"This is a thrilling wine that overloads the senses with an almost impossible level of seduction…"

2018 Wolf Blass Black Label

Stuart McCloskey “Sampled straight the bottle (no airtime). The bouquet is bottomless in terms of its depth – I’m not sure the word ‘concentration’ cuts it. Has anyone seen the film ‘The Perfect Storm’?  This is a one-hundred-foot wall of aromanticness, which takes forever to untangle. The hairs on my olfactory senses are tingling! I’ll come back to the bouquet in a while however, I will say ‘black hole’ in terms of the wine’s density.

Brooding would be an understatement. This release places the wine's ‘luxurious’ expression onto the next level however, I must stress this is far from clumsy. The flavours come at you with rolling waves of hedonism. There’s tangible thickness to the wine’s viscosity, but it’s a real charmer and would woo the pants off most. Thank the Lord, acidity and freshness comes to one’s relief. This is an epic, full-throttle release that attacks every facet of one’s senses. It is delicious, heroic and monolithic, all at the same time.

I’m giggling too much and need 72-hours to unravel the bouquet. Sorry! This is a thrilling wine that overloads the senses with an almost impossible level of seduction…  Drink now (decant for 8-12 hours) to 2040. Served using Zalto Bordeaux glassware.”

Take II: "I couldn’t resist and returned 24-hours later to re-sample. To me, the break has served us both well. I’ve sampled / consumed less exuberant Shiraz and time with Mother Nature’s oxygen has tamed this bottle. Deep, deep aromas – wonderfully evocative and brooding. Cold steel, graphite, dry herbs, cedar, sea salt, the sweetest of spice(s), all wrapped in a cloak of liquor-soaked fruit. Wonderfully decadent, yet time with air has tamed this somewhat. The smörgåsbord of flavours are too numerous to list. In fact, the wine changes in the glass resulting in an everchanging cycle of varied deliciousness. The fruit drenches and takes command, the tannins are svelte and provide the merest pinch of grip, and the acidity is here and welcome. The distance this wine travels along the palate is incredible. Enjoy, as I know many of you will…"

98 Points – Ken Gargett, Wine Pilot “For me, even though this does not boast quite the same lofty price tags as the Platinum’s, it is my pick of the range from 2018 – an absolute cracker and loved everything about it. A blend of Barossa, Langhorne Creek and McLaren Vale, so textbook Blass, this shows deep reds and purples. Spices, chocolate, ripe notes, blackfruits, coffee beans. Oak, but it is so well integrated that one hardly notices it. Balanced, complex, concentrated and lingering. This is seamless, plush and so wonderfully textural. So much of interest here. Great length, great future and just love that texture with the tannins silkier than in the Platinum Shiraz, plus juicy acidity. This has everything and shows just how good 2018 can be.”

56% Cabernet, 44% Shiraz

Barossa Valley, Langhorne Creek, McLaren Vale

46th vintage

By the bottle
£47.50 per bottle

Under Bond by the case (6x75cl)
£220.00

2016 Dorrien

"'Take me now,' the bouquet shouts – Wonderfully inviting (lavish)..."

Sourced from two distinguished vineyard sites at Dorrien in the central heart of the Barossa Valley. A largely flat area at an altitude of around 260m, with gentle undulations sloping towards the North Para River, Dorrien is geologically stable, predominantly shaped by the flow of the central river over time. The blocks are planted in ancient sedimentary soils over 5 million years old, made up of sandy loams over light to medium clays.

With a relatively low annual rainfall of around 470mm, low humidity, and optimum sunlight, Dorrien benefits from cooling breezes flowing down-river from the foothills. Together these natural conditions produce elegant, balanced Shiraz, with a purity of fruit and fine, structural tannins.

Stuart McCloskey “'Take me now,' the bouquet shouts – Wonderfully inviting (lavish) with heady scents of cassis, blueberry, mulberry, plum, orange zest, sweet spices too. By contrast, the palate / flavour profile is more reserved, a direct result of the wine’s geography, the entire point of the exercise… I wouldn’t call it ‘fine-boned.’ Elegant, yes, however, the fruit is ripe and plush – the entry is sweet and moreish. Blackcurrant, plum compote juxtaposed with a healthy dose of earth and wood. Dry mint and dark chocolate on the finish, which goes on for an age (perhaps longer!). Relatively speaking, this feels ‘young’ and will continue to evolve for a decade or so. Decanted for a few hours and served using Zalto Bordeaux glassware.”

2016 St John’s Ebenezer Road

"...this wine flows to the tune of plushness... Full marks for the deliverance of absolute pleasure." 

Sourced from three remarkable vineyards at the eastern end of Ebenezer Road in the Barossa Valley’s north, which features a flat to gently undulating terrain with an elevation of around 280m. Vineyards are planted in unique soils comprising Barossa Ironstone, with its exceptional water-holding properties, red clays and dry alluvial sands deposited up to 50 million years ago.

At the far north of the valley, the climate is more continental, with the warmest daytime temperatures and lowest rainfall and humidity. The area also experiences some of the coolest nights, leading to longer, slower, later ripening, allowing flavours to fully develop. As a result of this unique terroir, Shiraz in the area tends towards small berries with tough, dark skins producing concentration and depth, with opulent, fleshy fruit and full, ripe tannins.

Stuart McCloskey “The bouquet comes across more savoury compared to the Dorrien. Fresh mint, eucalyptus, seaweed, clove, cinnamon, anise, black liquorice, pot pourri and blueberry. Saddle leather arises signalling the starting of the ageing process. Everything is seasoned with a healthy dash of sea salt. Glorious… The sweet entry flows to a yielding mid-palate – fleshy but showing more structure and tension than the Dorrien. Freshness is heightened and works a charm with the ripe, generous fruit. There’s shape and form, but this wine flows to the tune of plushness - the slippery movement brings a whopping smile to my face. Full marks for the deliverance of absolute pleasure. Drink now to 2030+. Served using Zalto Bordeaux glassware.”

2016 Lyndoch

"What a bouquet – wow!  My favourite of the three and comes with a huge stamp of approval." 

In the far south of the Barossa Valley, Lyndoch features the region’s lowest altitude, with the God’s Hill and Lyndoch Valley vineyards from which this wine is sourced, lying on some of the district’s higher peaks at 250 to 300m. Framed by slopes of Barossa Ironstone, the soils show multiple complexities, ranging from red-brown earths to alluvial sediments and fine sands overlying ancient micaceous schists, siltstones, calcitites and quartzites.

Lyndoch enjoys the region’s highest rainfall at around 650mm, while the lower elevation results in slightly warmer average temperatures, promoting some of the earliest ripening, with higher levels of humidity contributing to fresh, aromatic flavours. The Lyndoch terroir is known for growing soft perfumed Shiraz with lush fruit and natural elegance.

Stuart McCloskey “2016 was a great vintage and this shows all the hallmarks. What a bouquet – wow! Coal, graphite, cooling metal, red and blackcurrant, blueberry pastille, crème de mûre, sweet spice, sage – wonderfully exotic. What a start – faultless, in a word. The palate is suave - velvet-like. The layers of flavours sit more with red-berried fruits. Out of the three – this one has more grace along with sophistication. There’s more tension and acidity. The tannins are slender, neat and tidy. Ultimately, this comes across more grown-up and requires a touch more concentration. My favourite of the three and comes with a huge stamp of approval. Drink now to 2030+. Decant for a few hours. Served using Zalto Bordeaux glassware.”

By the bottle
£26.50 per bottle

Buy the Trio - £79.50

Under Bond by the case (6x75cl) - £112.50

We are delighted to offer a perfect and super rare six-pack of La Tâche, Domaine de la Romanée Conti 2005 @ £50,000.00.

Sequential bottles numbers: 07710 - 07715

European stock (Importer: Wijnhandel de Brabandere) and purchased by our client in 2008. The wine has been lying with LCB, Vinothèque since arriving in the UK.

Condition report / photograph available upon request.

100 Points - Antonio Galloni, Vinous

"The 2005 La Tâche is simply magnificent. There is not too much I can add. Deep, powerful and richly textured, the 2005 simply has it all. Time in the glass releases the aromatics, but it is the wine’s pure sensuality I find most enticing. A host of dark red and blue stone fruits, hard candy and wild flowers take center stage. Even with all of its intensity, the 2005 retains striking freshness and purity. Can it get better than this?"

Great Bordeaux to buy… 

All purchased during their respective En-Primeur campaign. Immaculate condition and immediately available ex-LCB, Eton Park

2016 Chateau Leoville Las Cases

5 x cases (6x75cl) @ £1,300.00 IB per case

100 Points - William Kelley (Parker.com) “One of the high points of this great vintage, the 2016 Léoville Las Cases is a brilliant wine that unwinds in the glass with aromas of dark berries, pencil shavings, cigar wrapper, loamy soil and violets. Medium to full-bodied, deep and layered, it's concentrated and complete, with beautifully refined tannins, vibrant acids and a long, mineral finish. Even in this series of great wines, it stands out for its cool classicism and unerring precision. Still an infant, while the 2016 is sufficiently polished to be far from forbidding, the real fireworks won't begin for another decade”

100 Points - Lisa Perrotti-Brown (Parker.com) “Very deep purple-black colored, the 2016 Léoville Las Cases (composed of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot and 11% Cabernet Franc) is quite closed to begin, yet with patient coaxing it unfurls beautifully to reveal suggestions of ripe blackcurrants, black raspberries, warm redcurrants and wild blueberries, followed by touches of unsmoked cigars, tilled red soil, cast iron pan, fallen leaves and lavender plus wonderfully fragrant wafts of lilacs and baking spices. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is packed with tightly knit, very subtle layers of minerals, floral notions and black and red berries, all framed by exquisitely ripe, silt-like tannins and fantastic freshness, finishing with epic length and depth. Simply captivating even in its youth, give it at least a decade in the cellar and then enjoy it over the next 50+ years.

2016 Chateau Malartic Lagraviere Rouge

14 x cases (6x75cl) @ £185.00 IB per case

96 Points - James Suckling "I love the deep and complex nose, in which the cassis and mint of cabernet sauvignon are beautifully married to the more generous blackberry of ripe merlot and the vanilla and toasty notes from the oak are marvelously integrated. On the palate it creeps up on you slowly; the first impression is ripe yet delicate, then the fine-grained tannins charge through and light up the sky. Very long finish. Drink or hold."

2016 Château Leoville Poyferre

6 x cases (6x75cl) @ £400.00 IB per case

97+ Points - Lisa Perrotti-Brown (RobertParker.com) “Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2016 Léoville Poyferré hits the ground running with intense cassis, violets, dark chocolate, menthol and fragrant earth notions complemented by nuances of cigar box and smoked meats. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is charged with energetic, super intense black fruit and floral layers, beautifully supported with super firm, ripe, grainy tannins and seamless freshness. This liquid is simply alive in the mouth, culminating in an epically long finish that will leave your mouth practically tingling. WOW!”

Imperial 2008 Château Ausone

1 x Imperial available @ £4,250.00 IB

£6,312.14 being the closest market price

98 Points - RobertParker.com “Possibly the “wine of the vintage,” the 2008 boasts an inky/blue/purple color as well as a glorious perfume of spring flowers, blueberry and blackberry liqueur, camphor, truffles and crushed rocks. With great fruit on the attack and mid-palate, a medium to full-bodied, multidimensional mouthfeel and a skyscraper-like finish, this prodigious effort over-delivers, even for this phenomenal terroir. Give it 5-8 years of cellaring and drink it over the following 40-50 years.”

2016 Basket Press Shiraz

This wine is made from specially selected small parcels of established Barossa Shiraz from some of the Barossa’s finest grape growing families. The vineyards are situated in different sub-regions throughout the Barossa, which adds to the complexity and depth of the final blend. The wine is hand-made using equipment from the turn of the last century, then matured in seasoned American and French oak casks for two years. All this contributes to our objective to make the very highest quality traditional, soft, deeply-coloured, earthy Australian red wine which will bottle age.

Josh Raynolds, Vinous “Inky, violet color. Expressive aromas of ripe red and blue fruits, violet, incense and Indian spices, along with building minerality. Stains the palate with vibrant black raspberry, blueberry, bitter cherry and floral pastille flavors that slowly deepen and become sweeter with aeration. Shows superb power but comes off elegant, showing no rough edges on a strikingly long, gently tannic finish that leaves behind sappy blue fruit and spicecake notes.”

2018 Rifle Range Cabernet Sauvignon

Cabernet Sauvignon has been planted in the Barossa since at least 1888. The warm climate here means Barossa Cabernet wines are rich and full-flavoured. The fruit for our Cabernet Sauvignon comes predominantly from vineyards along Rifle Range Road, just behind their winery. The ‘Biscay’ soil of the Rifle Range vineyards is heavy, black, cracking clay, lending the wine its rich and earthy character. It is a generous wine when young, but will really show its best if given a chance to mature in the bottle a little longer.
Gary Walsh, The Wine Front  “Rifle to my head, I’d say this is arguably the best red in the Rockford range. Beautiful wine here. Plum, blackberry, a little liquorice, violet, a tiny bit of roast red capsicum. It’s medium-bodied, delivers intense flavour with a dried rose thing happening, tight tannin, again just a little of that roast sweet vegetable adding complexity, freshness and excellent length. A wonderful expression of Barossa red. Thoroughly charming.”

2018 Moppa Springs Grenache-Mataro-Shiraz

 This wine highlights the suitability of Grenache, Mataro and Shiraz to some of the driest regions in the Barossa. The fruit is forked into our 1880’s wooden Bagshaw de-stemmer before fermenting in open slate tanks. Our 1890’s Robinson Basket Press slowly squeezes the remaining juice from the grapes, before the individual components are left to mature in seasoned oak casks. When the final blend comes together, layers of soft, savoury, spicy flavours are emerging and will continue to develop with a handful more years in bottle.
Gary Walsh, The Wine Front “Grenache, Shiraz, Mataro, and arguably pretty good value if you want to experience the typical Rockford style. Kind of walnutty and old school in feel, but there’s some perfume in the mix too. Red and black fruit, savoury tobacco and dark chocolate flavours, medium-bodied, fine grained tannin, tastes dark, but keeps itself pretty fresh. Finish is good too. Like this.