WILLIAM DOWNIE Bull Swamp Pinot Noir, Baw Baw Shire

For some, the exquisite Domaine Comte Georges de Vogue' Musigny Grand Cru 2009 represents the pinnacle of red wine achievment in Burgundy. A special feature of de Vogüé is that their Musigny is called Musigny Vieilles Vignes old vines. For this wine, only vines 25 years or older are used. The average age is usually over 40 years.

DOMAINE MICHELE & PATRICE RION Clos des Argillieres, 1er Cru , Nuits-St-Georges

DOMAINE LUCIEN LE MOINE 1er Cru Aux Boudots, Nuits-St-Georges Lucien Le Moine is a unique négocianthaute couture is often how they are described. Husband and wife, Mounir and Rotem Saouma source small parcels of wine from many producers. Their contribution to the wine is in the elevage, esoteric regime which changes each vintage relying on Mounirs sensory talents forged in a Trappist monastery in Lebanon and honed in their vaulted cellars in the Cote dOr. Working with the best (Jupilles, FRA), fine-grained new oak, the Saoumas produce a staggering number of Grands and 1er Crus cuvees.

Jean-Louis Trapet is an articulate man, at peace in a world where "men are mere mortals, and since wine is all about sharing and transmission, his great-great-grandfather's legacy, founded in 1870, has been kept alive. Today he takes care of 15 hectares of vineyard, among the best-located in Gevrey. He is merely the custodian of this treasure: three grands crus (Chambertin, Chapelle-Chambertin and Latricières-Chambertin), two premiers crus (Petite Chapelle and Clos Prieur), Marsannay and Bourgogne. Since 1995 the entire domain uses biodynamics: free of any harsh practices in the vineyard as well as in the cellars, which respects the natural balance of the wine. This approach is above all based on observation: to protect the vines while monitoring their growth and development. Maturating is a decisive stage at the Trapet domain: once the vinification is finished (with minimum intervention), the wines are taken down to the cellar and put in barrels to mature slowly over the winter months at their own speed. The Gevrey-Chambertin Ostrea from Trapet comes from four parcels, one of which has the oldest vines in the domain, each chosen for their terroir's characteristics. This blend has a unique geological and climatic identity which produces a dense wine.

Chambolle wines are above all models of elegance and finesse. Though only medium-coloured, they emanate voluminous aromas of raspberry, crystallised strawberries, violets and forest undergrowth. In body, these wines are marked by fine tannins and their associated unctuousness. Light in acid, the wines are notable for their meatiness, and the 1ers Crus are highly concentrated. On the nose, aromas of cocoa and eucalyptus mingle with small red fruits and redcurrants. On the palate, the concentration doesn’t detract from its finesse, with a tannic structure that is there but very discreet. Above all, it’s the wine’s length on both the nose and palate that characterise this delicate appellation.

Hand-crafted from a single vineyard site, The Paringa is a Pinot Noir of utmost class, pedigree and intensity. Made from specifically selected barrels of Pinot Noir that were clearly superior at the time of blending and bottling, the wine is a powerful amalgamation of spice, cherry and charry oak characters with a palate of extreme persistence and integrity. Yet another Lindsay McCall masterpiece.