Margaret Swaine’s Wine Picks: Celebratory bottles

Today marks my 200th wine column for the Post and the launch of “our finest” in Vintages today. Find these celebratory wines for gifting or getting via WineAlign.com/MargaretsPicks.

Beringer Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 1997
$119.95
This expresses California ripeness with verve. Aging well, it drinks beautifully now but still has plenty of life for further cellaring. Full of character and flavour, it has a lovely cassis bouquet and layers of spiced berry elegance with good concentration and acidity. Among the best Beringer has produced, it has power and balance.

Henschke Mount Edelstone Vineyard Shiraz 2005
$99.95
Henschke makes iconic Australian reds and Mount Edelstone is their ultimate expression of superb shiraz. Concentrated yet not overpowering, lots of ripe berry and dried fruit are in the terrifically complex bouquet and taste. Elegant and layered, it’s intense with formidable length. Best to sip slowly and savour every drop.

Quintarelli Rosso Ca’ del Merlot 2002
$84.95
Giuseppe Quintarelli makes some of my very favourite reds of Italy. His wines are hand-crafted with extreme skill and dedication. This single-vineyard merlot is full bodied and supple with a lovely savoury, cedary, ripe berry nose that carries through on the palate with additional notes of cocoa, dried fig and hints of underbrush. Yummy, concentrated and layered.