This 25-hectare Premier Grand Cru Classe estate, perched on the highest plateau of St Émilion, is one of the jewels of the right bank. Made with the assistance of Michel Rolland, this opulent and generously proportioned Bordeaux, with dark plum praline flavours and chocolatey tannins, is one of the top wines of this vintage.

Another terrific success for the flagship estate (a 92-acre vineyard situated on the famed limestone and clay-rich slopes of Cote Pavie) of Chantal and Gerard Perse, the 2011 Pavie is composed of 70% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. 2011 may be the biggest, richest, most massive wine of the vintage. With thrilling levels of concentration, tremendous purity, high but sweet tannin, a skyscraper-like mouthfeel, and terrific intensity, depth and palate presence, this larger-than-life effort will require 5-8 years of cellaring, and should age effortlessly over the following 25-30 years.

Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste produce some of the best value wines in the Pauillac region, if not simply some of the best quality in general. Cabernet based reds are their staple and generally produce wines of a robust and masculine nature. In recent years the wines are close to rivalling the famed Pichons .

Château Clos Fourtet was once a fort used to protect the ancient medieval village of Saint-Émilion. Fourtet now produces wines of intense blackberry and liquorice and lovely ripe tannins. Always an elegant wine, but balanced with plump fruit to appeal to most. Merlot plays the dominant role in the blend delivering the trademark softness of Saint-Émilion wines. The specific 2009 example is a wine of truly epic proportions. Some have even considered it to be the greatest young Bordeaux to have ever been produced! A cacophony of flavours including blue and purple fruit, forest floor, cassis, red cherries and aniseed. The fruit is clearly defined along with the expert integration of oak, tannin and acid. A truly remarkable achievement in winemaking.