The Woodlands Margaret is, true to its name, a realisation of all that is great about Margaret River, arguably Australias home of the Bordeaux style. Sourced from the Woodlands Vineyards in Wilyabrup this is a blend of 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot and 8% Malbec. Considering the price of the Watson familys flagship, the Margaret offers truly outstanding value.

This wonderfully elegant Shiraz shows intense, pristine, blackberry fruit and ripe, silky tannins. It almost has a Pinot Noir elegance to it and, luckily, the quality of future vintages will only be getting better too as Voyager's new clones come on line.

From a 37-acre vineyard, Château Pavie Macquin is stunningly situated on the clay-limestone plateau of Saint-Émilion on the right bank of Bordeaux. 2010 has produced a formidable wine: a blend of 70% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, this is a top release of the harvest year and a highlight from St-Émillion in 2010. Tannins, restraint and inward concentration are motifs, this is a wine for the patient, sophisticated collector who wishes to embellish a cellar with pedigree wines that need time and maturity to come to the fore.

Margaret River is a world renowned Chardonnay producing region and Pierro can rightfully stake a claim as to why. Incredibly complex, it is a tangle of fine-boned acid, lees complexity, pristine fruit and the most detailed use of good quality oak. Extremely enjoyable now, but will benefit from short to medium term cellaring.

Penfolds Bin 389 is the classic South Australian red! Often referred to as 'Baby Grange' or 'Poor Man's Grange', Bin 389 was the wine that helped to build Penfolds' solid reputation with wine drinkers around the world. A magnificent blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz from the very best regions and vineyards available to Peter Gago and his team, the robust nature of the Cabernet grape give structure and body to the wine while the opulent Shiraz fruit provides suppleness and intensity. A true icon of Australian wine first created by the legend himself, Max Schubert, Peter Gago is quoted as saying 'Through thick and thin, across all vintages, Bin 389 always delivers - benefitting from over half a century of practice!

Tyrrell's Vat 8 is the archetypal blend of tradition and modernity. With a strong history in both the Hunter Valley and Hilltops regions, Tyrrell's are able to showcase the very best in modern Australian winemaking. The Vat 8 consists of a majority Hunter Valley Shiraz the lends beauty, flavour and ripeness and a small parcel of Hilltops Cabernet which supports the Shiraz with power and structure. Elegant and pristine early, this is a wine that will enjoy some time in the cellar to further develop it already obvious complexity.

Lifted cassis and tobacco aromas with some fine oak in the background make this wine very appealing. A medium to full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon with sage notes, and fine, long tannins from both the fruit and oak on the palate. Lovely acidity and a cedar finish describe a Cabernet Sauvignon that will age for many years.

Juniper Estate’s Cornerstone Cabernet is a benchmark expression of Wilyabrup, crafted from vines planted on free-draining gravelly soils at the heart of Margaret River. The vineyard’s coastal influence brings cool nights and warm days, producing fruit with natural balance and structure. Each parcel is fermented separately before undergoing extended maceration to build depth and complexity. The wine then matures in French oak barriques, with a careful balance of new and seasoned barrels, allowing the character of the site to shine. Cornerstone Cabernet consistently offers aromas of blackcurrant, plum, and dried herbs, alongside subtle cedar and tobacco notes from its time in oak. The palate is defined by fine, persistent tannins and layers of dark fruit, supported by bright acidity. Built for cellaring, this is a wine that will develop gracefully, revealing greater nuance and harmony over the years while remaining true to its Margaret River origins.

This wine shows the style of the vintage and quite likely the impact of the small crop. In such years, Cabernet Sauvignon in particular, has a complex but somewhat subdued nose, where the wine hints of the underlying power and complexity but takes years to reveal its true colours. So here we see smouldering red currant, black currant and mulberry, with a floral, violet lift, sitting over cedar and tar. On the palate there is concentration and length - dark fruits combining with firm tannin and leather and tarry notes.

Colour and Condition: Deep brick red hue; bright condition. Nose: A really youthful appeal, with an immediate impression of dark fruit aromas black berries, mulberries and black currants. A second viewing shows the beginnings Merlots darker side, with tar, leather and earth just starting to add complexity into the background. Palate: The classic Merlot palate, with rich, dark berry flavours like black jubes filling the front and mid palate. Firm tannin then takes over and gives the wine a linear, astringent but not too aggressive finish, which is juicy and concentrated.