The rich and full-bodied Coppermine Road Cabernet Sauvignon, named after a neighbouring road, is based on "parent of the Reynell Clone" material, renowned for its low yield, violet blackcurrant aromas and naturally high acidity. This is a classic "best-of-vintage" Australian-style Cabernet Sauvignon, with a great reputation for aging. Typically it shows intense mulberry, violet, cedar aromas with rich cassis, plum, dark chocolate flavours, muscular tannins and underlying savoury oak. After vinification in headed-down open fermenters, fermentation is completed in barrel. 18 months maturation in new and old French oak follows. Older wines may show a touch of earthy, sage, mint characters.

MAYACAMAS VINEYARDS Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley Not much has changed by way of production since Bob Travers started the Mayacamas estate in the early 1940s. The fruit is handpicked early, often in early September - abvs usually end up between 13 and 14 percent to preserve natural, altitude derived acidities. Fermentations occur predominantly in open-top cement vessels which were built in the 1950s, again to preserve acidities and vibrant fruit character. Extended ageing occurs exclusively in neutral oak some as old as 100 years typically for three years which allows the vineyard's expression to shine through the powerful fruit profile, while also minimising oxygenation and helping to maintain the powerful and tight tannin structure Mayacamas is so famous for. The wines then usually spend a further two years in bottle before it is ready to be released to the market. Mayacamas make wines that lie in stark contrast to the more prevalent rich, heavily oaked, high in abv, bombastic wines that are common in the Napa Valley.

Bin 707 Cabernet Sauvignon represents the Penfolds house red wine style at its most rich and powerful. Typically it is immensely concentrated with dark berry/dark chocolate fruit, balanced and enhanced by well-seasoned new oak, plenty of fruit sweetness and strong, but not overwhelming tannins. Breaking with the tradition of using storage bin numbers, Bin 707 was named after the Boeing 707, the aircraft that brought Australia closer to the rest of the world during the 1960s! The wine is sourced from the best parcels of Cabernet Sauvignon which are vinified in open stainless steel fermenters before undergoing partial barrel-fermentation in new American oak hogsheads for a period of 18 months.

Xanadu Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon is vibrant and robust with great balance from the bouquet of ripe forest fruits and violet on the nose; A refined structure of tannins, oak use and the acidity on the palate; All are great indications of a wine that would benefit from careful bottle maturation for many years to come.

Regarded a Super Second (but technically a 3me growth), Palmer is capable of producing wines that equal or even outstrip the quality of its famous Premier cru neighbour, Ch. Margaux. Named for the wealthy English military man who bought the estate in the early 19th century, Palmer is now majority owned by the Mahler Besse and Sichel families - famous Bordeaux negociants. Many of the best plots on the property were purchased after the Classification of 1855, explaining in part why Palmer did not warrant higher standing at that time. Certainly today there is no question that the wine is among Bordeauxs best. The estate also makes a separate second label - named Alter Ego - which is made from similarly high quality fruit but treated differently in the winery with the aim of producing a counterpoint in style to the First wine.

The formidable fortress depicted on the famed vanilla Latour label was built to withstand the Gironde pirate attacks of the 15th Century. And, truly, as well as the tower still stands, so does Latour and its consistent excellence regardless of vintage. Nominally Pauillac, this First Growth sits almost astride the border of St. Julien and its output as one would expect is dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon with 10 per cent awarded to both Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Any experience with Latour is to be savoured with patience this notoriously slow-developing wine requires at least a decade or twos development. But the reward for this patience is a fulsome melange of power, finesse, depth and tone.