Powerful , densely structured and complex, M.Chapoutiers Barbe Rac Chateauneuf-du-Pape is a single vineyard wine produced entirely from Grenache. The fruit is sourced from vines averaging 90 years of age, located in the south of the appellation. The carefully selected grapes are hand harvested, entirely de-stemmed and vinified in concrete tanks. Maturation takes place for 12 months in oak, followed by a further 12 months in bottle prior to release.

Bright medium red with purple hue in colour; On the nose: pronounced Blackcurrant, crushed wet leaves and dark plums, bouquet of wild violet and a decent amount of almost wet tobacco oak. A full bodied wine that has great length on the palate with firm but refined tannins. Simply outstanding in its class.

Pegasus Bay have about a dozen different clones of Pinot Noir. With their original plantings, these grow intermingled throughout the various blocks. The vines, many of which are nearly 30 years old and on their own roots, grow on a series of north facing, gradually descending terraces. Traditional Burgundian winemaking methods are used. Bright ruby colour. Its generous aromas and flavours dark cherries, blackberries, raspberries and mulberries, suffused with chocolate mocha and spice. There is an underlying savoury character, suggesting grilled meats and mushrooms with a hint of black olive tapenade. It is seductively light on entry but rapidly expands on the palate to become rich and mouth filling, while retaining elegance and poise. Silky tannins help draw out its lingering aftertaste.

Château Latour à is an unclassified producer yet amongst the great crus of the Pomerol appellation. The excellent 1982 vintage has produced a Latour à for the ages. Still retaining structure in its maturity, the nose exerts dark fruits, herbs and subtle spice leading to the elegantly balanced palate.

Chateau Lascombes is a second grand cru classé of Margaux, renowned for producing perfumed elegant wines which gain greater depth and complexity with cellaring. The 118 ha vineyard of the Chateau is one of the largest and most fragmented in the area with plots spread across the Margaux appellation. Plantings comprise 50% Merlot, 45% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Petit Verdot anchored predominantly on gravel, clay and sand soils. The wine is vinified in a combination of wood and stainless steel vats and then aged in 80% new French oak barriques for 18 months. Serious investment both in the vineyard and winery has led to a notable renaissance in quality in recent years.

An elegant more mid-weight Pauillac, Chateau dArmailhac is classically structured claret that is slightly earlier drinking than some of its Pauillac counterparts. The grapes are handpicked, de-stemmed and vinified using traditional methods before undergoing maturation in 30% new oak and 70% second fill barrels.

Taking its name, appropriately enough, from Saint Martin, the Patron Saint of winegrowers, Clos Saint-Martin wines are renowned for their sensuous, opulent style - all lush, fruit-driven flavours and silken textures. This is embodied particularly beautifully in arguably the finest wine the estate has ever produced - the notoriously difficult to find 2005 Clos Saint-Martin. The winery dates back to the early 1800s and most recently changed hands in 2013, coming under the ownership of the Cuvelier family, who also own Clos Fourtet. Managed under the partnership of Michel Rolland, the evolution of Clos Saint-Martin continues to unfold in the most interesting (and delectable!) of ways.

Lynch-Bages is an iconic fifth growth of Pauillac and has the distinction of having produced the only wine that has ever been sent into space. Established in the early 1700s, the wine was labelled Chateau Jurine Bages at the time of the 1855 classification, later renamed in recognition of earlier owners the Lynch family. Jean-Charles Cazes purchased the property in the 1930s, later passing the management of the estate to his grandson Jean-Michel Cazes who modernised the winery and was a prolific spruiker of not just his own wines, but those of all Bordeaux throughout the 70s and beyond. Now managed by the next generation, (another Jean-Charles) Lynch-Bages continues to produce Cabernet Sauvignon-led wines of great concentration, offering ripe cassis and enviable cellaring potential.