While a fair share of Bordeaux vineyards can claim significant historical pedigree, few would be able to touch Chateau Figeac - it is one of a select few St Emilion vineyards to have been continuously occupied for over 2,000 years! The estate dates back to the second century when even the ancient Romans who occupied the area were aware of its outstanding terroir. One figure dominates the Chateaus modern era, and that is Thierry Manoncourt who ran the property from 1947 until his death in 2010, just shy of his 93rd birthday. Under his leadership, the Chateau was the first major Right Bank estate to embrace modern techniques such as temperature controlled, stainless steel vats. The traditional-styled Bordeaux has, understandably, gone through a wide range of iterations in its 2,000-plus year history - yet it still manages to surprise and delight. The 2016 earned rave reviews from critics, with Jancis Robinson hailing it as a wine of which ...the Manoncourt family should be very proud.

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.

Taking its name from its uniquely rocky terroir (beau caillou translates as beautiful stones), and Bertrand Ducru who purchased the estate in 1795, what we know today as Chateau Ducru Beaucaillou as a wine producing estate, has history stretches back to the 13th century. Owned today by The Borie family (who have long-standing roots of their own in Bordeaux), the Chateau is, according to many, producing the best wines in their history at this very moment. The 2016 vintage has already been hailed as yet another monumental success for the winery with Antonio Galloni praising it as simply magnificent.

The second wine of Chateau Mouton Rothschild was first released in 1993. Le Petit Mouton takes its name from a small house next to the main Chateau, the official residence of Baron Philippe Rothschilds wife and family. The Chateaus modern age began in 1922 producing vintages through what were, at the time, cutting-edge techniques; though seen as revolutionary at the time, many of these methods are still in use today. This includes the groundbreaking concept of bottling all wine on the estate, allowing for an unprecedented level of control over the Bordeaux sold from Mouton-Rothschild.

The second wine of Chateau Margaux came about partly due to misfortune - when an attack of phylloxera decimated the vineyards, necessitating a replanting of the majority of their vineyards. The lack of grapes eliminated the possibility of a First Growth Quality wine and led to the production of their second wine - the Pavillon Rouge de Chateau Margaux, the first official vintage of which was released in 1906. Renowned as a sterling example of a second wine, the 2016 has been hailed as a particularly superb vintage. Medium-bodied, silky, intense and tannic, it continues its impressive trajectory year upon year.