Château Montrose
France's Bordeaux, is the spiritual home of the Cabernet family of grapes, which extends beyond Sauvignon and Franc to Merlot, Malbec and Petit Verdot. If you love Margaret River Cabernet blends, or indeed the Merlot dominant reds of Hawkes Bay, NZ, then you must look at the wines upon which many of them have been modelled. This wine is Cabernet and Merlot, deep and rich, cassis and earthy cedar, structure and uncommon length - all hallmarks of Grand Cru Bordeaux.
Château les Carmes-Haut-Brion
Quintarelli Giuseppe Ca’ del Merlo Rosso Veneto
Clos du Marquis
Isole e Olena Cepparello Red
Casanova di Neri Pietradonice
Domaine de Chevalier Pessac-Léognan
Originating from the southern Bordeaux region of Pessac-Léognan, Domaine de Chevalier is known for reds that are deep in colour, a nose that is restrained at first, but full of complexity and a palate that has power and length of flavour. Some are of the beleif that their wines are verging on the reputation of Haut-Brion and La Mission!
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
Château Léoville-Barton St-Julien
From the smallest parcel of the Leoville estate, comes Chateau L?oville-Barton, a once mid-tier level 2nd Growth that has accelerated in quality and interest since the reinvigoration of current proprietor Anthony Barton in the mid 1980s. The rich, gravel-and-clay soils host a predominately Cabernet Sauvignon base of vines, though Merlot and Cabernet Franc also factor. New oak use is kept to around 50%, and the wines are notable for their purity yet power. 2010 is no exception, with a wine that drives with authority across the palate, while providing the baseline for a long time of pleasurable cellaring. Rightfully called one of the most exciting producers of St-Julien.
Primo Estate JOSEPH Moda Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot
This wine is acclaimed as one of Australia’s finest Cabernets since Joe Grilli of Primo Estate released the first vintage in 1987. To create the JOSEPH Moda, Joe combines Aussie know-how with his traditional Italian winemaking by air drying the finest McLaren Vale fruit on shaded outdoor racks for two weeks prior to crushing. The fruit is concentrated so that it loses around 15% of its weight. This inspired use of the Italian Amarone technique creates an opulent, brooding wine. All fruit is hand harvested and sorted from Primo Estate's dry grown vineyards in McLaren Vale and Clarendon. The wine is aged in new French and American oak barriques for 20 months to create a subtle layering - mocha, cinnamon, vanilla and cedar streaks ripple through the palate; the considerable tannins are saturated by the sheer lushness of flavour.