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The history of Chateau Pichon-Longueville Baron is a tale of two estates. The chateau and vineyard known as Pichon Baron was given in dowry to the founders daughter when she married Jacques du Pichon Longueville. After the death of their descendent, the Baron Joseph de Pichon Longueville, in 1850 the estate was again divided - on his deathbed, he gave what became Chateau Pichon Baron to the men of his family, and what became Chateau Pichon Lalande to the women - resulting in, some say, more masculine and sensuous styles of wine respectively! Between the 1960s and the 1980s, the estate went through a period of rather lacklustre production - however, since 1990, they have been producing, according to many, some of the best wines in their history. The 2016 has earned high praise and glowing comparisons to their legendary 1990 Pichon Baron.

Chateau de Beaucastel Hommage à Jacques Perrin is a monumental wine, made only in top vintages. The wine was first produced in 1989 as a tribute to Jacques Perrin, who died in 1978. Atypical for Chateauneuf-du Pape, the Hommage is a Mourvèdre dominant blend sourced from low-yielding old vines. Deeply concentrated and powerful, it possesses immense capacity to age.

The second wine of Chateau Margaux came about partly due to misfortune - when an attack of phylloxera decimated the vineyards, necessitating a replanting of the majority of their vineyards. The lack of grapes eliminated the possibility of a First Growth Quality wine and led to the production of their second wine - the Pavillon Rouge de Chateau Margaux, the first official vintage of which was released in 1906. Renowned as a sterling example of a second wine, the 2016 has been hailed as a particularly superb vintage. Medium-bodied, silky, intense and tannic, it continues its impressive trajectory year upon year.

A 1st Growth of the highest order, Château Margaux is one of the original 1st growths classified in the Médoc and is arguably the most important of the region. Producing only some 33,000 cases of predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon, Margaux consistently produces wines that are among the finest examples of the vintage. 2009 is regarded as one of the finest in recent memory in the region and 'normal' wines form the Margaux appellation are being heralded as truly exceptional. One can only speculate how magnificent the Château Margaux will be in 15-20 years time, if one can be patient enough!

Australia's premier cool climate Cabernet. It was John Middleton's dream to create such a wine and purchased the Mount Mary property in the Yarra Valley in 1971 to persue this dream. Quintet is his dream realised and is a blend of the classic Bordeaux varieties of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec.

Comte Armand is one of the leading and best estates in Pommard. This wine rivals Bordeaux in terms of intensity and concentration. To many it will always have an underlying elegance and class.

As often happens with Calvert, the nose when young is slightly muted and more direct than exotic; pure and fine aromas, not bold and lush. The palate follows on accordingly, with clarity of fruit, roses and florals. Focussed, concentrated yet pure in the mid-palate, with its hallmark mineral texture, its firm but ultimately juicy on the finish. The vines are growing up and were seeing the puppy-fat turn to muscle.