(2016) A lot of mint here, that Sebastian thinks is partly due to their huge diurnal shift that means overnight the plants cannot assimilate the heat and ripening of the day, so ripening is slightly delayed and can produce the cedar/minty notes. All French oak, this is made approximately 3 or 4 times per decade. Along with the mint is cool, smooth cassis and onto the palate cedar and a gentle creaminess. There's a meatiness too, and the tannins are smoothed with a creamy density and great balance, the wine is young and needs a little time.
(2016) Quite meaty, with rich black fruit, a spiciness and graphite and cedar nuances. Very tight, deep and glossy, muscular but also refined, a svelte black fruit creaminess and a lovely liquorice depth. Such lovely sweet fruit but excellent structure to age.
(2016) Meaty and balsamic on the nose, a touch of classic green nuance to the Cab fruit, but such a flood of super sweet deep black fruit. Great creamy sweetness and utterly delicious, arguably more obvious than the 2010, but yummy.
(2016) Bloody iron oxide, meaty and has cedar and graphite notes, moving through to a massively sweet palate, layered with chocolate and mint-touched cassis fruit. Still has real juiciness, and a lovely Bordeaux-style refinement.
(2016) This unusual 'icon' Petite Sirah comes from an old pergola vineyard of table grapes, grafted to Petite Sirah. It has a fabulous nose, the lift and kirsch-like aromatics, lots of cassis and coffee, obviously plenty of oak, but the prettiness of the fruit comes through. The palate has huge smoothness, with massive grippy tannins, and loads of black fleshy fruit. Delicious and massive, but it is a really impressive wine. Note stockist quoted is for the 2010 vintage at time of writing.
(2016) Less meaty, more lifted and lightly floral compared to the 2012, really ripe and intense, a great core of acidity and tannin to this. There's ripeness almost an agen prune juicy darkness. This has the juicy sweet intensity, even if I slightly prefer the 2012.
(2016) A blend of Syrah 52%, Carignan 27%, Malbec 21%. Big, plush and plummy nose, through the mask of a little recent bottling reduction. Quite lifted too, some floral and violetty notes again. Rich and chocolaty palate, that bit of drying tannin grip, but lovely and finishes fruit dry and spice. It is not in UK at time of writing, but would retail around £30.