LA DAME DE MONTROSE Second Wine of Chateau Montrose
La Dame de Montrose, first vintage 1983, is the highly-regarded second wine of Chateau Montrose, the St. Estephe deuxième cru (second growth). Montrose has a little more than 90ha of vines, the entire site overlooking the Gironde. The vineyard is 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. Around 50% (or less) of the crop goes to make the grand vin and around 30% (or more) goes into La Dame de Montrose. (The rest is used elsewhere or sold in bulk.) In good years La Dame de Montrose is considered a bargain, in the best years it stands alone as a great wine. The Dame de Montrose herself is the late Yvonne Charmolüe, who ran the estate from 1944 to 1960.
LA CHAPELLE DE LA MISSION HAUT-BRION Second Wine of Chateau La Mission Haut-Brion
This is the second wine of La Mission Haut-Brion. About 4000 cases are produced each year.
Woodlands Margaret Cabernet Merlot
The Woodlands Margaret is, true to its name, a realisation of all that is great about Margaret River, arguably Australias home of the Bordeaux style. Sourced from the Woodlands Vineyards in Wilyabrup this is a blend of 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot and 8% Malbec. Considering the price of the Watson familys flagship, the Margaret offers truly outstanding value.
Tapanappa Whalebone Vineyard Merlot Cabernet Franc
"A 64-36% blend matured for 22 months in 70% new French oak. Bright, light hue, still youthful; a complex wine from start to finish, the bouquet expressive, the medium-bodied palate with many messages of savoury red fruits, black olive and briar, corralled by fine, but persistent, tannins." 94 points, James Halliday Wine Companion, July 2014.
Paul Jaboulet Aîné Crozes Hermitage Domaine de Thalabert
'The finest vintage to date, better even than the stellar 2010, the 2015 Crozes-Hermitage Domaine De Thalabert is a gorgeous, deep, layered and incredibly satisfying Crozes. Blackcurrants, olive tapenade, truffles and earthy notes all emerge from this full-bodied, gorgeously textured and seamless 2015. With fine tannin and no hard edges, it can be drunk today or cellaring for 15-20 years.' Jeb Dunnuck
Leeuwin Estate Cabernet Sauvignon
A concentrated dark fruit spectrum with an abundance of ripe blackcurrants, cherries and a hint of cassis. Coffee bean, dark chocolate and black olives lie beneath. Subtle dustiness combines with a seductive violet lift, enhancing the varietal fragrance and increasing complexity. A dense and layered palate with incredible texture. The generosity of the palate is carefully laced with a fine and structural acid line. Dark cherries and currants weave through smokey and mocha notes, finishing with long tactile tannins.