Rated 97 Halliday points. "Deep crimson-purple; whereas the '11 had to fight every inch of the way, this wine displays almost contemptuous ease in the way it has marshalled the layers of black fruits and ripe tannins that soak up the new oak inputs. This will be one of the long-lived, great Black Labels." James Halliday Wine Companion, July 2015.

HAUT BAILLY II Second wine of Chateau Haut-Bailly, Pessac-Leognan

Representing our finest selection of Shiraz from our estate vineyards expressing clearly varietal and vintage, this wine is the pinnacle for us of this noble grape in a cool elegant corner of Australia. Bearing the dark spice and forest floor characters which are hallmarks of Margaret River, wrapped in a fine textured umami envelope of goodness, this wine takes us on a wonderful journey, of which we are merely taking our first steps. Concentrated and vibrant on the palate with a rich diversity of black and red fruit intertwined with nutmeg, cinnamon and sweet spices. The mouthfeel is a lovely balance between powdery, chalky tannins and a playful acidity, finishing with great length and lingering notes of cedar and dried herbs.

This wine shows the style of the vintage and quite likely the impact of the small crop. In such years, Cabernet Sauvignon in particular, has a complex but somewhat subdued nose, where the wine hints of the underlying power and complexity but takes years to reveal its true colours. So here we see smouldering red currant, black currant and mulberry, with a floral, violet lift, sitting over cedar and tar. On the palate there is concentration and length - dark fruits combining with firm tannin and leather and tarry notes.

Blackcurrants, cherries, dried cranberries and Satsuma plums feature on the nose at the forefront. Bay leaf, cinnamon, cardamon, cedar and clove combine with heightened lavender notes and hints of fresh tobacco. The palate is fine with a mineral thread. It is elegant and delicately layered. Blackcurrant and cherries feature again with a subtle cassis edge. The mid palate has supple flesh with cocoa, coffee bean and cassia leading to a graphite line and powdery tannins.

The Malleea (an aboriginal word for 'green paddock') is a very fine exapmle of the classic Australian Cabernet/Shiraz blend. The 2008 is rich, dark magenta in colour, with ripe plums, spice and vanillin oak on the nose. The palate is like a complex fruit cake with layers of fresh berries, black olives and hints of chocolate.

Domaine A Cabernet Sauvignon, which also includes a small percentage of Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot is a foil to the more opulent mainland styles. Violets, roses and blackcurrants pervade through the wine like an English country garden. The tannins are especially fine grained and there is a beautiful freshness and mineral quality on the palate. The parcels of fruit are batch vinified in stainless steel tanks before maturation in 100% new oak for between two and three years.