California

Classic Michael this - although the 2014 is his first vintage making a pure Mourvèdre, this is brimming with his signature 'lightness of touch'. There is some good dusty grip in the middle and th...(read more)

Again Layne sources the fruit for this cuvée from as far east as he can, as he loves the cool air and the ocean's influence on the grapes. These grapes come from the Mokelumne River sub-district...(read more)

Quite gently funky on the nose with some appetising animal notes, and these come through on the palate, but the ripeness and touch of sweetness of fruit only makes it all the more fascinating and...(read more)

Of the two Zinfandels that Michael makes, this is the brighter, more restrained style that impressed us enormously when we tasted together amongst the vines of Lodi. In a line-up of the region's...(read more)

The wines of California have been generating a lot of noise in both the press and restaurants over the last couple of years. Pazzo ‘Call me Crazy’ is based on old vine Sangiovese, not something y...(read more)

This delicious Cabernet Franc offers aromas of red fruits – think cherry, red currants and strawberry jam - with hints of mocha and clovey oak. The aromas carry through to the palate, in addition...(read more)

Delicate violets and roses merge elegantly with caramelised toffee oak, leading to a dense core of dark plummy fruits. This is still a youthful wine, loaded with blackcurrants, pomegranates and w...(read more)

The generic 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa is outstanding, and better than the single-vineyard 2011s. Lots of Christmas fruitcake, white chocolate, coffee bean, blackcurrants and sweet dark cherrie...(read more)

The 2012 Bacio Divino Proprietary Red is a superb blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Sangiovese and Cabernet Franc. Dense ruby/plum/purple with notes of freshly ground pepper, bouquet g...(read more)