FOUR UNIQUE ESTATES DECADES OF MASTERY

Four wines from estates spanning 1749 Bordeaux to 1997 Piedmont. Dr. Bailey Carrodus's 1973 Yarra Valley plantings on grey silty loam. Brothers Mauro and Savio Daniele's calcareous hillsides at 400-420 meters. The Antinori family's marine Pliocene soils that revolutionized Italian wine in 1971. Château Lynch-Bages's deep Garonne gravel producing Fifth Growth wines that perform at Super Second level. Each scored 95+ points from major critics.

Yarra Yering Underhill Shiraz comes from one of Australian wine's most important origin stories. Dr. Bailey Carrodus—botanist with a PhD in plant physiology from Oxford—planted this 8-acre block in 1973 at the western edge of his Yarra Valley vineyard, ending a 52-year regional dormancy. He chose north-facing slopes at the foot of the Warramate Hills for their grey silty loam threaded with gravel bands providing natural drainage. Current winemaker Sarah Crowe, twice named James Halliday's Winemaker of the Year, ferments in half-tonne open fermenters with twice-daily hand plunging, then ages 12 months in French oak puncheons with 30% new oak. The clay-based soils contribute savory undertones to black plum and violet aromatics with licorice spice and nettle. At 14% alcohol, chewy tannins frame dark fruits and clay-driven savory notes. The dry-grown philosophy—no irrigation—forces deep root systems that produce the elegant, age-worthy wines that established Yarra Yering's international reputation from its first 1973 vintage.

Le Strette Barolo Riserva 'Bergera Pezzole' 2015 comes from brothers Mauro and Savio Daniele—both trained oenologists who founded Le Strette in 1997 in Novello. They planted their Bergera-Pezzole vineyard between 1997-1999 at 400-420 meters elevation on calcareous soils mixed with sand and clay. The Riserva designation appears only in exceptional vintages, requiring two additional years of maturation beyond Barolo's extensive aging requirements. James Suckling called 2015 "the best since 2010, maybe better." The estate's certified sustainable viticulture (implemented 2012) and extended 28-35 day maceration produce Nebbiolo of remarkable depth. After maceration, the wine ages first in small oak, then large casks—a progression allowing tannin integration while preserving Nebbiolo's trademark tension. The nose reveals red cherry, sweet baking spices, and dried herbs. The palate shows ripe yet linear tannins with leather and tar, finishing long and austere. The high-altitude calcareous terroir yields wine built for decades of evolution.

Tignanello 2020 revolutionized Italian wine when Piero Antinori launched the 1971 vintage—the first Sangiovese aged in barriques, the first modern red from Chianti Classico blended with non-traditional varieties, the first wine from the region ineligible for its own appellation. The Antinori family has made wine since 1385. The estate's 130 hectares sit 350-400 meters above sea level between the Greve and Pesa river valleys, where marine Pliocene soils rich in calcareous rock and marl meet dramatic day-night temperature fluctuations. The 2020 marks an evolution: CEO Renzo Cotarella explains they're "gradually increasing the Cabernet Franc to balance the greater richness that today's warmer seasons are giving to our Sangioveses." The 68% Sangiovese, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Cabernet Franc blend earned 97 points from James Suckling, 95 from Wine Advocate, 96 from Vinous. Suckling notes "fine tannin structure that gives this finesse and beauty." The nose reveals violets, lavender, dark fruit, and dark chocolate. The palate shows ripe cherries, strawberries, blackberries, violet, rose, roasted coffee, and cocoa powder, finishing with pepper, licorice, and aromatic herbs. Annual production: 300,000-350,000 bottles.

Château Lynch-Bages 2020 marks a watershed: the first vintage vinified in the estate's new state-of-the-art winery designed by architect Chien Chung Pei, featuring 80 gravity-flow vats enabling parcel-by-parcel vinification. The Cazes family acquired this Fifth Growth property in 1939, though critics consistently note Lynch-Bages "performs at a second-growth level." The 90-hectare vineyard stretches across gravel ridges overlooking the Gironde estuary, where deep Garonne gravel soils over limestone substrata provide exceptional drainage for vines averaging 30 years, with select parcels nearing 90 years. The property dates to 1749 when Thomas Lynch—descendant of Irish families who emigrated to Bordeaux in 1691—inherited the estate in the village of Bages. The 2020 blend: 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, 5% Petit Verdot, with higher Merlot reflecting vintage yields rather than stylistic change. Wine Advocate awarded 95 points, noting "aromas of crème de cassis and blackberries mingled with notions of pencil shavings, spices and classy new oak" with "ripe, powdery tannins and a seamless, integrated profile" showing "considerable promise."