MAYACAMAS VINEYARDS Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley Not much has changed by way of production since Bob Travers started the Mayacamas estate in the early 1940s. The fruit is handpicked early, often in early September - abvs usually end up between 13 and 14 percent to preserve natural, altitude derived acidities. Fermentations occur predominantly in open-top cement vessels which were built in the 1950s, again to preserve acidities and vibrant fruit character. Extended ageing occurs exclusively in neutral oak some as old as 100 years typically for three years which allows the vineyard's expression to shine through the powerful fruit profile, while also minimising oxygenation and helping to maintain the powerful and tight tannin structure Mayacamas is so famous for. The wines then usually spend a further two years in bottle before it is ready to be released to the market. Mayacamas make wines that lie in stark contrast to the more prevalent rich, heavily oaked, high in abv, bombastic wines that are common in the Napa Valley.

Bin 707 Cabernet Sauvignon represents the Penfolds house red wine style at its most rich and powerful. Typically it is immensely concentrated with dark berry/dark chocolate fruit, balanced and enhanced by well-seasoned new oak, plenty of fruit sweetness and strong, but not overwhelming tannins. Breaking with the tradition of using storage bin numbers, Bin 707 was named after the Boeing 707, the aircraft that brought Australia closer to the rest of the world during the 1960s! The wine is sourced from the best parcels of Cabernet Sauvignon which are vinified in open stainless steel fermenters before undergoing partial barrel-fermentation in new American oak hogsheads for a period of 18 months.

Te Matas Hawkes Bay estate is a prestigious winery with a rich history, producing some of New Zealands most celebrated wines. If the Langtons Classification crossed the Tasman, Te Mata Coleraine would sit alongside Grange at its very pinnacle. Established, esteemed, outstanding vintage after vintage, the glowing adjectives come thick and fast.

Yalumba The Caley Cabernet Shiraz is the pinnacle of a long winemaking journey of excellence, that rightfully honours one of Yalumbas most adventurous sons. A blend of Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon and Barossa Shiraz, The Caley is a classic marriage of two noble varieties and two great Australian wine regions.

Small piece of Bordeaux trivia - Chateau Leoville-Barton has no chateau to speak of! In fact, all wines are made at its sister property, Chateau Langoa Barton, which is the storybook chateau pictured on the label. Once part of a much larger estate - in fact the largest in St Julien - Chateau Leoville-Barton has been under the ownership of the Barton family since 1722. In their hands, traditional winemaking techniques remain integral to production - certainly more so than many other modern Bordeaux estates. Leoville-Barton Bordeaux is famous for its traditional, beefy, and strapping style with an excellent reputation for ageing, making them particularly attractive additions to any wine cellar.

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.

Inspired by the iconic jet that took it to the world. The rich and powerful Bin 707 Cabernet Sauvignon, our first commercial release of a single cabernet-based wine, is linked to Max Schubert’s dream of making a great Australian red wine that could last at least 20 years. During the ‘50s and early ‘60s cabernet sauvignon was mostly used for blending, but Schubert’s breakthrough with the varietal as a stand-alone wine came in 1964 with inaugural vintage. Early Bin 707s were typically open fermented under wax-lined header boards and matured in seasoned old oak (rather than new oak). The wine was not made from 1970 to 1975 (when fruit was directed to other wines) nor in 1981, 1995, 2000, 2003, 2011 or 2017 (when fruit of the required style and quality was not available). Palate; Powerful - propelled by a wave of fruits - fresh mulberry, fig, Goji berry, raspberry, fresh blackcurrant. And licorice. Ripe and firm, glossy tannins frame many layers, including those that appear to stand above. A textural creaminess, sumptuousness - possibly by way of oak? Balanced, complete, latent. AWARDS: • 99 Points - Tyson Stelzer • 98 Points - Ken Gargett • 98 Points - Ray Jordan • 19.5+ Points/20 - Matthew Jukes • 97 Points - Jeni Port

Another terrific success for the flagship estate (a 92-acre vineyard situated on the famed limestone and clay-rich slopes of Cote Pavie) of Chantal and Gerard Perse, the 2011 Pavie is composed of 70% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. 2011 may be the biggest, richest, most massive wine of the vintage. With thrilling levels of concentration, tremendous purity, high but sweet tannin, a skyscraper-like mouthfeel, and terrific intensity, depth and palate presence, this larger-than-life effort will require 5-8 years of cellaring, and should age effortlessly over the following 25-30 years.