palate is modest, exposing angularities and rough edges. Length and depth are decent, but overall harmony questionable. Another few years in the cellar should help to mitigate the asperities and disparities, but I suspect this will not be counted among the winery's more memorable vintages.

Soft, supple layers of cola cherry and plum and kept focused by chalky tannin and well-integrated oak in this elegant red from an estate site. Underlying power keeps it weighty without becoming overbearing, the fruit accented in toasted oak and baking spice.