$100 and over
Chateau Rayas Reserve
Paul Jaboulet Aîné Hermitage La Maison Bleue
"Replacing the Petit Chapelle cuvee and first made in 2015, the 2016 Hermitage La Maison Bleue is smoking good. Black fruits, charcoal, powdered rock, currants and chocolate notes all give way to a big, concentrated, impressively structures barrel sample that has tons of potential. I expect the tannin will have integrated by the time this is released, but a few years of bottle age still recommended." - Jeb Dunnuck
Tardieu-Laurent
Tardieu-Laurent Vieilles Vignes
M chapoutier, Neve, Côte-Rôtie
First made commercially available for the 2016 vintage, the Neve is a young wine with character and bite. Named for the lieu-dit on which its reasonably young vines are grown, it is stylishly racy with savoury elements that mingle seductively with bay leaf and lavender. A dry style, it is taut and pretty on the palate, with that long finish so characteristic of Chapoutier.
Powell & Son Chattertons Shiraz
Kellermeister The Meister Eden Valley Shiraz
Shiraz doesn't get much better than this! The 2016 Meister was rated 99 points / Best of the Best Shiraz by James Halliday in the 2020 Wine Companion and showcases the pinnacle of what can be done in the Eden Valley with this variety. The accolades and wine critics reviews say all that needs to be said. Powerful and balanced.
Penfolds Bin 389 Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz GB
A well-defined focus on palate. Forward facing – line and length. The fascinating interplay between cabernet sauvignon and shiraz providing not only considerable length and structure, but also width and density. Result... completely filling the palate. Always anticipated, a trademark creamy Bin 389 mid-palate. A wine with much to offer even in the flush of youth. Complexing flavours: savoury nuances of freshly sliced fennel, pan wilted radicchio leaf and pickled turnips. Moroccan lamb backstraps on eggplant relish. Red liquorice and cherry provide a sweet counterpoint. Evolved tannins seamlessly drive the palate structure. Will last many decades, if you can wait that long.Bin 389 was often referred to as ‘Baby Grange’, in part because components of the wine are matured in the same barrels that held the previous vintage of Grange.