WINES:

It’s hard to say what hasn’t already been said about this wine, when so many people have written so many glowing reviews! Cameron Douglas called it “youthful yet entirely engaging” and Sam Kim said “richly opulent yet impeccably structured and seamlessly harmonious”.

Domaine Garon displays an impressive repertoire and the Les Rochins fruit sees up to 18 months in 30% new french oak which provides wonderful framing of each flavourful element and ensures exciting longevity. Quality, prestige and absolute enjoyment is as good as guaranteed.

The icon Billecart-Salmon Champagne house have a 200 year history in Mareuil-sur-Aÿ, where they craft some of the best sparkling wine in the world. This chardonnay-dominant rosé is a wine that has been poured by the glass in some of the world’s best restaurants - more than a mere celebration wine -...

Barolo is always in the discussion of the top premium wine regions in the world. If you are bothering to read this, then you probably already know that it is a small area in Piemonte in Northern Italy that produces only red wines made from nebbiolo. Barolo itself is divided into 11 communes...

Barolo is always in the discussion of the top premium wine regions in the world. If you are bothering to read this, then you probably already know that it is a small area in Piemonte in Northern Italy that produces only red wines made from nebbiolo. Barolo itself is divided into 11 communes...

If you consider yourself a true pinot fanatic, you can’t seriously overlook the Californian expressions. There’s quality and magic in the region to rival even Burgundy. Though, honestly, why work your way through hundreds of bottles to find the good stuff when you can start at the very top? This is...

Ropiteau Freres was established in 1848 when the first trains connected Burgundy to Paris. The Ropiteau brothers saw an opportunity and began trading as wine merchants. Shortly thereafter they developed relationships with growers, many still in place to this day (with subsequent generations of...

This is classic Pomerol here. Full of power but driven by fruit, it opens with blackberry and black cherry. There’s floral notes as well, along with cassis, graphite and spice from the 50% new oak. You’ll find refinement, elegance and grace in the wine, one that opens up nicely with a bit of air....

There’s Barolo, and then there’s Barolo. You can find bottles from the right village or subregion, with all the acid and tannin you could want, that cost an arm and a leg - and yet somehow they don’t have that x-factor that makes drinking good Barolo something of an epiphany moment.

Château Tour Saint Christophe is a bit of an anomoly in Bordeaux as a section of the vineyard is planted on narrow terraces. The site overlooks the Saint Laurent Valley and is located entirely within the appelation of Saint-Émilion Grand Cru. The southwest-facing plot over clay and limestone enjoys...

The trouble, I’ve found, with a lot of big, butterball Cali chardy is that it can be a bit unwieldy as a pairing. This, on the other hand, solves the problem with elegance. Jamie Kutch takes Burgundy as his inspiration, making old world style pinot and chardy. And this is all the more versatile for...

There’s no doubt about it, this is some of the most seriously complex pinot that comes out of Martinborough. And that says a lot, as the region is quickly becoming a rival (and some would say surpassing) to Central Otago for quality pinot out of New Zealand. It’s so immensely aromatic - fennel,...

This wine speaks of its home, and it’s not afraid to show you all that is great about the Clare Valley. Crafted from prestigious low yielding shiraz parcels, the Oracle is a wine that only sees the light when the vintage cuts the mustard. Each parcel of fruit is treated as its own, respecting the...

There’s no shame in admitting you haven’t heard of Halcón before. This rising star of a cult producer from the Yorkville Highlands of Mendocino County (Mendo to locals) in Northern Cali lays claim to the highest-altitude vineyard in the region. The wind-lashed mountainous plot contains...

A settlement can either be a place to call home or an agreement on terms. We’d be pretty agreeable here if we were able to call the Omaka Valley in Marlborough our home. That’s the source for the grapes for this pinot. The steep north-facing slope of the organic vineyard soaks in the sun, allowing...

If only the best will do, then this pack is for you. It’s three bold reds, each representing the absolute pinnacle of what their respective producers craft. Flagship, top of the range, zenith, reserve...whatever you want to call it. So if you won’t settle for less than the finest on offer, then...

Barbaresco is widely regarded as more approachable than it’s brash, ballsy sibling, Barolo. There’s still acid and tannin to spare here, but it’s softly aromatic and harmoniously put together. The complexity and depth of flavour is second to none, with heady aromas of roses and violets, alongside...

Côte de Nuits is the region where pinot noir finds its home in Burgundy, with terroir capable of truly wonderful wines. A step up from the Bourgogne level wine, this Côte de Nuits-Villages from winemaker Mathieu Paquet is a blend of eight different plots. Grapes are handpicked, then fully...

Geoff Merrill is one of McLaren Vale’s best and this is a wine that is made only in the best vintages, when after tasting the wines of the year, only the best barrels are chosen, to be aged in oak for an additional three years and then laid down to rest. Only a small amount of this wine was...

Punch is the new generation of the original Diamond Creek Wines, who established themselves (and their site in St Andrews) as one of the go-tos for Yarra Valley pinot in the mid-70s. The new generation is winemaker James Lance, and his Punch wines are all from the original site, made with the...