94Points

“Takahiro Koyama started this label and later purchased Mountford (the estate where he worked for many years). While this wine isn’t the most ageworthy, it’s joyful and energetic. It smells of all four seasons combined: freshly plucked red berries; the warming, woodsy smell of baking spices; a newly bloomed rosebush; black olives in brine. The palate is just as the nose suggests. Medium weight, fleshy fruit is supported by sappy, spicy tannins—an expressive beauty reflective of the exciting Waipara Valley. Editors’ Choice.”