September Releases

Overture is the second wine of Opus One and is a multi-vintage blend. This is the ideal way to experience this iconic estate sooner after bottling. This year it's got considerable richness with the usual plush dark fruit character and creamy vanilla complexity.

One of the original Napa Cabernets, Beaulieu is a consistent performer, with classic Rutherford black berry flavours and dusty tannins. There's a lot of rich fruitcake on the nose and palate but there's some more lifted red fruit this vintage with floral top notes.

The cooler climate of Coombesville was ideal in 2020 and Andy and Annie's attention in the vineyard and careful light-touch in the winery have worked wonders. The texture here is smooth and velvety, with ripe blue and black fruit and layers of mineral complexity. Black olive tapenade, graphite and tea leaves all come to the fore, and it finishes long and fine.

A late release from one of our favourite Napa estates. Now nearly 10 years old, it's a joy to drink, with tons of truffle, tobacco and cocoa aromas developing. There's still plenty of blueberry, bramble and cassis with Favia's trademark elegance and energy. Andy Erickson and Annie Favia are champions of this exciting and cooler part of Napa, and have created a delicious example in this 2014. The vintage was dry and long, allowing the slow ripening of their brilliant old vine Cabernet Franc.

The 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon from Inglenook is a supple and approachable wine with soft, ripe black cherry fruit and a red cherry lift towards the finish. Many consider this on a par with the top wine of the estate, making it a particularly attractive buy, with its cocoa-like tannins and creamy mid-palate texture.

Illumination is a blend of Sauvignon and Semillon from the Quintessa vineyard. The grapes are planted in a cooler, wetter spots in the vineyard, and they use the Sauvignon Blanc Musqué clone which gives a disctictive fragrance. There's a small amount of new French oak and acacia wood that gives a range of delicate baking spice aromas to the wine, but the tangy acidity from the Sauvignon Blanc runs through the wine. This is a unique offering from a top quality estate with beautiful aromatics and character.

Quintessa managed to avoid the devastating fires that hit Napa in 2020, and have made a wine with lovely purity of cassis and black plum, with some lift from violet and wild herb aromas. Although bold and rich, this has a silky elegance to it, with polished tannins and a long, fruit-driven finish.