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Majestic, intense, full bodied and tannic, Cos dEstournel is considered the leading wine of St Estèphe. Highly tannic in its youth, over time it develops much much like the great wines of adjoining Pauillac. The wine is typically a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc, consistently displaying immense power and evident breed.

Chateau Duhart-Milon is a fourth growth (Quatrième Cru Classé) estate in the Pauillac appellation of Bordeaux. Part of the Domaines Barons de Rothschild, the wine is made by the same winemaking team as Chateau Lafite. A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon with a substantial component of Merlot, the Grand Vin is matured for 18 months in approximately 50% new French oak barriques. Chateau Duhart-Milon is typically a sturdy solid Pauillac with firm structure and earthy savoury richness.

Château Brane-Cantenac sits in a prime position on the plateau of Cantenac and makes full use of its excellent terroir. No doubt something that Baron de Brane was aware of and along with his viticultural talents were the reasons behind the estates rise to fame. Now tended by the Lurton family, the wines continue to be in great hands. Of the 2009 vintage, Henri Lurton is known to have said that the winery was enveloped in aromas of raspberry and blackberry even before fermentation began! Even though fruit ripeness is an obvious trait, the balance and structure of the wine are also clearly evident which will see the wine age for a decade or two more.

One word - legend. Jack Mann served Houghton for a remarkable 51 consecutive vintages. His determination to create wines of intensity, elegance and regional character have inspired a generation of Australian winemakers to achieve great things. Simply one of this country's greatest Cabernets, this wine is not just single vineyard fruit, the selection process is so rigorous that often it is just a few rows from the Justin Vineyard. Such is the reverence for that great man - Jack Mann.

Chateau Lascombes is a second grand cru classé of Margaux, renowned for producing perfumed elegant wines which gain greater depth and complexity with cellaring. The 118 ha vineyard of the Chateau is one of the largest and most fragmented in the area with plots spread across the Margaux appellation. Plantings comprise 50% Merlot, 45% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Petit Verdot anchored predominantly on gravel, clay and sand soils. The wine is vinified in a combination of wood and stainless steel vats and then aged in 80% new French oak barriques for 18 months. Serious investment both in the vineyard and winery has led to a notable renaissance in quality in recent years.

While the estate known as Chateau Haut-Bailly dates back to 1461, its wine production began in 1530, falling into the hands of the de Leuvarde and Le Bailly families in 1630. It was purchased in 1998 by Robert G Wilmers, a Harvard-educated banker, and his French wife Elisabeth and under their care, the estate has begun producing some of the best wines in its history. The cellars and production procedures were renovated and modernised and this year, the Chateau itself was awarded government recognition of its cultural and vinious heritage. From some of the oldest vines in the region, the 2016 has been lauded as one of the Chateaus best, with Neal Martin hailing it as perhaps the best that I have tasted in almost 20 years of tasting at this estate.

The first grape plantings on what we know as Chateau Grand Puy Lacoste date from the 1500s and the property began to take its present shape in the 1700s. The beautiful château itself, still in use, was built in the second half of the 19th Century. Grand-Puy-Lacoste was classified a Cinquième Cru (Fifth Growth) in the Bordeaux Classification of 1855. Vineyard area totals 55ha planted to Cabernet Sauvignon (75%), Merlot (20%) and Cabernet Franc (5%). Typically for Pauillac, deep, gravelly topsoil overlies a limestone base. The Grand Puy of the name is a low hill that interrupts the flat landscape. Owned by the prominent Borie family since 1978, the vineyard, cellars and winery have all been extensively renovated since 2004. The Grand Vin is classic Pauillac full bodied, tannic, concentrated and ageworthy, offering cassis, cedar, tobacco and truffle scents and a juicy mouthful of flavour. There is a second wine, Lacoste Borie.