From the legendary Clos Fourtet winery, this Saint-Émilion rouge has all the depth and concentration you would expect from such an esteemed Bordeaux name. The Premier Grand Cru Classé Clos Fourtet holdings have been the site of wine production since the middle-ages, Now under the guardianship of Philippe Cuvelier, the wine continues to delight. Traditional winemaking techniques make for an elegant style that sings with minerality and its impressive terroir. The vines are located in a single block, close to the medieval village, and grow atop a limestone plateau. Fresh, yet simultaneously deep and seductive, this will please for many decades.

Dating back to Roman times, and being one of only four Saint-Émilion producers elevated to the status of Premier Grand Cru Classé, it would seem Chateau Pavie has rather a lot to live up to - and by all accounts, they are holding up their end of the bargain with this year’s vintage. Since coming under the consultation of renowned Bordeaux-based oenologist Michel Rolland, the Chateau has gained a reputation for vintages of higher concentration and intensity than were yielded in the past - but this year’s release seems to indicate this historic Chateau still has the power to surprise. Retaining the glamour and panache of recent years, the 2016 has been thrilling and charming critics thus far, with many praising its superior balance and restraint. It is expected to cellar spectacularly, suggesting further delights yet to be discovered.

Château Valandraud 1er Grand Cru Classé B is a wine from vintners Jean-Luc Thunevin and Murielle Andraud. Upon his transition from wine merchant to winemaker in 1989 (when the pair purchased a small patch of vines in St-Émilion), Thunevin became known as a ‘bad boy’ of Bordeaux, creating boutique styles in boutique quantities. This wine is powerful and juicy, rich in black fruit with inky concentration and an esoteric swagger. It is classic, but with attitude. Aged in 100% new oak, with plenty of potential for extended aging.

Château Pichon-Longueville Baron has become simply known as

The second wine of Chateau Margaux came about partly due to misfortune - when an attack of phylloxera decimated the vineyards, necessitating a replanting of the majority of their vineyards. The lack of grapes eliminated the possibility of a First Growth Quality wine and led to the production of their second wine - the Pavillon Rouge de Chateau Margaux, the first official vintage of which was released in 1906. Renowned as a sterling example of a second wine, the 2016 has been hailed as a particularly superb vintage. Medium-bodied, silky, intense and tannic, it continues its impressive trajectory year upon year.

France's Bordeaux, is the spiritual home of the Cabernet family of grapes, which extends beyond Sauvignon and Franc to Merlot, Malbec and Petit Verdot. If you love Margaret River Cabernet blends, or indeed the Merlot dominant reds of Hawkes Bay, NZ, then you must look at the wines upon which many of them have been modelled. This wine is Cabernet and Merlot, deep and rich, cassis and earthy cedar, structure and uncommon length - all hallmarks of Grand Cru Bordeaux.