Château Latour à is an unclassified producer yet amongst the great crus of the Pomerol appellation. The excellent 1982 vintage has produced a Latour à for the ages. Still retaining structure in its maturity, the nose exerts dark fruits, herbs and subtle spice leading to the elegantly balanced palate.

Château l'Eglise-Clinet is a much sought after Domaine within the right bank district of Bordeaux and can be hard to come by. A majority blend of Merlot to Cabernet delivers a wine of subtlety and plushness and due to the properties long planted vines, the ageability is second to none in the region. After not pulling out vines after the 1956 frost, this Château can boast some of the oldest vine material in Pomerol and that evidence can be found in the 2003 bottle of l'Eglise-Clinet which is still ageing gracefully in the bottle even after a difficult vintage due to heat.

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.

A very important estate in St-Émilion, Château Angélus was acquired by the de Boüard de Laforest family in 1924 and merged with the previously owned Château Mazerat. The apostrophe was dropped in 1989 and is now simply known as Angélus. The wines are characterised by a fabulous texture offered by the high component of Cabernet Franc with the plump softness added by the Merlot creating a wine of pleasing plushness.

Château Mouton Rothschild is the work of one man, the legendary Baron Philippe, who is solely responsible for this giant of Bordeaux. Taking charge in 1923 until his death in 1988, he created something the world will always be in debt for. He also started the tradition of getting an artist to design a label for every vintage, a tradition that continues to this day. In 2009, the wine almost transcends perfection. A quite low alcohol percentage given the ripeness of the fruit, the bouquet is reminiscent of cigar box and graphite with violets and cassis playing a part. The palate is both restrained and concentrated, a impressive result indeed. The structure of the wine is hidden somewhat by the exuberant fruit, yet it is that structure that will see this extraordinary wine cellar for the good part of half a century!

Château Tanunda Chorus a classic Spanish blend with a unique Barossa twist. Sourced from the tapestry of terroirs in the Barossa sub regions of Tanunda the wine offers lifted aromas of cherry and raspberry accompanied by the dark berry and forest fruits on the palate.

Quinta do Noval is an astonishing wine estate, with a rare combination of deep history and innovation. Founded in 1715, it has changed hands just twice over 300 years. The most important thing to understand about Quinta do Noval is, that unlike the other famous names in the world of Port, Noval is a single estate, a single vineyard, a producer that controls every step of production from vine to bottle. The Quinta do Noval 20 Year Old Tawny Port is made entirely from fruit cropped from the Quinta do Noval estate, so this is a step up in quality as well as age from the 10 year old. In Port and the Douro, Richard Mayson has referred to this category as, “the epitome of balance combining freshness and delicacy with the secondary toasted almond and walnut complexity from ageing in wood.” Noval’s contribution to the 20-year-old field is pure premier league. Sublimely elegant and refined, there’s so much intricacy and toffee-scented depth. It’s a perfect example of how delicious and complex a 20-year-old Tawny Port can be.

Chateau Lafite Rothschild is widely considered one of the great Bordeaux estates, and certainly the upper echelon of the famed Medoc appellation. Owned by Baron Eric de Rothschild, the vineyards are located in the north of Pauillac near the boundary of St Estephe - while the site has allegedly been planted since the 14th century, the wines have been a staple only since the 17th century, and with increasing interest in the provenance more recently, following the Second World War. At 87% Cabernet Sauvignon and 13% Merlot in 2010, this is a benchmark release that will be celebrated for generation. Increasing attention in cellar and vineyard has only enhanced the wines and their demand, due to continuing fine-tuning of quality.

The Grahams Tawny Ports rival their vintages Ports by always exceeding minimum standards for age and quality of the material. This Tawny shows surprising qualities of age and sheer quality of the blend. It has rancio, toffee and the classic cherry skin/nutty combo of Portuguese Port. The palate is generous, showing sweetness but cleverly staying just shy of sticky, with a fine drying, tingling finish.

The 10 year old displays lifted aromas of dried fruits and nuts. Rich and smooth on the palate with flavours of toffee and paneforte, it has elegant structure and a long, dry finish.