Vieux-Chateau-Certan
Château Cheval Blanc Saint-Émilion
Without a doubt one of Bordeaux's most famous vineyards, Cheval Blanc lies on the border of Pomerol and is also easily the most important estate in St-Émilion. Uniquely a blend dominated by Cabernet Franc, Cheval Blanc's wines have a powerful bouquet which is spicy and rich which is followed by fruit that is soft, mellow and liquorous. Matched only by Pétrus in the realm of vigour and concentration, Cheval's exuberance is not to be missed. With this latest release, the 2009, the wines are bordering on immortal. A blend of 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Franc, this super-smooth, velour textured and opulent red wine shows rambunctious flavours of raspberries, blueberries, liquorice and a smidge of menthol. Will be fascinating to watch this
Chateau Duhart-Milon
Château Figeac St Emilion
The Premier Grand Cru Classe Château Figeac has a high percentage of mature cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc vines (40+ years). This gives its wines blackcurrant aromas, robust structure and length. Made by experienced winemaker Frederic Faye, with Michel Rolland, the most famous consultant oenologist in the world, this vintage has the hallmarks of a buoyant Right Bank style.
Jim Barry The Armagh Shiraz
Elegant and aristocratic kaleidoscope of aromas, an abundance of fruit flavours, blackberry, mulberry and blueberry with supporting complexity of mint, eucalypt, rhubarb, Turkish delight and cinnamon. The palate offers a rich tapestry of enjoyment and fulfilment of flavours of raspberry, strawberry and boysenberry to name a few. Made by Jim Barry.
Château Angélus Saint-Emilion
A very important estate in St-Émilion, Château Angélus was acquired by the de Boüard de Laforest family in 1924 and merged with the previously owned Château Mazerat. The apostrophe was dropped in 1989 and is now simply known as Angélus. The wines are characterised by a fabulous texture offered by the high component of Cabernet Franc with the plump softness added by the Merlot creating a wine of pleasing plushness.
Chateau Le Gay
Chateau l'Eglise Clinet
Torbreck The Laird Shiraz
Torbrecks flagship wine, The Laird Shiraz is only produced in exceptional years. The fruit comes from one of the finest Shiraz sites in the Barossa valley; the dry grown Gnadenfrei vineyard dating from 1958. Matured for 36 months in special French barriques coopered by Dominique Laurent, the Laird is the ultimate expression of ultra-concentrated single vineyard Barossa Shiraz.
Artadi Vina El Pison, Rioja
The 2 ha El Pison vineyard was planted in 1945 on a gentle sloping site in the shape of an amphitheatre with deep sub-soils. Made entirely from Tempranillo, El Pison is a very rich and intense age-worthy style typically showing great purity of fruit and abundant chalky tannins that benefit from additional cellaring.
