Torbreck The Laird
Every now and then, in life and in wine, we are presented with unique opportunities to express ourselves and create something truly remarkable. When these rare opportunities arise, we need to capture, nurture and develop them so that their potential is fulfilled. So when Torbreck were given the opportunity to work with one of the most famous vineyards in the Barossa Valley, they were determined to use all their experience to ensure the resulting Shiraz was truly remarkable.
Chris Ringland Hoffman Shiraz
Chris Ringland Hoffman Shiraz 2006 is a wine for the connoisseur. The palate is complex, with flavours of smoke, liquorice, blueberry and toasty oak on a savoury, super-ripe and gentle structure. For the 2006 vintage, the wine was then aged in new French oak for five years, before blending in preparation for bottling. It's impeccably aged and drinking beautifully now or until 2020.
Château Cos d'Estournel Saint-Estèphe
Cos d'Estournel remains today one of the true icons of Bordeaux, and the trademark of Saint Estèphe. With it's pagoda like house (as it's one of the rare Bordeaux's without a Château) it is a must visit for all travelling along the route des châteaux. Always of great reputation, the wines soared in esteem throughout the tenure of Bruno Prats through 1971 to 1998 and continue to this day with their Cabernet Sauvignon based wines of extreme purity and elegance. The 2009 vintage will be highly sought after with the conditions in the left bank region at their very best. Showing a more riper, plump fruit nature than the usual masculine, long-lived trademark, this years Cos will be quick out the door.
Chateau Trotanoy
Château Canon St-Émilion
Chateau Canon shows no shy and retiring character in 2010, set to a naturally ripe and high 15% alcohol. Though power and density is a motif in 2010, there is a surprising suppleness in this wine, born from central St-Emillion vineyards and the same family of wine as Chateau Rauzan-Segla of Margaux. Almost evenly split between Merlot and Cabernet Franc usually, it''s three quarters Merlot in 2010; the wine matures in oak barrel for 18 months, with around 70% of those offering new wood character. While dense and compact, there is a succulence to the wine that suggests cellaring to two decades would be apt.
Tenuta San Guido Sassicaia
Based on Cabernet, Sassicaia is one of the first Italian reds to be made in the image of Bordeaux. In the late 1990s Sassicaia was granted its own DOC, the only wine from a single vineyard to enjoy this privilege.
Les Forts de Latour Pauillac
Les Forts de Latour is the wonderful second label of the famous Château Latour of Pauillac. Les Forts lacks none of the legendary power and concentration of its elder brother although it is approachable at a much earlier age. Rich Cabernet influence dominates this wine that comes from Latour fruit that doesn't make the grand vin as well as the younger vine material. The 2009 is considered one of the truly great vintages in living memory and it is in these years that secondary wines like this Forst de Latour really shine. Value and pedigree all wrapped in one package!
Chateau Palmer 3me cru classe
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.
Chateau Montrose 2me cru classe
Chateau Montrose is a second Grand Cru Classé estate in St-Estephe and is considered one of the leading wine properties of the appellation. Located in the eastern half of the appellation just 800 metres from the Gironde estuary, the propertys proximity to the water provides a unique micro-climate that protects the vines from frost. The Grand Vin is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc, that appears very powerful and austere in its youth, with a backbone of firm tannins that provides exceptional longevity.
M chapoutier Ermitage Le Pavillon
M. CHAPOUTIER Ermitage Le Pavillon, Hermitage Rare and highly sought-after, M.Chapoutiers brooding Ermitage Le Pavillon comes from a parcel of vines anchored on the granite soils of the Bessard commune lower down on the Hill of Hermitage. Le Pavillon refers to the ruins of an old stone-house located just below the vineyard on the famous Hill. The Syrah grapes are hand-harvested and entirely destemmed before undergoing vinification in concrete tanks. Following an extended maceration the wine is matured in a mix of approximately 30% new and 70% seasoned French oak casks for 18-20 months.