Unmistakably, Grange, this 2012 vintage is complex, flamboyant and lifted. An aromatic multi-cultural characteristics. The earthiness is well integrated with the aromas of dark fruits, grounded coffee, red liquorice and black olives, which leads to a firmly structured finish.
Established in 1836, Madame Pommery is credited with creating the first vintage brut style of Champagne in 1874, at a time when most champagnes were excessively sweetened with sugar. This revolutionary dry style set the benchmark for the rest of Champagne and it is in this spirit that the style of Pommery endures; with each cuvée displaying sublime elegance, finesse and freshness. Pommery is one of the few Champagne Houses that produces their large formats in the actual bottle in order to allow for optimal ageing.
Clos Vougeot is renowned for being one of the finest red wines in Burgundy with superlative depth, richness and power. Domaine d'Eugenies Clos Vougeot comes off a small holding of 1.36ha within the large walled Clos Vougeot vineyard. The plot is located in one of the best positions at the top of the slope and is managed along biodynamic principles. The fruit is handpicked, 50% is then destemmed with fermentation taking place in small vessels, before undergoing maturation in approximately 90% new French oak barrels.
The 2001 La Turque is a vineyard-designated wine from a parcel inside the lieu-dit Côte Brune. It is a blend of 93% Syrah and 7% Vigonier. Meaty and rich, laced with Asian spice, espresso, blackberries, and cherry. An earthy, powerful, tannic wine with a long, heady, rich finish. Give it at lease 2-5 years in the cellar, and drink before 2040. One of the finest wines in Dan Murphy's Cellar Release Range.
Australian Pinot Noir does not get any better than the wines produced by Phillip Jones at the iconic Bass Phillip winery. A Pinot Noir of utmoust power and elegance, the rival to any great Burgundy. Rated in the top classification in Langton's Classification of Australian Wine, Bass Phillip Pinot Noir is riddled with complex flavours of strawberry, violets, rose petal and forest floor. The length of palate is immortal.
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.
Château Margaux is a 1er Cru Classé (first growth) estate of Bordeaux. The Grand Vin is renowned for its enthralling perfumed elegance, finesse and layered complexity. A Cabernet Sauvignon blend with a minor component of Merlot and a smattering of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, fermentation occurs in oak vats followed by maturation in 100% new barrels for approximately 22 months. Since its acquisition in 1978 by the Mentzelopoulos family, the quality and international reputation of Château Margaux has soared to even greater heights.
One of the very greatest estates of Bordeaux, Château Mouton Rothschild is in the commune of Pauillac in the Haut-Medoc, 50km north-west of the city of Bordeaux. Its Chateau wine or grand vin is among the worlds most highly-rated and expensive. Excluded from the highest rank (Premier Cru or First Growth) of the famous Bordeaux Classification of 1855, Mouton was finally promoted in 1973 after decades of lobbying by Baron Philippe de Rothschild, who ran the estate from 1922 until his death in 1988. Mouton was first in the region to bottle at the estate, rather than shipping its wine to merchants for bottling elsewhere. Since 1924 artists including Braque, Dali, Picasso, Henry Moore, Miro, Chagall, Kandinsky, Andy Warhol, Francis Bacon, David Hockney and Lucian Freud have been commissioned to produce label images. Mouton, uniquely among the First Growths, remains in the hands of the same family as it was at the time of the 1855 Classification. The vineyards are on slopes with gravel-based soils leading down to the Gironde estuary and total 75ha 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot. The Chateau wine is (unusually) fermented in large oak vats and then matured in new oak barrels for between 19 and 22 months. Total production of the grand vin is 20,000 dozen or less. There is a second wine, Le Petit Mouton, established in 1993. The grand vin is noted for its flamboyance exotic, powerful aromas of cassis, minerals, tobacco leaf and graphite, an opulent palate and impressive length of flavour.