"Chateau Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande is the sister property to Chateau Pichon-Longueville Baron, formed upon the death of Baron Joseph de Pichon Longueville in 1850. The parcel of vines we now know as Pichon Lalande were passed to the Baron’s three daughters, and today is one of the most elegant wines in the Haut Medoc. This elegance should not be confused with being underweight, as the wines have enormous richness and intensity, and age extremely well. Plantings on the large property include a blend of 61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, and 3% Petit Verdot."

Bright plum in colour, Penfolds Bin 169 Cabernet Sauvignon displays delicate notes of mint and blackcurrant, with a more savory bouquet of semi-dried tomatoes and fruit chutney at the end. A hint of oak and spice adds extra warmth. On the palate a flavour-wheel of spearmint, milo powder, chocolate and black liquorice.

A formidable wine. Powerfully aromatic, as though an internal combustion engine were pumping the aromas out of the glass, broadcasting the wines freshness, clarity, and purity with a compelling perfume of rose petal-tinged blueberry and the blackest imaginable, impeccably ripened fruit, infused with exotic wood spice. The fruit presents at the perfect point of ripeness, bursting on the palate with pure black cherry, black current and blackberry. The wine is soft, sweet and textural, with elements of rich charry earth, purple lilac and violet, all carried by a perfect measure of powdery tannins. Theres an extra potent dimension of umami giving the wine a lithe, sexy elegance and old-world precision. And its beautiful length and purity resonates remarkably long.

Clarendon Hills is the living vision of one of the world's greatest Shiraz winemakers, Roman Bratasiuk. The dream was realised in 1990 and is now home to some of the most outstanding and hard to get single vineyard wines in Australia. The Astralis is the flagship wine in the Clarendon Hills portfolio, and while this vineyard is not treated any differently to the others, it garners the most worldwide attention due to its incredible expression and timeless elegance. From an Easterly aspect and planted on a 45 degree ascending slope, Australis has phenomenal varietal length and will repay the patient cellarer for more than 15 years.

Château Léoville-Barton is one of the oldest Château's in Saint Julien with the Barton family still owning the estate some 175+ years since they took stewardship of the property. Always a finely perfumed wine is produced with rich and powerful tannin that gives way to beautiful fruit and richness of flavour with aging. This is especially the case when speaking of the remarkable 2009 vintage which is being classified as one of the very best of the past 100 years. Take advantage of such a vintage with wines like Léoville's that won't break the Bordeaux bank.