This intensity of the environment has the effect on the 2009 Lokoya Mount Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon of concentrated blue fruits, chewable tannins, and a mild coffee roast that carries the avor on your palate far after you have swallowed the wine.

Penfolds' Block 42 vineyard is one of the most historic Cabernet vineyards in the world. Planted only 30 years after the 1855 Bordeaux Classification, Block 42 has the oldest plantings in the world that have continuously produced Cabernet Sauvignon. This unique history is harnessed by Peter Gago in the 2004 Block 42 Kalimna Cabernet that has produced a beautifully aromatic, perfectly balanced and ripe Cabernet Sauvignon. The fruit simply explodes across the palate, giving tremendous depth and length of flavour. While young, plush and full-bodied today, the Block 42 has many years of ageing ahead of it and will be comfortable in your cellar well into the 2020s.

Château Margaux is a 1er Cru Classé (first growth) estate of Bordeaux. The Grand Vin is renowned for its enthralling perfumed elegance, finesse and layered complexity. A Cabernet Sauvignon blend with a minor component of Merlot and a smattering of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, fermentation occurs in oak vats followed by maturation in 100% new barrels for approximately 22 months. Since its acquisition in 1978 by the Mentzelopoulos family, the quality and international reputation of Château Margaux has soared to even greater heights.

Chateau Montrose is a second Grand Cru Classé estate in St-Estephe and is considered one of the leading wine properties of the appellation. Located in the eastern half of the appellation just 800 metres from the Gironde estuary, the propertys proximity to the water provides a unique micro-climate that protects the vines from frost. The Grand Vin is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc, that appears very powerful and austere in its youth, with a backbone of firm tannins that provides exceptional longevity.

Chateau Haut Brion is one of the five first Growths of the 1855 Classification of the Medoc. The Chateau was established in 1533 by Jean de Pontac, who was the first to plant vineyards on this prime gravelly site, found in the Graves sub-region of Pessac Leognan. The Chateau is owned today by Prince Robert of Luxembourg, the great grandson of Clarence Dillon. It is planted to Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, with three hectares planted to the white varieties of Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc. Chateau Haut Brion is the only property outside of the Medoc in the 1855 classification. A wine of class and breed, Chateau Haut Brion is typically more approachable in its youth, showing floral perfume and elegance, yet possesses the structure required for exceptional longevity.

Lynch-Bages is an iconic fifth growth of Pauillac and has the distinction of having produced the only wine that has ever been sent into space. Established in the early 1700s, the wine was labelled Chateau Jurine Bages at the time of the 1855 classification, later renamed in recognition of earlier owners the Lynch family. Jean-Charles Cazes purchased the property in the 1930s, later passing the management of the estate to his grandson Jean-Michel Cazes who modernised the winery and was a prolific spruiker of not just his own wines, but those of all Bordeaux throughout the 70s and beyond. Now managed by the next generation, (another Jean-Charles) Lynch-Bages continues to produce Cabernet Sauvignon-led wines of great concentration, offering ripe cassis and enviable cellaring potential.

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.

One of the most famous - as well as one of the most expensive - wines in the world, Chateau Lafite Rothschilds history dates back to 1235, by which time, it is believed, the vines were already planted and thriving. Nearly 1,000 years later it still retains the name of its then-owner Gombaud de Lafite. It wasnt until 1868 that the Rothschilds came to become the Chateaus owners, after it was sold at public auction in Paris - and it remains in their hands today. Producing an elegant Paulliac wine, Chateau Lafite is renowned for its characteristic blend of rich dark fruit with spicy, savoury and earthy notes of cassis, tobacco, and truffle. The 2016 earned sterling reviews, with James Suckling scoring it a perfect 100 and speculating on its standing as Perhaps the greatest Lafite since the legendary 1959.

Château la Mission Haut-Brion is on uniquely stony soil in the Pessac-Léognan appellation close to the city of Bordeaux. It is a Cru Classé in the Graves Classification of 1953. The 22.5 hectare red wine vineyard is planted to Cabernet Sauvignon (46%), Merlot (44%) and Cabernet Franc (10%). The chateau wine is vinified in large (180hl) temperature-controlled, stainless steel vats and aged in 100% new French oak for an average of 22 months. Annual production is 6000-7000 dozen. The famous white wine of the chateau comes from 3.5 ha planted to Semillon (62%) and Sauvignon Blanc (38%). Overall planting density is 10,000 vines per hectare (red) and 8000 vines per hectare (white). Since 1983, under the ownership of Domaine Clarence Dillon (which also owns the neighbouring Chateau Haut Brion), the entire estate has been renovated vineyards, winemaking facilities and the chateau itself. The property got its name in the 1600s when it was owned by the Catholic Church.