For the Future - 5 Years

5 years is really a pretty short length of time to lay most wines down unless of course they are already on the way to maturity. Here are some wines which, whilst drinkable now, will deifinitely improve with 5 more years cellaring.

Pinot Noir 2004 £17.19 - Picardy Estate. Pemberton, Western Australia e

A very Burgundian style Picardy Pinot - with earthy and truffle characters now perfectly balanced with sweet fruit in the dark cherry spectrum. As per usual, oak influence is subtle and supportive, acid obvious but well integrated and tannins firm but not extractive. The Pannell family are really succeeding in producing some truly Burgundian Pinots. Picardy is one of Australia's leading premium wine producers, established in 1993 in the Pemberton region of Western Australia. Picardy is a boutique vineyard and winery producing Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Shiraz and Merlot/Cabernet varieties. All wines bearing the Picardy label are made entirely from fruit grown on the Picardy vineyard, and are vintaged and bottled by the Pannell Family in their own winery at Picardy. Picardy is owned and operated by Bill, Sandra, Dan and Jodie Pannell. Bill and Sandra were pioneers of the Margaret River region, establishing Moss Wood vineyard and winery in 1969. Moss Wood went on to be a major driving force in establishing Margaret River as one of Australia's important growing regions. Dan has grown up in the wine industry and completed a Bachelors of Science (Oenology) at The University Of Adelaide. Picardy was named after a region east of Paris. A wine merchant and family friend noted that many of the great wines and wine regions have names beginning with the letter "P". Pomerol, Petrus, Pauillac and Pommard are examples. Picardy strives to continue this tradition of wine making quality and excellence. Well - at least the name's french - they could have called it Preston! CHEESE/BEEF/LAMB/PORK/DUCK

Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos, 2002 - Domaine Pinson - £30.69 per bottle

A grand Cru Chablis is the very pinnacle of great Chablis and Les Clos is recognised as being one of the best grand cru sites. Pinson holds the largest single plot in Les Clos. Just as the 1er Crus are one step up from the Chablis Villages so this wine is up several notches again. With Pinson's Les Clos you get richness of fruit without too much fatness. Laurent is not looking to disguise the inherent concetration and ripeness in his wines by exposing them to too much oak. Oak is there but in a supporting role where it provides a framework in which to display the essence which is the wine. The 2002 is one of the great Chablis wines of this vintage and a wine that will repay cellaring for 5 to 8 years. SMOKED FISH/CHICKEN/SHELLFISH/CHEESE/VEGETARIAN