Château Clinet Pomerol
Château Clinet is a rising star in the small Right Bank region of Pomerol. With its gravely soil mixed with sand, Château Clinet has gradually increased the Merlot component of the wine to produce a voluptuous, smooth and yet still complex red wine that is both pleasing upon release and turns into a read star with a few years in the cellar.
Roberto Voerzio Barolo Del Comune Di La Morra , Barolo Docg
The Barolo del Commune di La Morra is a wine made from grapes grown in the La Serra, Fossati, Case Nere and Barolo vineyards. Roberto leaves each cluster weighing around 1kg instead of the 500g clusters used for the Cru Baroli. This is a stellar wine and a very good introduction to the range and philosophy of Roberto Voerzio.
Dominio De Pingus Flor de Pingus
Flor de Pingus is produced by the visionary Danish winemaker Peter Sisseck. Truffle-tobacco nose with sour cherry and fruitnnut tree aromatics, theres gamey beast-hide, and a purple storm raining minerals. Fine and radiant, with cool blue fruits - powder-tannined, nutty-inky-and-mineral in the mouth, this Tempranillo is Ribera del Duero from on high.
Elio Altare Arborina, Barolo
100% Nebbiolo from the village of La Morra. Made using grapes from two south and south-east facing plots, one planted in 1948, the other in 1989. Soil composition is marna stone with clay and sand. Maceration takes place on skins for 4-5 days in rotary fermenters with temperature control. After fermentation the wine is aged in (225l) French oak barriques for 24 months. After more than 45 vintages, Elio Altare, grandson of founder Giuseppe, passed the torch to his daughter Silvia, who produces some of the very best modern Barolos Piedmont has to offer.
Elio Grasso Ginestra Casa Mate
Casa Maté is the more masculine of Grassos two regular Barolos, showing darker fruit, more tar and a more robust tannin profile. The fruit comes from a south-facing 3 ha plot within the Ginestra vineyard, 300-350 meters above sea level, on relatively loose-packed, slightly clayey, calcareous soil. Driven by rigorous attention to detail in the vineyard and picking at optimum phenolic maturity, Grassos Vigna Casa Maté is a contemporary expression of traditional Barolo underscored by immaculate winemaking. The wine is fermented in stainless steel and typically spends 30 days on skins followed by 30 months maturation in 2500L Slavonian oak casks.
Château Montrose St-Estèphe
The balancing act of Chateau Montrose sees 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot and for the first time an inclusion from the recently purchased vineyard parcel of Phelan Segur. Chateau Montrose is considered a top producer from St-Estephe, known for potential in cellaring and considered unique for its style, which is set to 'vin de garde' wines. The estate property is set on gravel-based soils and sits in what is conisdered a microclimate, also conspiring in the unique perfumes, composition and forimdable structure of these wines. 2010 has been spectacular for Montrose power and presence, and will be a worthy wine to drink in a decade to 75 years.
Wynns Michael Shiraz
Wynns Michael Shiraz is a 'best-of-vintage' Shiraz from Wynns vineyard sites in Coonawarra and is named after David Wynn's youngest son. Made in the years that best show Coonawarra's unique terroir, this latest release displays the qualities that have made the 'Michael' one of the most highly regarded of all Australian Shiraz with aromas of red currants, cherries and raspberry that mesh every so well with the olive and white spice characters. The palate follows with an elegant structure bursting with dark brooding spice and succulent ripe tannins.
