Chateau de Nalys
Torbreck Les Amis Grenache
The Torbreck Les Amis Grenache is aged for 18 months in new oak and is a remarkably fragrant wine that shows abundant aromas of spice, cherry and wild raspberry. Textured and plush on the palate, it evolves into layers of blackberry and red currants with firm, ripe tannins. David Powell continues to lead this formidable Barossa wine estate to truly remarkable heights.
Tommaso Bussola Amarone della Valpolicella Classico
Concentrated aromas and flavours of prunes, dried raisins, herbs and soil with a juicy palate, supple tannins and balanced acidy, this is a benchmark for the style.Regarded as one of the top producers in the Veneto, Tomaso Bussallo continually produces Amarone that ranks at the top by Italys fine wine guide, Gamberro Rosso.
Noon Reserve Shiraz
Noon Winery has become a cult figure in the wine world due to their opulent red wines that are known for their concentration and power. Not beholden to the trend of lower-alcohol, leaner styles, Drew and Raegan Noon produce block-buster reds that are in huge demand the world over. Their Reserve Shiraz is so highly thought of, it sits in the Outstanding category in Langton's Classification of Australian Wine. With fruit sourced from the '20 Rows' block in Langhorne Creek owned by the Borrett family, this is a Shiraz of serious weight and body. Still very young, aromas of violets, lavender and herbs are balanced with traditional fruit notes of blueberries and spice. Big and fleshy on the palate while still showing supreme complexity, this is a wine that needs some decanting before enjoying the saturating flavours that Noon can offer.
Craggy Range Le Sol Syrah
With a name that directly translates from French as 'The Soil', the Le Sol Syrah (Shiraz) pays homage to the terroir that creates this rich and evocative wine. With the trademark Gimblett Gravels stony soil, with exhibits amazing refinement and breeding while not relinquishing body and complexity.
Two Hands Ares Shiraz
Two Hands Ares Shiraz is a wine that showcases the very best parcel selection that Michael Twelftree and Richard Mintz can get their 'Two Hands' on. A wonderfully powerful, rich and dense Shiraz from the Barossa Valley, the Ares Shiraz is matured in 100% French Oak, not a common practice in the Barossa. With the full-bodied nature of the wine, the extra bottle age makes the Ares Shiraz a perfect bottle to open now.
Château d'Issan Margaux
The 2010 Chateau d'Issan is 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot, showing 'classic Margaux' in its perfume, finesse and apparent elegance. Soils are gravel and clay, which contributes to the high-tones of perfume from the wine, and though an estate that is neccesarily clawing its way back to a higher profile, is doing so with deeds in bottle over showmanship. On its side, the vineyard is dense with older vines that naturally offer lower yields, allowing for a higher quality of fruit for the winemaking team, in turn producing a wine of stellar quality from 2010.
Isole E Olena Cepparello IGT
In the 1950s, the father of current winemaker Paolo di Marchi purchased the adjoining hamlets of Isole and Olena and their estates in the Tuscan commune of Barberino Val d'Elsa. The concept and style of Cepparello was developed by Paolo De Marchi over a period beginning in the mid 1970's. This Sangiovese wine is named after a small stream, Borro Cepparello, originating in the highest point of the vineyards on the Isole e Olena estate.
Château Talbot St-Julien
The old school of the UK wine market have long loved the wines of Chateau Talbot, and the 2010 would have them purring. Chateau Talbot is a producer that occupies a large (102 hectares) swathe of land under vine in Medoc and makes wines that are set to a more traditional style, including rich wood scents, firm tannins, some rustic charm and a cassis-meets-violet fruit profile. This is a superb release of the wine, reminscent of classic Talbots that are sinewy when young, but still approachable, and for enthusiasts, glorious with cellar time.
Château d'Armailhac Pauillac
A famous 5th growth Bordeaux from the classic appellation of Pauillac that has undergone many name changes over its life. Starting life as Mouton d'Armailhac before changing in 1956 to Mouton Baron Philippe which changed to Baronne to commemorate the Baron's second wife. In 1991, the Baron's daughter decided to give the Château an original name to separate it from the other Mouton's and Château d'Armailhac was born. Situated across the road from the famous Mouton, the estate is run separately, but with equal care. Wines of great concentration and intensity are produced, as one would expect from such pedigree. The 2009 is the perfect example of this with a wine of fantastic intensity and concentration. One of the finest d'Armailhac's is living memory, swathes of blueberry, roasted meats and espresso coffee characters are present early and will only further develop with careful ageing over the next 20 years.
