PENFOLDS Special Bin 111A Shiraz, Clare Valley, Barossa Valley It is a tradition at Penfolds to experiment, research and develop new wines. The large number of mostly one-off, bin-numbered wines produced, beginning in the 1950s, initially shows a company diversifying away from its core business of fortified wines. In the 1960s, the primary aim was to make show wines, but the program also resulted in the development of current-day staples like Bin 707 and Bin 389 and, more recently, of Bin 407, RWT Shiraz and Yattarna Chardonnay. In effect, the first two Special Bin wines were the then-experimental 1951 Grange and the control wine Max Schubert made alongside it so he could see what the wine would be like matured in a single, old 4500 litre cask rather than the new, 300 litre American oak barrels in which he put the real Grange.That wine is now forgotten, but, said Schubert (in 1979): It did... set the guidelines for the production and marketing of a whole range of special red wines which have been sought after, vintage by vintage, to this day. Schuberts successors, the late Don Ditter, John Duval and Peter Gago, continued the tradition, making small-batch wines (1000 dozen or less) for comparison with existing styles, to try out something new in the way of varietal or regional combinations or simply to spotlight a brilliant parcel of fruit. Some may be forgotten in time, but others are considered among the greatest Australian wines of all time.

The harvest began very early, on the 5th September, and lasted 9 weeks. This made is possible to reflect all the diversity of a year in which both flowering and veraison were very spread out. Picking began especially early at Yquem in 2014. Some 25% of the crop was brought in before the 15th of September, providing a rare and precious background of acidity.

DOMAINE PRIEURE ROCH Argillieres 1er Cru, Nuits-St-Georges

Penfolds Quantum Bin 98 is the continuation of a twenty-year endeavor from when Australian vine cuttings were planted in Californian soil. A Wine of the World that encapsulates a bold blending alliance, Quantum reveals a wine that shows wisdom, crafted with conviction but also embedded in the quality-first philosophy that underpins Penfolds flagships. The wine serves as the most powerful expression of Penfolds' blending style and leads the charge in their ambition to seek out parcels of intense flavor, structural tannins and equal parts grace and complexity. Northern and southern hemispheres bring prized cabernet sauvignon from Napa Valley and pedigreed shiraz from South Australia, respectively, into each others realm. Not adhering to expectations and de rigueur.

Founded in 1981 by Lodovico Antinori and named after the grove of flowering ash trees that surround the winery, the estate over looks the Tyrrhenian Sea with views stretching to islands of the Tuscan Archipelago and as far as Corsica. Sitting adjacent Tenuta San Guido (producer of Sassicaia) this is one of the estates that helped put Bolgehri on the map, along with Lodovicos older brothers Solaia and Tiganello, as well as Sassicaia. There are 3 wines in the range, the flagship Ornellaia; its second label, Le Serre Nuove; and its entry-level gem, Le Volte. Grape Varieties in 2014: 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, 7% Petit Verdot. The 2015 vintage comprised 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 17% Cabernet Franc, 7% Petit Verdot.

LOKOYA Spring Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley