Penfolds RWT Shiraz is a big juicy Barossan Shiraz refined by the use of older French oak barrels. 1998 is considered to be one of the classic vintages of the modern age. Drinking wonderfully now but with many years still to come in its development, this is a great addition to any cellar.
One of Australia's icon wines, this is Cabernet at its very best. This wine is the very definition of power and elegance. Hand crafted by Keith Mugford and his team in the Margaret River, Moss Wood deservedly fits in the Exceptional category of Langton's Classification of Australian Wine.
One of Australia's true great wine treasures, Henschke produce a range of wines that are the envy of most. Keyneton Estate is often the first premium wine from this most famous of producers that people try. As such, the attention to detail and meticulous craftsmanship of this wine is a testament to the vision and passion of Stephen and Prue Henschke.
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!
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.
Chateau Canon shows no shy and retiring character in 2010, set to a naturally ripe and high 15% alcohol. Though power and density is a motif in 2010, there is a surprising suppleness in this wine, born from central St-Emillion vineyards and the same family of wine as Chateau Rauzan-Segla of Margaux. Almost evenly split between Merlot and Cabernet Franc usually, it''s three quarters Merlot in 2010; the wine matures in oak barrel for 18 months, with around 70% of those offering new wood character. While dense and compact, there is a succulence to the wine that suggests cellaring to two decades would be apt.
Clarendon Hills is the living vision of one of the world's greatest Shiraz winemakers, Roman Bratasiuk. The dream was realised in 1990 and is now home to some of the most outstanding and hard to get single vineyard wines in Australia. The Astralis is the flagship wine in the Clarendon Hills portfolio, and while this vineyard is not treated any differently to the others, it garners the most worldwide attention due to its incredible expression and timeless elegance. From an Easterly aspect and planted on a 45 degree ascending slope, Australis has phenomenal varietal length and will repay the patient cellarer for more than 15 years.
Château Certan-de-May is a wonderul, quaint vineyard with only 5 hectares under vine that produce a rich, smooth and fleshy Merlot dominated wine. Located right in the heart of the Pomerol appellation on Bordeaux's right bank, this vineyard enjoys the same soil as it's neighbour, the acclaimed Château Cheval Blanc. The 2009 vintage release of the Certan is a bruising, black fruited beast that is slightly overpowering to some degree early in its life, yet for those who like their Merlot's with a bit of power, this is your Pomerol. Give it 5 to 10 years in the cellar though and all parties are sure to revel in this succulent masterpiece.