The 2022 Girl Next Door comes from a small parcel close to the ocean (3-4km). It contains 50% whole clusters with two weeks on the skins and ten months of maturation in an 1,800-liter foudre. The bouquet is quite dense and backward, with blackcurrant and cranberry mixed with brine, all very well-defined. The medium-bodied palate has black rather than red fruit and is quite mineral-driven compared to Savage's other cuvées, with chalky tannins and a saline finish requiring a few months to cohere. One for the more patient amongst you. (NM)

Starting with a firm nose with dark and dusty aromas, the 2022 The Girl Next Door displays a delightful notion of sea spray with dusty floral essences. Medium-bodied and with 13.3% alcohol, this Syrah displays a mineral-driven expression that will need at least one more year in the bottle to find its stride. Broad-shouldered and spicy, it's much bigger than the 2021 bottling and should age gracefully for over a decade. Give it time. Just under 2,900 bottles were produced from 50% whole-cluster grapes. Give it time. (AM)