M. CHAPOUTIER Ermitage Le Pavillon, Hermitage Rare and highly sought-after, M.Chapoutiers brooding Ermitage Le Pavillon comes from a parcel of vines anchored on the granite soils of the Bessard commune lower down on the Hill of Hermitage. Le Pavillon refers to the ruins of an old stone-house located just below the vineyard on the famous Hill. The Syrah grapes are hand-harvested and entirely destemmed before undergoing vinification in concrete tanks. Following an extended maceration the wine is matured in a mix of approximately 30% new and 70% seasoned French oak casks for 18-20 months.

Maison Tardieu-Laurent was founded in 1994 by Michel Tardieu and Dominique Laurent in the small but beautiful village of Lourmarin in Provence, although today it is completely in the hands of the Tardieu family and is one of the premier wine producers of the Rhone. This is from the famed appellation of Chateauneuf-du Pape and boasts all of the fabulous flavour attributes that this region can offer. The cepage is mourvedre, syrah and grenache. The wine exhibits savoury red fruit, a regional earthiness and hallmark silky tannins. Tardieu-Laurent are regarded as one of the consistenly high performers of the Rhone Valley.

The Gonnet family has been settled in Bédarrides since 1600. The domain's holdings are made up of several vineyards, most of which are named after local landmarks, including Font de Michelle, La Crau, and La Pierre Plantée. Etienne Gonnet created Font de Michelle in 1950. Since 2006, Guillaume Gonnet has served as owner and winemaker of his family's Châteauneuf-du-Pape estate. In addition, he and his Australian wife Kelly have created this remarkable line of signature cuvées.

Vibrant purple red. Lifted fragrant and fresh black and redcurrant fruit followed by jasmine like florals, ground spices, summer pudding and pannacotta. A secondary look with air shows whole bunch notes of spice and sauvage adding complexity. The palate is juicy soft and round, laced with black fruit, raspberries, white pepper and spices. Very much medium bodied, this has beautiful line of acidity that adds length and balance to the velvety, gentle core of sweet fruit. A pure, fresh, fragrant wine.

Levantine Hill Syrah has lifted complex aromas of dusty red berries, musk, cardamom and white pepper and vanillin oak. The elegant medium-bodied palate abounds with spice and earthy nuances in a concentration of savouriness. The silky ripe tannins have been deftly integrated with the underlying oak providing carriage for the fruit weight and lingering flavours to a pronounced and persistent finish.

Gabriel Meffre winery was established in 1936. It has since won the repuation as one of the best producers in the southern Rhone. Their Ventoux vineyard is located mainly on the sediment left by the seas of the Tertiary period at the base of the limestone massif of Ventoux. The wine is made from grenache and syrah, each component vinified separately before blending, then maturation in vats for 10 months. The result is a wine with a deep red robe and a purple hue. The nose is enticing with hints of ripe red fruits and spices, and the mouth is elegant and round with a spicy finish. This Ventoux, with its spiciness and fruit expression, will pair nicely with charcuterie, a vegetable curry or lamb colombo.

Deep red-purple in colour showing dark plum, clove, sarsaparilla root, brambly fruit on the nose and palate, lifted by a touch of fresh sage. An elegant full -bodied wine with flowing cranberry and rhubarb flavours, subtle fennel/liquorice and a hint of minerality. Breathtaking poise that finishes rich with lingering, fine tannins.

"Replacing the Petit Chapelle cuvee and first made in 2015, the 2016 Hermitage La Maison Bleue is smoking good. Black fruits, charcoal, powdered rock, currants and chocolate notes all give way to a big, concentrated, impressively structures barrel sample that has tons of potential. I expect the tannin will have integrated by the time this is released, but a few years of bottle age still recommended." - Jeb Dunnuck

The 2017 vintage in Orange was unusually warm and dry, giving this wine a strong backbone of ripe fruit characters.The wine is a bright dense cherry red with a tinge of brick red.The bouquet exhibits lifted spicy ripe fruit and light earthy plummy Shiraz aromas, combined with soft vanillin oak characters. Full bodied, the length of the palate is filled with very youthful plummy spicy Shiraz flavours. These fruit characters are balanced by drying oak tannins which contribute both complexity and length to the wine. With a finish that is typical of cold climate Shiraz fruit crisp, clean and elegant.