Selectively sourcing only the very best Chardonnay fruit from cool-climate regions, coupled with sensitive and enlightened winemaking, the style continues to evolve.

Yattarna reflects Penfolds' patience and continued commitment to its original goal, its very name being drawn from the Aboriginal language, meaning 'little by little, gradually'. Each vintage provides the opportunity to further raise the quality bar.

Magill Estate Shiraz is a very important Penfold's single vineyard wine. It is of great symbolic importance because it is sourced from the remaining original vineyard (5.2 ha) in the original winery at Magill, established in 1844, in Adelaide's eastern suburbs.

First made in 1983, Penfold's Magill Estate Shiraz is an elegant, medium-weight style with velvety texture and fine tannins, matured in both new French and American oak. It is a sleek, contemporary wine, yet crafted in the old-fashioned way in the 120+ year-old winery: hand-picked, vinified in open fermenters and then basket pressed.

The Boscaini family keeps a unique collection of fine wines in its private cellars, produced in limited quantities and only in the best years, which the family likes to share with lovers of Masi wines. Campolongo di Torbe is Masi’s elegant cru version of Amarone, with smooth almond aromas, great intensity and balance.

The grapes come from the eponymous vineyard, which has been noted for its quality since the XII century. Grapes are left to dry naturally in traditional drying lofts during the cold winter months.

Excellent as an after-dinner wine, or to go with red meat, game, quails and richly- flavoured dishes. Very good with well-aged cheeses, such as parmesan, pecorino and gorgonzola.

The Boscaini family keeps a unique collection of fine wines in its private cellars, produced in limited quantities and only in the best years, which the family likes to share with lovers of Masi wines. Mazzano is an austere and majestic wine, the prototype for Amarone. The grapes come from the eponymous vineyard, famous for the quality of its produce since the XII century, and are laid out in traditional drying lofts during the cold winter months.

Definitely a “food wine”. Good with red meat, game, quails, and gutsy dishes. Excellent with mature cheeses such as parmesan and pecorino.

The vineyards are located in the first growth (erstes gewachs) designation Lieser Niederberg-Helden along the Mosel in the perilously steeply sloped vineyards.

The vines are 40 - 60 years old, partly ownrooted and managed organically. A spontaneous cover crop grows between the vines which keeps a good natural ecological balance of flora and fauna.

A low yield is ensured through the pruning of the vines down to 6-8 buds/vine in the winter. In June shoot thinning is done as well as removal of leaves and secondary shoots in the grape zone. This results are light weight grapes with small berries. The total yield amounts to 45 hl/ha which is about 20% less than a bottle per vine.

The Gaja Winery was founded by Giovanni Gaja in 1859 and has been owned and operated by five generations of the Gaja family. Giovanni Gaja was the great-grandfather of Angelo Gaja, the Winery's current owner.

In 1994, GAJA acquired its first wine estate in Tuscany, Pieve Santa Restituta in Montalcino. This estate produces three Brunello di Montalcino wines- including the single vineyard Sugarille- from vineyard holdings totaling sixty five acres.

In 1996 Gaja acquired a second property in Tuscany, Ca'Marcanda, located in Castagneto Carducci in Bolgheri. Of the property's 200 acres, 150 have been planted with new vineyards: primarily Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, as well as Cabernet Franc and Syrah.

Currently, the Gaja Winery owns 250 acres of vineyards in Piedmont, located in the Barbaresco district (Barbaresco and Treiso) and the Barolo district (Serralunga d'Alba and La Morra).

Vibrant ruby red. The bouquet opens with perfumes of red cherries, with undercurrents of dark red fruit and a hint of spice from judicious use of oak. The palate is faithful to the nose with rich, supple fruit and a perfectly balanced structure. The fine-grained tannins are elegant and supple, and the wine finishes long.

Spring was characterised by intermittent rainfall which made it difficult to control disease in the vineyards. This lasted until flowering which started later than usual but was followed by very warm weather throughout July and early August. Ripening was slow through September, delaying the harvest which eventually took place in October. Winemaker Paolo De Marchi believes later harvests give wines that are more complex and of higher quality.

Very floral nose with hints of fresh baked bread with butter and an unidentifiable sweetness (like something mixed with honey)

Flavours of toasted nuts marry harmoniously with a certain creamy, almost vanilla like quality that seems to rest on a bed of marzipan sweetness

Tiny bubbles tickling the palate and give way to a crisp clean finish of peaches and cream with a bit of toastyness/bitterness reminiscent of almonds roasted very dark and a bit of grapefruit

A favourite of Chris Gifford here at The Corkscrew

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of 007’s appearance on screen and the Bollinger / James Bond partnership, Champagne Bollinger is launching a limited edition of Bollinger La Grande Année 2002. The sleek black and silver bottle will be presented in a special box designed in the shape of a Walther PPK Silencer.

La Grande Année 2002 alone is certainly worth collecting; according to Bollinger Cellar Master Mathieu Kauffman, “it is the most exceptional vintage in the last decade.

Founded in 1818 this house is most famous for this wine. 92 points Wine Enthusiast: "A bone-dry but delicious wine, with red fruits and a beautiful onion-skin colour that just hints at rosé. Lovely acidity completes the serious and highly enjoyable wine." 91 points Stephen Tanzer.

If you like Champagne at all, you'll love this one. It is elegant and focused with a fine perlage, light salmon color, creamy texture and lingering finish. The house is now headed by Francois Billecart, the seventh generation of family owners.

Francois maintains scrupulous standards for his Champagnes, a follower of his forebears' motto: "Tradition is meaningless without great quality." The house style is light and elegant, with emphasis on finesse rather than power. Clean, crisp acidity is a hallmark of Billecart-Salmon. The secret for this is that about 8% still red Pinot Noir from their own vineyard in Mareuil sur Ay is added to the blend, making for a very elegant and subtle wine.

Domaine de la Vougeraie, based in Premeaux just south of Nuits St Georges, was created in 1999 when Jean-Claude Boisset of the Boisset group decided to group together all the vineyard holdings of his various negociant companies acquired over the years. With nearly 40 hectares of vineyard and over 30 different appellations, including six grand crus (Musigny, Bonnes Mares, Clos Vougeot, Charmes Chambertin, Mazoyères, Corton Clos du Roi and Corton Charlemagne), this is one of Burgundy’s leading domaines.

No expense has been spared in production terms. The premier and grand cru vineyards are all farmed biodynamically with carefully limited yields. The cellar has been equipped with a battery of new or renovated wooden fermentation vats, a state of the art sorting table and a new model of the old fashioned vertical press which is thought to be the best option for red wines.

Vincent Girardin stands out as one of Burgundy’s more recent success stories. In the nineties, Vincent moved to his new state of the art winery, where he balances the art of modern winemaking with ancient traditions.

More recently, he has adopted biodynamic practices in the vineyard, which means less chemicals and less intervention during the winemaking process, nature takes care of business in the vineyards.

Alcohol remains on the lower side at 12.5% and there's also a fine balance between freshness and ripeness

The M3 Vineyard at Woodside is named after the vineyard owners, Michael and Martin along with Michael‘s brother Matthew. It was planted in 1995. Soils here are sandy loam over red/yellow clay with underlying shale.

The vines are planted at a high density of 2,780 vines per hectare and are hand pruned with vertical shoot positioned canopies. The vineyard is a multiclonal blend of I10V1, Bernard 95 and Bernard 76 from Burgundy. Low yields, no more than 2.5kg/vine, are achieved by aggressive pruning and pre-harvest bunch thinning.

An exploration of the history of the Sassicaia estate does not require access to ancient documents. Although the Incisa della Rocchetta family, who are still responsible for Sassicaia today, can trace their lineage back to the Medieval and Renaissance eras, their vineyard and its wine is a much more recent phenomenon.

Without wishing to give a detailed account of all Italy's history, the story of Sassicaia probably begins with Leopoldo Incisa, a family member who retired from his post in the Austro-Hungarian government to his family's estate at Rocchetta Tanaro in 1840.

Here he was able to pursue other interests, particularly agriculture and oenology; he was an avid collector of vines both native and foreign, and he published several works on these matters. It was not he, however, that planted the Sassicaia vineyard, as this action was down to his great-grandson Mario Incisa della Rocchetta. Although Mario, allegedly inspired by his ancestors work and his writings, planted Cabernet vines on the family estate it was not until he married Clarice della Gheradesca, the heiress to the Tenuta San Guido estate in Bolgheri, that we have the true origins of Sassicaia.

The couple were betrothed in 1930, and subsequently settled in Bolgheri after World War II, where they continued the family association with horses by establishing a stud farm which still exists today. Then, in 1940, on land below the castle at Castiglioncello, he began to establish a vineyard, populated with Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine was initially a very personal affair, for consumption within the family, but following an expansion of the vineyard in 1965 the wine of Sassicaia became a more commercial enterprise.

It was released onto the market with the 1968 vintage, marketed by the Antinori family - who are cousins - and the Incisa della Rocchetta clan have never looked back. Although Mario died in 1983, the estate is today in the hands of his son Marquis Nicolò Incisa della Rocchetta (above), who had the great pleasure of seeing the estate receive its own DOC, Bolgheri, in 1994. Today the vineyards amount to 75 hectares, in several plots scattered around Bolgheri. In the very northeast of the region there are vines at Castiglioncello, Doccino and Quercione, at an altitude of between 200m and 300m.

There are plots at San Marino and Mandrioli, and then Aianova and the Sassicaia - Italian for "place of many stones", I believe - vineyard itself, with an altitude of 80m. Not far to the south is the Mediterranean Sea and here there is the Bolgheri Natural Refuge, initially a bird sanctuary established by Mario Incisa della Rocchetta in 1959, today a 513 hectare nature reserve, rich in native flora and fauna, and regarded as wetland of international importance.

Turning our attention back to the vines, these are 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Cabernet Franc, and they have an average age of 30 years. Once harvested the fruit is transported to the winery, which was once located in Castiglioncello, a convenient location for the first vineyards which were close by. Converted farm buildings, once in the possession of the della Gherardesca family, served the purpose.

With the passage of time, however, the Sassicaia vineyards became much more expansive and are scattered across the estate, and in the 1960s a new winery was established near the church of San Guido. This was equipped with climate control and new temperature-controlled stainless steel fermentation vats which range in size from 35 to 110 hectolitres, allowing for separate fermentation of different lots. In addition, new French oak barriques were introduced.

The estate's leading wine, its raison d'être, is of course Sassicaia, which is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, the proportions matching those found in the vineyard. This will see 24 months in the aforementioned oak, of which one-third (a figure which has risen in recent vintages) will be new each year. The remainder are one and two-year old barrels.

Château L'Evangile is one of the prestigious estates in Pomerol and produces some of the most sought-after wines in the appellation. It is located in the far east of the Pomerol appellation and its vineyards border those of Château La Conseillante, Château Gazin and Château Cheval Blanc. Its 14.1 hectares of vineyards (Merlot 78%; Cabernet Franc 22%) lie on deep gravel beds pitted with sand and clay.

The wine is vinified traditionally, undergoing a lengthy cuvaison followed by maturation in oak barriques (40% new) for 16-20 months. L`Evangile has always been a top-class estate but quality has been pushed noticeably higher since Domaines Baron de Rothschild of Château Lafite acquired a majority shareholding in 1990

Penfolds RWT Shiraz presents an admirable alternative to the multi-regional sourcing and American oak maturation that are hallmarks of Grange, expressing instead, single-region Barossa Valley shiraz matured in French oak barriques. The initials RWT stand for 'Red Winemaking Trial', the name given to the project internally when developmental work began in 1995.

RWT Shiraz was launched in May 2000 with the 1997 vintage. Its style is opulent and fleshy, contrasting with Grange, which is more muscular and assertive. RWT is made from fruit primarily selected for its aromatic qualities and fine texture rather than sheer intensity or power of flavour. The result is a wine that helps to redefine Barossa Shiraz at the highest quality level.

Dead Arm is a vine disease caused by the fungus Eutypa Lata that randomly affects vineyards all over the world. Often vines affected are severely pruned or replanted. One half, or an ‘arm’ of the vine is slowly reduced to dead wood. That side may be lifeless and brittle, but the grapes on the other side, while low yielding, display amazing intensity.

In youth, The Dead Arm is restrained. It will start to show more fruit after five years in the bottle with secondary aged characters starting to develop after that. As an older wine leather, tobacco, mushroom and earth aromas have a presence alongside chocolate and spice characters. With such great balance this wine is expected to age for up to 20 years if cellared in the right conditions. The Dead Arm Shiraz 2007 manages to balance focus and complexity superbly . The structure is muscular and the fruit powerful, yet it maintains a pretty elegance which is allowed to flourish with deft use of oak.

Over the ages the Savigny-lès-Beaune vineyards have belonged to the Dukes of Burgundy, the clergy, the Knights of Malta, and local gentry. Les Marconnets is in a splendid location on the Beaune side of the steep hillside. The soil, though calcareous further down the hill, is sandy and pebbly here, rich in iron, ideal for our oldish vines.

MONTEVERTINE lies within the heart of the Chianti hills, in the community of Radda at an altitude of 425 m above sea level. Documents show that the site has been dwelled since the 11th century. Traces of the original construction, which undoubtedly was of defensive nature and which later on had been converted to a rural housing, are still preserved.

In 1967, Sergio Manetti, at that time a manufacturer of steel products, bought Montevertine as a holiday house. He restored the house and returned it to its original dwelling destination, and right from the beginning, he planted two hectares of wine and he set up a small cellar. The idea was to produce some wine for friends and customers.

The first vintage produced, 1971, was more than decent and Sergio Manetti decided to present some bottles at Italy’s leading wine show, Vinitaly in Verona, via the Chamber of Commerce of Siena. That was an immediate success and Mr. Manetti was so enthusiastic about it that only a few years later he decided to give up his main former activity, in order to dedicate all his efforts exclusively to winemaking. New vineyards were planted, new cellars installed, and that activity has been continued without any interruption.

Massaya is run and owned by Lebanon’s Sami and Ramzi Ghosn, with participation by the owners of Chateaus Vieux Telegraphe and Bellefont-Belcier in France.

Massaya’s first vintage was 1998. Its first Gold Reserve was in 1999. The winery began by making “Arak,” the Lebanese spirit, in a light blue bottle; hence the name Massaya, meaning Twilight. The winery today makes about 250,000 bottles a year, of which about 12,000 are the top Gold Reserve.

60% Cinsault, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Syrah. Vinified in stainless steel tanks, stored in concrete vats, giving the wine a pure expression of fruit.

Louis Roederer is one of the largest independent Champagne Houses, owned by the same family, since it was founded in 1776. Under the direction of Louis Roederer, between 1832 and 1870, the house gained top-ranking with world-wide sales of 2.5m bottles, including 390,000 in the USA and 660, 000 in Russia where Louis Roederer champagne was an outstanding success.

In 1876, Louis Roederer II who had succeeded his father created the Cristal cuvee for Tsar Alexander II. Over 134 years later, it remains faithful to its origin, inspired by elegance, purity, and precision.

A classic, generous year, yielding both quantity and quality. 2004 followed the same climatic trends as 2002 : cool, moderate temperatures throughout the season, a considerably reduced, and rainfall (by about 30%) during the growing cycle, which, despite a particularly cold and rainy month of August, was fortunately followed by a dry and sunny September, ripening the grapes off impressively. The Louis Roederer vineyard team worked intensively in this period, and by the 20th September the grapes had attained a “vintage” balance, combining maturity and freshness

60% Pinot noir - 40% Chardonnay – 20% of the wines vinified in oak barrels with weekly batonnage. No malolactic fermentation. To create Rosé champagnes, Louis Roederer still uses the saignée method after cold maceration that can last 5 to 8 days in the liquid phase. Cristal Rosé is matured 6 years in the cellar and rests for 8 months after disgorgement to perfect its maturity

A pastel pink colour with bright, slightly orange glints. Fine, light bubbles in a long-lasting flow. The bouquet is delicate and subtle, with elegant fruitiness (red fruits: strawberry, fig), zesty hints (citrus fruit: lemon and orange) and juicier nuances such as vine peach. There is a deep, slightly sweet burst of aromas.

In the mouth, the bite is young, springlike and energetic: full-bodied and silky, but based on very mineral freshness. This mineral quality is typical for Cristal Rosé, expressing the chalkiness and saltiness of the Aÿ terroir. The second mouth has airy notes and great aromatic purity, displaying the discrete power of this great cuvée. On airing, a few traces of Danish pastry and lightly roasted dried fruits hint at its enormous capacity for change.