ELIO ALTARE Larigi, Langhe DOC The Elio Altare Langhe Larigi comes from the La Morra region. Only 200-250 dozen bottles are produced each year from Nebbiolo vines planted in 1948 on south and south-east facing slopes. The vineyard is farmed organically, but along traditional lines. In the winery only indigenous yeasts are used and the wine is macerated on skins for 3-4 days in temperature-controlled rotary fermenters. It is matured for 18 months in new French barriques before bottling. The Elio Altare Larigi shows a dense, purple-red colour and intense, persistent aromas of aromas of small red fruits. The palate is typically warm, soft and intense, with red berry flavours, silky tannins and balanced acidity.

A famous 5th growth Bordeaux from the classic appellation of Pauillac that has undergone many name changes over its life. Starting life as Mouton d'Armailhac before changing in 1956 to Mouton Baron Philippe which changed to Baronne to commemorate the Baron's second wife. In 1991, the Baron's daughter decided to give the Château an original name to separate it from the other Mouton's and Château d'Armailhac was born. Situated across the road from the famous Mouton, the estate is run separately, but with equal care. Wines of great concentration and intensity are produced, as one would expect from such pedigree. The 2009 is the perfect example of this with a wine of fantastic intensity and concentration. One of the finest d'Armailhac's is living memory, swathes of blueberry, roasted meats and espresso coffee characters are present early and will only further develop with careful ageing over the next 20 years.

The 2010 Chateau d'Issan is 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot, showing 'classic Margaux' in its perfume, finesse and apparent elegance. Soils are gravel and clay, which contributes to the high-tones of perfume from the wine, and though an estate that is neccesarily clawing its way back to a higher profile, is doing so with deeds in bottle over showmanship. On its side, the vineyard is dense with older vines that naturally offer lower yields, allowing for a higher quality of fruit for the winemaking team, in turn producing a wine of stellar quality from 2010.

Meshach William Burge was Grant's great grandfather and was a central figure in establishing the Burge family in the Barossa Valley. This Shiraz named in his honour is sourced from old vines, some nearing 100 years old, and shows aromas and flavours of complex swiss chocolate, savoury spices and red currant. Grant Burge's flagship shiraz will reward the patient cellarer with 20 years in the bottle in front of it.

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.

Château Clinet is a rising star in the small Right Bank region of Pomerol. With its gravely soil mixed with sand, Château Clinet has gradually increased the Merlot component of the wine to produce a voluptuous, smooth and yet still complex red wine that is both pleasing upon release and turns into a read star with a few years in the cellar.

Left in a sorry state by the previous owners, in 1962 the Rothschilds of Lafite took over the property and begun to reconstruct the vineyard which was planted mostly to Petit Verdot. 4 decades later and the wines of Château Duhart-Milon are now showing the flavour and concentration you expect from such a site in Pauillac.

Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste produce some of the best value wines in the Pauillac region, if not simply some of the best quality in general. Cabernet based reds are their staple and generally produce wines of a robust and masculine nature. In recent years the wines are close to rivalling the famed Pichons .

Teusner Albert Shiraz is made from old vines in the northern Barossa; rich black fruits and tarry cassis with smoky undertones, the finish is long and luscious. Could easily be cellared for the medium term.

One word - legend. Jack Mann served Houghton for a remarkable 51 consecutive vintages. His determination to create wines of intensity, elegance and regional character have inspired a generation of Australian winemakers to achieve great things. Simply one of this country's greatest Cabernets, this wine is not just single vineyard fruit, the selection process is so rigorous that often it is just a few rows from the Justin Vineyard. Such is the reverence for that great man - Jack Mann.