I’ve sat on my remaininder of these for many years now and, for my fiftieth recently, had pulled one from the cellar to have at the ready for the big week of partying. Didn’t get a chance to open one then, so I’m gradually getting through them now.

Deep ruby colour, very little bricking. Powerful oak-infused nose of mainly tar, dill and miso that relented to earthy red and black fruit with notes of old leather, bitter chocolate and a touch of cigar box. The palate’s an instant replay of what’s found in the nose, quite fleshy in the mouth although I found the US oak input quite distracting. There’s sufficient body, acid, tannin and length for this to last several years, but overall, I’m not all that fussed on where this bottle is headed. A big bruiser of a wine that offers little charm or refinement. 86 points.

Two most excellent wines opened with a smoked Tasmanian salmon medley and Peking duck last night with me mate, Ezza.

The McWilliams really sang with attractive oily aromas and flavours of lemon butter, dried herbs, toast, honey and nuts. Everything in symmetry with nice weight in the mouth, still enough acidity for a crisp, clean, lengthy finish. 91 points. Probably no use holding these much longer judging from the bright but slightly burnished gold colour and maturity shown. Held up well over a couple of hours in the glass. It went quite well with the salmon, too.

The St. Hubert’s “Barrel Select” must be some sort of reserve, I’d guess. Wow, did this little cracker of a “claret” reveal some eerie similarities to a very fine left bank Bordeaux. Classical aromas and flavours of cedar, freshly turned earth, weedy blackcurrants, herbs, sous bois and perfectly-judged French oak gave little hint of its’ Aussie origins. Perhaps the only criticism I can muster was a slight lack of structural complexity found in the very best examples of the French. Otherwise exemplary in terms of a very youthful, deep colour, the alluring well-honed sweet/sour aromatics and the very elegant medium-bodied palate that oozed class, poise and remarkable persistence. A really Outstanding bottle and would make a great “options” wine for anybody who’s got some in the cellar. 91 points for this one, too. This wine should drink well for at least another 5 years.

A blend of mostly Cabernet Sauvignon with about 20% Cabernet Franc and a little Merlot.

Deep ruby core with some rusty browns in the edges. Opened with a distinct animale edge, hinting at low level brett, but this seemed to give way relatively quickly to some very ripe currant and plum with savoury touches of cedar, mint, fennel, autumn leaves and hint of licorice as a top note. Pretty damned noice. The medium- to full-bodied palate reveals layers of plush, ripe red and black fruit over a delightful savoury backdrop, relatively low acidity and some quality fine-grained tannin. It finishes long with a sweet and sour resonance that worked pretty well, if not a little confected to my liking. Overall an excellent example of a Clare Valley Cabernet blend. 90 points. I’ll be drinking my remaining bottles over the next several years.

Alluring youthful medium ruby with a little pink and rust in the edge. Textbook left bank Bordeaux nose of cedar, blood, lead pencil, sweet damp earth, oregano and briar over a solid backdrop of weedy blackcurrant fruit and savoury/caramel oak. This medium-bodied claret reveals a seductive silkiness on the front palate, gorgeous juicy blackcurrant fruit, subservient savoury oak, beautifully integrated, firmish chalky tannins, lovely cleansing acidty and a long, incredibly good, creamy “old vine” finish. A real surprise packet. Have not had a lot of experience with this Chateau over the years, but if tonight’s performance is representative, a very good source indeed, that, in this instance, represents extremely good value for money in the current, somewhat overheated, local secondary market. 92 points. Drink now - 2017.