Château d'Yquem is the indisputable worlds greatest sweet wine. This fact was known when the original 1855 classification of Sauternes was released and saw Château d'Yquem given a category all on its own, premier grand cru, which it still holds. Since 1593, only two families have owned the prestigious Château that sits in a commanding, fortress like, position overlooking most of Sauternes. Only highly skilled and permananent workers tend the vineyards that produce fruit of compelling concentration and intensity. The resulting wines can begin to be enjoyed after seven or eight years, but in good years, like the 2000 vintage, the wine can last much, much longer.

Château Palmer is considered one of the worlds first 'Super Seconds' (although actually classified as a third growth), a term relating to the top echelon of producers that fall outside of the ancient 1st Growth classification. Margaux's Château Palmer was named after a British general who fought under Wellington. It has been stated by quite a few wine critics that this could possibly be the finest Château Palmer ever produced. An amazing claim considering how phenomenal the 2005 was and is yet to be. Masses of concentrated aromas and flavours that will keep your senses entertained for hours on end. A truly remarkable achievement that will repay the patient cellarer over the next 30 years.

Regarded a Super Second (but technically a 3me growth), Palmer is capable of producing wines that equal or even outstrip the quality of its famous Premier cru neighbour, Ch. Margaux. Named for the wealthy English military man who bought the estate in the early 19th century, Palmer is now majority owned by the Mahler Besse and Sichel families - famous Bordeaux negociants. Many of the best plots on the property were purchased after the Classification of 1855, explaining in part why Palmer did not warrant higher standing at that time. Certainly today there is no question that the wine is among Bordeauxs best. The estate also makes a separate second label - named Alter Ego - which is made from similarly high quality fruit but treated differently in the winery with the aim of producing a counterpoint in style to the First wine.

The formidable fortress depicted on the famed vanilla Latour label was built to withstand the Gironde pirate attacks of the 15th Century. And, truly, as well as the tower still stands, so does Latour and its consistent excellence regardless of vintage. Nominally Pauillac, this First Growth sits almost astride the border of St. Julien and its output as one would expect is dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon with 10 per cent awarded to both Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Any experience with Latour is to be savoured with patience this notoriously slow-developing wine requires at least a decade or twos development. But the reward for this patience is a fulsome melange of power, finesse, depth and tone.

One of the finest and most ethereal of all Burgundies, Domaine-Mugneret Grands-Échézeaux comes from a small 1 hectare plot of old vines averaging in age between 40 and 70 years. Silky and intense with a beguiling perfume of violets, fresh cherries, earth, leather, forest floor and truffle, the wine shows lovely volume and density with the structure to age gracefully over many years.

With one of the longest and most pedigreed histories in the Medoc region, Chateau Leoville-Las-Cases has passed through the hands of some of Frances most notable and wealthiest noble families, culminating in the Las Cases family - the final royal family to hold title to the Chateau. Up until the French Revolution, after which large portions of it were sold off, it was one of the largest vineyards in Bordeaux. Today, the estate remains family owned by the Delons, of which brother Jean Hubert and sister Genevieve manage proceedings. Famed for producing a wine of structure, power, and traditional style, the 2016 vintage has earned outstandingly high praise, including a score of 100 from Andrew Caillared and a 19/20 from Jancis Robinson who praised its extraordinary vitality and energy and proclaimed it glorious to taste now.

One of the most famous - as well as one of the most expensive - wines in the world, Chateau Lafite Rothschilds history dates back to 1235, by which time, it is believed, the vines were already planted and thriving. Nearly 1,000 years later it still retains the name of its then-owner Gombaud de Lafite. It wasnt until 1868 that the Rothschilds came to become the Chateaus owners, after it was sold at public auction in Paris - and it remains in their hands today. Producing an elegant Paulliac wine, Chateau Lafite is renowned for its characteristic blend of rich dark fruit with spicy, savoury and earthy notes of cassis, tobacco, and truffle. The 2016 earned sterling reviews, with James Suckling scoring it a perfect 100 and speculating on its standing as Perhaps the greatest Lafite since the legendary 1959.