An assemblage of Cabernet and Sangiovese from Castellina in Chianti, Merlot and Petit Verdot from the communes at Maremma. Individual grapes are treated to the added scrutiny of a double hand sorting, individual parcels endure a warm vinification and separate course of age in a combination of 225L barrique and larger format tonneaux for eighteen months before the final assemblage. The freshness of Sangiovese is enriched by the body and palate volume of Cabernet, its dark fruits and liquorice opulence are rounded out by Merlot and pretty spice of Verdot.

Exclusively Sangiovese off vines planted to abundant clay soils at 350 to 450 metres above see level at Montalcino, an hour's drive south of Florence. Eighteen days of ferment are followed by two years in a selection of seasoned and new oak barriques. Established 1893, the noble House of Cecchi respect the integrity of terroir and practice traditionally sustainable viticulture to preserve the sanctity and enduring excellence of their renowned vintages. An evocative, animated bouquet presages a voluminous, expansive palate, seamless, illuminating and profound.

Bodega Catena is located in the foothills of the majestic Andes. A fourth generation family operated winery, the founder Nicola Catena first planted his vineyard at Mendoza in 1902. Since then the Catenas have been crafting the most superb examples of Malbec, the signature varietal of Argentina. Specializing in superior single vineyard wines, a unique range which highlights the differences between the various terroirs and clime of Mendoza's high country, Bodega Catena is defined by the excellence of those parcels which can best achieve a delicious, more complex Malbec wine.

The enduring Aussie association of Cabernet and Shiraz, with a fair measure of the amenable Malbec for softness and style, the ultimate realization of the Castelli brothers no expense spared approach to making great wine. Australia's west grows powerful yet elegant red wines, the Cabernet Shiraz accord in particular can be breathtaking in its structure and scope. Castelli reserve the pick of vintage for Il Liris, only the most exceptional bunches are considered for inclusion, only the finest barrels are assembled into the finished wine.

Dr Peter and Elizabeth Pratten have spent the last thirty years successfully realizing their aspirations of establishing a stately range of west coast wines defined by their remarkable elegance and style. A focus on the rudiments of world class viticulture has been the foundation, the dedicated team works to the belief that allying their efforts with nature is the best way to produce great wine. The pick of harvest from the stately Capel Vale vineyard at Mt Barker, richly styled, full bodied,. brimming of powerful red and black fruit characters, ripe plums, bramble, black cherry spice, all supported by a seamless length of firm, fine grained tannins.

Capel Vale are one of the few major family owned wineries in Western Australia, they own and operate prestigious vineyards throughout the four great winegrowing regions of the southwest, each site is planted to varietals which thrive in the unique terroirs and microclime. A hand picked collation of parcels Cabernet Sauvignon from the finest rows of estate vine at Margaret River, treated to a course of extended macerations and term of age in a selection of seasoned and new French barriques. Mulberry, multi black fruits and cassis, supported by liquorice tannins and the indulgence of vanilla fondant oak.

A pioneer of the Margaret River, Cape Mentelle boasts a rich history of singular Cabernet vintages. A benchmark regional red, the style has evolved over time to become a wine of opulence, regional identity, varietal purity, structure and charm.

Outstanding Langtons Classification. A national flagship, from fruit grown to the stately Wallcliffe property, one of the most distinguished vineyards in Australia. For over thirty years, the finest blocks of Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon have been devotedly husbanded to yield harvests of fruit with remarkable concentration of flavour and polished, elegant tannins. The style has evolved over time, defining an articulate Cabernet wine of pristine varietal virtue, true opulence, intensity of fruit character and personable Margaret River charm.

There are few wines in the pantheon of distinguished regional styles, as generously flavoured, exquisitely balanced and well fleshed, as the full bodied Nebbiolo from the commune of Barolo. The DOCG regulations are very strict, Barolo must be grown on sloped vineyards of a particular terroir and clime, aged a minimum of three years before release. Velvet textured, exquisitely rounded and full of delicious, savoury fruit, Barolo is worthy of the finest gourmandise, call on Canti for a delicate braise of oxtail and marrow, field mushrooms, white truffles and fragrant mountain herb.

Rutherglen may have the only major plantings of genuine Durif in the world, due to the Phylloxera vine disease. Rutherglen can also lay claim to the oldest productive examples in all of Australia. From within their quarantined vineyards at Rutherglen, Campbell's have been the protagonists of Durif for generations. Unquestionably, Durif at its finest, Campbells release The Barkly only in years when vintage conditions are exceptional.

One of Australia's salient, small batch winemakers, Gary Farr has always aspired to formulate the ultimate Pinot wine. He may be very close. Gary Farr's style is traditional and essentially Burgundian, employing natural yeasts and whole bunch ferments, he insists on cork. A wine of exceptional balance and finesse, seamless from fragrance to finish, Farr was inspired after reading the Da Vinci Code, to annoint this superlative cuvee Sangreal. As the estate vineyards continue to mature, the holy grail of Gary Farr Pinot Noir comes within closer reach.

For many years, Gary Farr followed up every vintage at Bannockburn with a tour of duty at Burgundy's Domaine Dujac. He believed Australian technology to be superior but was greatly inspired by the traditional practices of French vignerons. Farr brought home the ancient technique of pigeage, throwing whole bunches into large, open vats and immersing his body into the wine to break up any hot spots. A weighty Pinot wine, Farrside combines density and precision with a capacity to endure and evolve.

Originally formulated by John Charles Brown OBE in 1954 and crafted to this very day in the exact same manner. Mondeuse plantings were brought to Australia in the early 1900s by the legendary Francois de Castella of St Hubert fame, they have remained the most precious parcel of Brown Brothers heirloom vines since the 1920s. At Milawa, Mondeuse translates into an inky, deeply tannic wine, it forms synergies with the sweet fruit plumpness of Shiraz and statuesque elegance of Cabernet Sauvignon to coalesce into a rich, opulent style of eloquence and structure.

Patricia is a muscular and complex flagship wine, named for the estate's matriarch, a tour de force of Victorian Shiraz, defined by a reverential handling of fruit, picked off Victoria's most exclusive vineyards. A sensational backbone from the distinguished Brown Brothers Heathcote block is vinified alongside parcels from superior sites in Bendigo, Henty and Valley King. A rich course of oak barrel ferments is followed by eighteen months in a luxuriously high proportion of new, French and American puncheons and barriques. Patricia finishes with immense length, profound elegance and fine, velvet tannins.

A stately Victorian Cabernet Sauvignon and the Brown Brothers flagship, released at five years of age. The most superlative parcels are vinified and assembled each vintage into a powerhouse of a wine with intense blackberry palate and juicy tannins. Fruit is sourced from outstanding sites, the most distinguished old vines in all Victoria, places as far afield as Beechworth, Mornington and Pyrenees. A rich and concentrated, statuesque style of Cabernet Sauvignon, layered with sweet berry flavours and fine oak characters to compliment a long dry finish.

It was in 1881 that a fine gentleman by the name of Daniel McGregor paid 62 pounds and 2 shillings for a Crown Grant of a hundred acres. The yearly rent for Sussex Location 165 on the fertile banks of Willyabrup Brook was a single peppercorn paid each year on the 25th March, or soon thereafter as demanded. In the 1980s it was replanted to vines and today is one of the Margaret River's most inestimable sites for first growth Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon. A long lived wine of luxury and complexity, drinking superbly upon release.

Brookland Valley Estate made a conspiuous impression through their stirling efforts at Cabernet Merlot when they claimed several significant trophies, including the hotly contested Qantas Best Wine of Show. Expressing fully the generous palate structure and aromatic richness of the stylish Margaret River Cab Merlot accord, beautifully perfumed, bramble flavoured wine, brimming with the quality and elegance which has earned Brookland Valley Estate a five star reputation. A superior small batch wine that speaks eloquently of its Margaret River provenance.

Growing happily to deep sandy soils in the premiere precincts of McLaren Flat, the remarkable vines on Wade Block 2 were sourced as cuttings from a distinguished, old site very nearby and replanted to their own roots. The extraordinary quality of Shiraz from Wade Block 2 merits a single vineyard wine, distinctive, articulate and complex. Its gracefully perfumed nose, penetrating palate and showroom tannins, define Wade Block 2 as a profound and evocative expression of McLaren Vale, albeit, uncannily eloquent of the stately Brokenwood style.

Previous vintage claimed Best Red of Show and Best Rhône Red Shiraz/ Grenache at the London International Wine Challenge. 10,000 wines were judged by over 500 judges before conferring this terrific accolade. The 2000 vintage remains a remarkable follow up. The Old Shiraz vines on the Rayner Vineyard are unirrigated, deeply rooted and extensively systemized into clay below the sand. Generally they withstand the toughest of years yielding small amounts of concentrated wines, offering heady aromas and deep complexities.

Brokenwood release two editions of Pinot Noir each vintage from the eminent Indigo Vineyard at Beechworth. There are a number blocks and clones on the property, the pick of crop is reserved for a single site bottling behind the Indigo moniker. Established in the 1990s after an exhaustive, nation wide search for the next great vineyard, Indigo is a source of fruit for the most demanding winemakers and prestigious labels. An effusively perfumed Pinot of generous proportions and juicy black fruit flavours, perfect for pink duck or maghrebi spiced tartare.

Exceptional Langtons Classification. Graveyard is the jewel of the Brokenwood crown, it endures as one of the nation's great first growths. A word to the squeamish, the property may have been zoned as Pokolbin cemetery in 1882 but was never populated. Established to descendants of colonial rootstock in 1968, the vines at Graveyard struggle to yield meagre harvests of the most intense berries. A Shiraz of outstanding line, as Len Evans coined the phrase, to convey fine structure, exquisite balance and generous palate length.

The Commune of Barolo, in the Piedmont region of Italy's northeast, makes one of the world's great wines, it carries its own Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita. Barolo have a long established reputation for heavy, overtly tannic, Nebbiolo varietal wines which required many years to soften before drinking. Enter Brezza, one of the principal estates in Barolo and chief protagonist of the Barolo wars, who have taken the lead in fashioning a vigorously fruit driven style with congenial tannins and judicious, supportive oak.

Following a visit to France where he studied the ancient pastoral practices of breeding the world's best chickens, Adam Marks gained the inspiration to create great Australian wines in the very same manner, adopting an artisanal approach to production, employing traditional, age old methods. Coq Noir is the flagship Shiraz by one of Victoria's most adroit, small batch producers. An opulent effort vinified from parcels of the most intense fruit, bottled without fining or filtration, which may deposit a harmless sediment, decanting is a must.

The very limited release Walter Reserve is a wine of stature and opulence, an outstanding Cabernet Sauvignon grown to the rich, predisposed soils of Langhorne Creek. Assembled from a fastidious selection of the best barrels Cabernet, all originating from the estate's superlative vineyards, nourished by the flooding of Bremer River. Bremerton are in a unique position to keep all the individual parcels of Cabernet separate until completion, for the purpose of isolating the most exceptional lots, from the time of picking through to vinification and maturation.

Old Adam is the zenith of Langhorne Creek viticulture, it holds a place within the pantheon of great Australian Shiraz. The Willson family established a reputation for excellence, after providing fruit for many of the nation's most memorable vintages and illustrious wines. Old Adam is the pick of the Willson crop, isolated from the finest parcels off the very best blocks, treated to the most fastidious barrel selection. An extremely limited release wine to be cherished and savoured, a most remarkable rendering of new world Shiraz.