£100-500 per bottle

The 2020 Château Figeac is one of the wines of the vintage. Incredibly refined and almost haunting in its aromatics, this is so mineral, focussed, and utterly beguiling. The finish lasts an age: this is one of the longest, purest, most complex wines we've tried this year. You have to have it.

Tasted April 2023. Incredible and ethereal in style, with subtle floral, bramble notes on the nose, cedar and spice on the palate. Light graphite around pure black fruit. There's a velvety texture and very fine, ripe tannins. Richer chocolate texture towards the long, refined finish. 13.65% alcohol.

Le Gréal is a unique and special blend, and the signature wine of the Sorrel domaine. 90% is drawn from the lauded Le Méal parcel, at 10% from Les Gréffieux, on the Hermitage hillside. There is a small amount of Marsanne co-planted amongst the Syrah that makes it into the blend, adding freshness and mollifying the tannins. These Sorrel vines date back to 1928 and produce exquisite concentration. This is an astonishing wine, and consistently one of the hottest tickets in the Northern Rhône. It is fragrant, concentrated, powerful and poised. It demands cellaring, and will reward many times over for those who can wait.

Lovely intensity and power. There's so much depth and concentration here, spanning floral notes to deep dark fruits, bound up with lovely tension and elegance. This is beautiful. The finish is nicely balanced with a cool, saline finish and more spice and flowers. Quite brilliant.

Le Gréal is a unique wine, and one that has built up a loyal following for its decadent, statuesque style. 2021 is a departure from the norm. Unlike all previous vintages back to 2009 that have been made from 100% whole bunch fruit, this is 90% destemmed. It feels less massive than previous years, more juicy, bright, and balanced, though it has an echo of the wine’s signature spicy notes thanks to the 10% whole bunch Guillaume has kept in the blend. It harks back to a style Guillaume says was last found in the 1990s. It may be unlike the wines we’ve come to love from this domaine, but actually, is a delicious iteration in its own right. In spite of its slighter style, it should age fantastically. One thing that remains constant is the fruit’s origin: 90% is drawn from the lauded Le Méal parcel, at 10% from Les Gréffieux, on the Hermitage hillside, from vines dating back to the 1920s. A small amount of co-planted Marsanne amongst the Syrah adds freshness and mollifies the tannins.

The 2018 Cupano Brunello di Montalcino is a stunning wine from this corner of Tuscany. Notes of blood orange, of morello cherries, and of spice all swirl from the glass. The nose entices you in, while the palate dazzles with its balance and purity. There’s that core of fresh fruit, while there’s also incredible complexity brought by a savoury minerality and sweet spice from the 5% new oak. This is a really beautiful iteration of the vintage, showing elegance and refinement, but with no loss of concentration.

The celebrated release from Bollinger of the much admired 2012 vintage. This is truly great Champagne.

From one of the most famous sites in Neive, this shows the classic character of the commune. Very delicate and fragrant, this shows the classic tar and roses that we love in so much great Nebbiolo. Very pretty, and alpine tinged.

Tasted April 2023. 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot. 15% abv. 100% new barrels. Tightly-wound at this early stage with bright red fruit as well as concentrated blackcurrant. St-Estephe's characteristically austere tannins are there, creating a rich, serious feel on the palate.

Spottswoode is an historic Napa property, that is steadfast in its approach stylistically. Here the team craft consistently fine, elegant, savoury Cabernet from its unique spot in St Helena year after year. At the same time, they are bang up to date with their practices in the vineyard, looking holistically at their sustainability measures, planting cover crops, encouraging native flora and fauna, and farming biodynamically. In 2020 they've created a full-bodied, ripe and rich wine with their trademark finesse and supple velvet tannins. One of the true winners of the 2020 vintage in Napa.

2019 has brought a more 'classic' expression of Grange, with dense black cherry and blackberry, and notes of tar, coffee, coconut and licorice. It's unsurprisingly tightly wound now, with lots of tannin, toasty oak, and a ripe, juicy core. This vintage is 97% Shiraz and 3% Cabernet Sauvignon.

65 year old vines here give incredible depth of flavour, as well as a beautifully balanced thread of acidity. Long and textured.

The 2020 Léoville Las Cases is a blend of 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Cabernet Franc and 8% Merlot, ageing in 80% new French oak barriques. We haven't yet had the chance to taste it, but given the considerable critical acclaim, we can't wait to do so.

The 2019 from the much-loved Spottswoode estate is gorgeous, with fragrant bramble and black cherry with sweet spice, earthy notes and cedar. It's marries the generosity and warmth that comes naturally to Napa Cabernet with Spottswoode's textbook grace and charm. It's a medium-weight, elegant Napa Cabernet, harking back decades. These age beautifully, but the supple tannins, balance and refreshing style you'd be forgiven for failing to resist now.

The 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon Bin 707 is a blend from the varied solis of Coonawarra, Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale and Padthaway and is matured for 16 months in new American oak hogsheads. Coonawarra is becoming more and more of the signature here, giving lots of fresh cassis and refreshing herbal character. It's built to age, with a firm, muscular structure but a lot of complex flavour to match, and it should soften into a brilliant 707 with time in bottle.