This wine, a Piebald, meaning black and white, is a co-fermentation of the blackest Syrah grapes, with a hatful of the purest white Viognier. Deep in colour, the wine is almost black, yet is also vibrant and bright. The nose is perfumed with apricots, spice and liquorice; a pretty, fragrant wine with a sweet juice and velvety palate. The finish is elegant with savoury spice and a fine tannin length and persistence.

"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

First made commercially available for the 2016 vintage, the Neve is a young wine with character and bite. Named for the lieu-dit on which its reasonably young vines are grown, it is stylishly racy with savoury elements that mingle seductively with bay leaf and lavender. A dry style, it is taut and pretty on the palate, with that long finish so characteristic of Chapoutier.

This luscious red comes from Zuccardi - an outstanding, third generation family cellar founded in the 1960s by Don Alberto Zuccardi. A decade before, he'd started an irrigation company, then planted a vineyard to demonstrate to other producers how his system could benefit grape quality. The rest, as they say, is history, and Zuccardi have become one of the leading cellars in Mendoza. Today his grandson Sebastián is winemaker, assisted by Rubén Ruffo. This is a silky, elegant red, with Syrah adding spicy red fruits and structure to Malbec's darker velvety berry notes. Recommended with chilli, a beef stir-fry or on its own.

pen-fermented, 35% whole bunches, 2% viognier skins. Matured in 600L thick staved demi-muids. The bones are strong, the flavours are fine. There's nothing brutish about this wine, it's not rocket-propelled, and yet it pushes firmly for the stars. It tastes of graphite and black coffee, black cherries and white pepper, though what you really notice here is the wine's supple, spicy insistence and its fine web of tannin. This wine is going places.

Auguste Clape first came to Cornas in 1949 to marry his wife Henriette whose family owned 5 hectares of vineyards in the appellation. Today his son, Pierre-Marie and grandson Olivier Clape run the estate, which is considered to be the benchmark producer in the region. An

Graillot is arguably one the finest winemakers in the Rhone Crozes-Hermitage region. On a cycling holiday in Morocco, he discovered vineyards along the Atlantic Coast, in the Atlas Mountains. In spite of only 20 hectares of vineyards, it is relatively cool climate thanks to the ocean breezes and an altitude of about 500m. The vines' aged between 10-40 years old. There is no use of herbicide or fungicide treatment to the vineyard. All the work is done by hand, which reduced damage to the grapes and resulting in an elegant yet intensely concentrated Syrah.

Bright red with a purple hue, a glass of Estate Vineyards Syrah is like opening a spice box. It overflows with cherry, blackberry, boysenberry, thyme, pepper and the irresistible scents of Black Doris plum and vanilla. There are floral lift and charm here, but also a supple palate with luxurious savoury fruit and enticing notes of red and black liquorice. The perfume and depth of this syrah are matched by its fine, textural expression, balance and soft, even tannins. Food match with a wonderful accompaniment to all red meats, savoury and lightly spiced dishes of Mediterranean cuisine, as well as soft cheeses.