5 wines to cellar (or enjoy now)
Whether you’re thinking about a big occasion - or just something on standby ready to celebrate one of life’s little victories - it’s always good to have a bottle or two lying in wait, somewhere cool and undisturbed.
But how do you know what’s going to be good to hold on to? Fear not - here’s five delicious in-stock recommendations for wines that are great now and will develop for another decade if you’ll let them.
Shiraz 2018 – Black Market Deal #49143
A colossal, flagship shiraz with 95 Halliday points to show for it. Make no mistake, this is a big red wine. Juicy, plump, and fine grained. Having tasted this wine at over 20 years of age, and we can attest that this one is a keeper. Picking the premium, low-yielding fruit from their vineyards, they’ve succeeded in creating a magnificently concentrated wine. There’s some parcels of fruit that go into American oak, and some in French. Some new and some old. It hits all the notes and comes together in a symphony of black and blue fruits. C’mon, those scores from the experts really speak for themselves on this one. But if we were to give you a short review from our team, it’d be this: don’t pass on the opportunity to get this in your glass.
Marco Lazzeretti Brunello di Montalcino 2018
This is not a wine for the faint of heart, with concentration, density and explosive flavour. This is our fourth vintage of this stunner and it’s been a hit with our mofos. Perhaps you’d open a bottle or two this year just to get a feel for the wine, but then lay the rest down to age. It’ll unwind beautifully as the years go on with absolutely no rush to pop a cork. Look out for blackberries, leather, forest floor, cherry, anise and pepper on the nose and palate. The tannins will be tightly wound and quite apparent now, but expect them to relax into the bottle as time goes on. This is true, timeless class ready to age - expect it to still deliver by 2035.
Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 – Black Market Deal #47941
We reckon this could be the best cabernet deal on the internet. Rarely do we see a wine that is so unanimously adored. When it comes to aged cabernet our of Margaret River, this is truly raising the bar - with 96 Halliday pts too. The 2017 vintage had it's challenges, but this wine and this producer bucked the trend entirely. This is a masterfully crafted, elegant-yet-powerful (thanks to that slightly higher ABV), age worthy Cab. We can't get enough of it (literally, we bought everything we could get our hands on and it won't be enough). Varietal in all the right ways; long, herbed, a touch twiggy, a lot brambly. Where it steps outside the mould a little, though, is in the density of the fruit. It borrows somewhat from the powerful fruit profiles of Coonawarra, but it doesn't shed its Margaret River finesse in doing so.
Château de Vaudieu Chateauneuf Du Pape 2020
This family run vineyard is located in the heart of Châteauneuf-du-Pape and is quite literally called the Valley of God (Val de Dieu). This family run vineyard is located in the heart of Châteauneuf-du-Pape and is quite literally called the Valley of God (Val de Dieu). Making wine for over 250 years, the soil is grown on gentle slopes with premium sunshine, which allows the grapes to turn rich and juicy. Resting in oak barrels for a year and a half before it gets put in the bottle, this wine is big, bold and fabulous. With intense flavours of dried cherry, leather and chocolate, we recommend pulling this one out for your fanciest dinner - either now or for the next decade.
St Hallett Sacred Ground Shiraz 2021
There is no mistaking a St Hallett classic - when it comes to shiraz, and when it comes to Barossa, they don't muck about. The Sacred Ground is an old favourite among the 'big and bold' faithful, and this iteration is no departure from that well earned reputation. Rich, ripe, chocolate, earthy and opulent. Little flecks of cedar and tobacco sit deftly around determined, full throttle fruit density. St Hallett at their best - unashamedly broad and imposing while remaining stylish, complex, and relinquishing no ground when it comes to sophistication.
Want to make sure your wines are always good to go when you’re ready to sip? Check out our guide to storing and ageing wine.