Unmistakably, Grange, this 2012 vintage is complex, flamboyant and lifted. An aromatic multi-cultural characteristics. The earthiness is well integrated with the aromas of dark fruits, grounded coffee, red liquorice and black olives, which leads to a firmly structured finish.

Elegant and aristocratic kaleidoscope of aromas, an abundance of fruit flavours, blackberry, mulberry and blueberry with supporting complexity of mint, eucalypt, rhubarb, Turkish delight and cinnamon. The palate offers a rich tapestry of enjoyment and fulfilment of flavours of raspberry, strawberry and boysenberry to name a few. Made by Jim Barry.

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.

Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé Grand Cru Cuvée Vieilles Vignes Musigny De Vogüé and Musigny are synonymous. This the Domaines prized selection of old vines, the youngest of which are 40 years old, from their 7.2ha of the fabled Musigny. The vines are tended using organic principles, however, the Domaine does not hold an organic certification. Less than 1000 cases are produced in any vintage.

Australia's most prestigious single vineyard icon, Henschke Hill of Grace's provenance from this small Eden Valley patch makes it the ultimate statement or rare gift. Stephen and Prue Henschke continue the tradition that is their family legacy with utmost class and ingenuity as can be tasted in this remarkable single-vineyard shiraz.

Bin 707 is a Cabernet Sauvignon reflection of Grange, intensely-flavoured fruit, completion of fermentation and maturation in new oak, expressing a Penfolds understanding of multi-vineyard, multi-region fruit sourcing. Bin 707 was first vintaged in 1964. The wine was not made from 1970 to 1975 when fruit was directed to other wines, nor in 1981, 1995, 2000, 2003 or 2011 (when fruit of the required style and quality was not available). Full bodied and with proven cellaring potential, Bin 707 retains a secure place among the ranks of Australias finest Cabernets.

One of the very greatest estates of Bordeaux, Chateau Mouton-Rothschild is in the commune of Pauillac in the Haut-Medoc, 50km north-west of the city of Bordeaux. Its Chateau wine or ‘grand vin’ is among the world’s most highly-rated and expensive. Excluded from the highest rank (Premier Cru or First Growth) of the famous Bordeaux Classification of 1855, Mouton was finally promoted in 1973 after decades of lobbying by Baron Philippe de Rothschild, who ran the estate from 1922 until his death in 1988. Mouton was first in the region to bottle at the estate, rather than shipping its wine to merchants for bottling elsewhere. Since 1924 artists including Braque, Dali, Picasso, Henry Moore, Miro, Chagall, Kandinsky, Andy Warhol, Francis Bacon, David Hockney and Lucian Freud have been commissioned to produce artworks for the Mouton label. Since 1924 artists including Braque, Dali, Picasso, Henry Moore, Miro, Chagall, Kandinsky, Andy Warhol, Francis Bacon, David Hockney and Lucian Freud have been commissioned to produce artworks for the Mouton label. Mouton, uniquely among the First Growths, remains in the hands of the same family as it was at the time of the 1855 Classification. The vineyards are on slopes with gravel-based soils leading down to the Gironde estuary and total 75ha – 80pct Cabernet Sauvignon, 16pct Merlot, 3pct Cabernet Franc and 1pct Petit Verdot. The Chateau wine is (unusually) fermented in large oak vats and then matured in new oak barrels for between 19 and 22 months. Total production of the ‘grand vin’ is 20,000 dozen or less. There is a ‘second wine’, Le Petit Mouton, established in 1993. The ‘grand vin’ is noted for its flamboyance – exotic, powerful aromas of cassis, minerals, tobacco leaf and graphite, an opulent palate and impressive length of flavour.