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| 2004 |
Château Haut Cabut |
£7.95 (£95.40) |
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Premières Côtes de Blaye |
| This Merlot dominated claret (10% Cabernet Sauvignon) is packed with ripe juicy fruit and shows just a hint of oak on the crunchy finish. Delivers well at this price level. |
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| 2002 |
Château La Branne |
£9.95 (£119.40) |
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Médoc |
| An exceptionally good Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot blend from M. and Mme Videau, with a mass of plush black fruit and the classic dry texture of a good northern Médoc, as well as a background of warm oakiness. Drinking beautifully. |
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| 2004 |
Château des Graves |
£9.95 (£119.40) |
| From a very small (8 hectare) property in the the Graves de Portets. Looked after in the manner of a cru classé, with limited yields and ploughing rather than herbicides the vineyard is planted with 60% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon. Plush, softly dense and mouthfilling fruit in the best of the modern idiom from this area. |
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| 2004 |
Château Montaiguillon |
£10.95 (£131.40) |
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Montagne Saint Emilion |
| An unusually high proportion of Merlot (70%, with 20% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon). This is one of the best properties in Montagne making a wine that combines freshness of fruit expression and bold, well-defined flavours with powerful tannins. Winner of the coveted 'Coup de Coeur' in this vintage. |
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| 2003 |
Pélérins de Lafon Rochet |
£13.50 (£162.00) |
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Saint Estèphe Château Lafon-Rochet |
| An impressive nose, with a lovely, deep presence of fruit. Ripe and deep and concentrated on the palate, yet still very firm, with a positive core of tannin, but more than balanced by the fruit. |
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| 2002 |
Château Cote de Baleau |
£15.25 (£183.00) |
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Grand Cru Saint Emilion |
| A small property under the same ownership as Grandes Murailles and Clos Saint Martin. Dark sweet black cherry and currant fruit and hints of pencil-lead minerality, and a sophisticated use of oak, this finishes nicely dry and long. |
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| 1997 |
Château Mazeyres |
£16.95 (£203.40) |
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Pomerol |
| This delicious developed mid-weight Pomerol is proof again that many good wines are made in vintages without top reputations, and that they offer really world-class value. Mildly chocolatey in a warm gentle way, the developed fruit remains crisp and fresh in expression, delicate and precise, absolutely ready now. |
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| 2004 |
Réserve de Léoville Barton |
£18.50 (£222.00) |
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du Château Léoville Barton Saint Julien |
| Crisp fruit and aristocratic oak. Exactly the template for a second wine, from a great terroir but in a lighter style, and ready to drink without much delay. This is lovely, and drinking from now. |
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| 2002 |
Clos Canon |
£19.95 (£239.40) |
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du Château Canon Saint Emilion |
| Second wine of Chateau Calon, a property that was for many years an under-achiever until taken under the directorship of Johk Kolasa. The 2002 Clos du Canon is a firmly structured wine but with good sweet ripe fruit and a very good finish. |
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| 2003 |
Château les Ormes de Pez |
£21.95 (£263.40) |
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Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel Saint Estèphe |
| Deep violet colour, velvety tannins, dark cherry fruit with nice freshness and acidity. Very long with great purity. An attractive spicy aroma of fresh-ground black pepper giving a sensation of a savoury and well-seasoned whole. |
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| 2002 |
Château du Tertre |
£24.75 (£297.00) |
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5ème Cru Classé Margaux |
| Significant improvements in recent years at du Tertre have led to wines that are much greater quality and still reasonably priced. This medium-bodied Margaux is characterised by concentrated smoky black currant fruit, seductive tannins and a reasonably long finish. |
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| 2003 |
Château l'Arrosée |
£26.95 (£323.40) |
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Grand Cru Classé Saint Emilion |
| An outstanding return to form with this vintage. Beautifully aromatic (cherries, plums, figs, toasty oak and blackcurrants) with velvety textured, voluptuous fruit and silky tannins this is a sumptuous wine for drinking now. |
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