Red Wine

A Starred First from our buying team "Deep colour. Peppery spice on the nose. Charming blackcurrant fruit on the palate, with a creamy texture, and fresh acidity. Very good tannic hold. Slightly toasty, smoky note, but pure fruit that wears it well. Slightly blue. Medium plus acidity, but glamorous, and good length"

A Starred First from our buying team "Deep colour. Peppery spice on the nose. Charming blackcurrant fruit on the palate, with a creamy texture, and fresh acidity. Very good tannic hold. Slightly toasty, smoky note, but pure fruit that wears it well. Slightly blue. Medium plus acidity, but glamorous, and good length"

Delicious, up front personality, ripe and juicy. Not hugely long. Drink early?

The 2016 Cote de Baleau has a lovely, very pretty bouquet with ebullient red cherry and crushed strawberry fruit with beautifully integrated oak. The palate is medium-bodied with precise, carefully placed tannin. There is fine focus here, just a touch of rigidity in the mouth, quite saline and spicy, a Saint Emilion that just needs a little (during élevage) to gain some more flesh.

Bright ruby, sweet ripe fruit, vanilla, lot sof sweet fruit, good density and nice acidity, long and very moreish,

Delightful slightly heavier bodied wine. With strong earthy, eucalyptus and oak notes. Some slight hints of dark fruit. Dry. Dark near purple colour. The blackberry and dark cherry flavours are robust and well balanced. Some mushroom and oak. Medium high acidity.

85% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. 50% new oak. Delicious, vibrant blueberry fruit, then cedar, graphite, and good mineral lift. There’s a savoury edge, juniper spice, and an herbaceous finish.

Listrac is a commune close to Margaux that fans of Bordeaux should really check out. Fonreaud is one of its chief exponents and currently producing terrific wines that, were they to have Margaux on the label, should cost much more. The 2016 is one its best ever wines, It has very good structure underlying delicious dark fruits. Fresh acidity too helps make the wine sing from the first sip.

Perfumed nose. Cream, cassis, blueberry cheesecake - really inviting, if primary and oak derived. Juicy, plenty of tannin but fun blueberry fruit. Well structured. Fruit remains though. As does acidity. Totally charming.

16.5 points CWM and Julia Harding jancisrobinson.com "Mid cherry red. Lovely cherry fragrance too. Cool and silky. Relatively lightweight but fine and gentle on the palate. Pretty and elegant. The producer was worried that this was a lighter-tasting sample than the rest and the second bottle was indeed firmer and richer. Bravo"

16.5 points CWM and Julia Harding jancisrobinson.com "Mid cherry red. Lovely cherry fragrance too. Cool and silky. Relatively lightweight but fine and gentle on the palate. Pretty and elegant. The producer was worried that this was a lighter-tasting sample than the rest and the second bottle was indeed firmer and richer. Bravo"

16.5 points CWM and Julia Harding jancisrobinson.com "Mid cherry red. Lovely cherry fragrance too. Cool and silky. Relatively lightweight but fine and gentle on the palate. Pretty and elegant. The producer was worried that this was a lighter-tasting sample than the rest and the second bottle was indeed firmer and richer. Bravo"

The Guimberteau family has owned the Château Franc-Baudron estate since 1923. This is a vineyard on a human scale where each generation has left its footprint on the family heritage. Since 2010, the new generation of Château Franc-Baudron has embarked on an environmental approach by converting the entire vineyard to organic farming. The area hosts bee-hives, uses plants for treatments (horsetail, nettle and ferns) and seeds flowers to encourage biodiversity of wildlife in the vines. They have begun implementing new winemaking techniques by using minimal inputs to express at its best the nature of the grapes and the type of soil. Most of the family’s plots of Montagne Saint-Emilion are located on a clay-limestone plateau. Bright and intense in colour with aroams of blackcurrant, blackberry and oak notes.Well balanced, powerful and velvety.

Sweet red cherries and raspberry coulis on the nose. Juicy blue fruit palate, mineral, sweet spice, incense. Generous, structured, mineral, and fresh with bright tannins. 30% aged in amphora.

Sweet red cherries and raspberry coulis on the nose. Juicy blue fruit palate, mineral, sweet spice, incense. Generous, structured, mineral, and fresh with bright tannins. 30% aged in amphora.

classic pencil lead and cedar-scented bouquet that feels just a little foursquare at the moment. The palate is medium-bodied with a dash of spice on the entry. This is underpinned by quite robust tannin, but fortunately this Pauillac forages finesse towards the finish that is well balanced and offers attractive persistence.

Satin textured. Fresh, sweet and polished on the nose. Very bright fruit. Very, very slightly raw but admirable for a 2002 and already drinkable.

Xavier Borie’s Grand Puy Lacoste is a fifth-growth Pauillac that consistently performs at a much higher level. The 2012 Grand-Puy-Lacoste has the classic, tell-tale crème de cassis as well as some bluer fruits and floral notes. Medium-bodied, its ripe tannin, beautiful fruit and low acidity give it an up-front appeal

Amazing. So incredibly smooth with this fantastic bouquet. Dark fruit coming in off the nose and palate with blackberry and black currant, with this earthy cedar undertone to it. Really opened up to this sort of leather tobacco kind of vibe before going out with an oak length. Absolutely beautiful.

Extracted cherry fruit, very ripe aromas and flavours, good length, low acid but some subtlety. Quite appealing. Persistent.

Extracted cherry fruit, very ripe aromas and flavours, good length, low acid but some subtlety. Quite appealing. Persistent.

Grassy, green, lean aromas. Crunchy cab franc. Expressive, spicy, juicy, vibrant, supple palate. Coffee on the finish. 1/3rd new oak.

Luscious and rich with fine Pauillac character. Thick and sweet and rich. Lovely freshness. Very direct. Velvet. Great balance. Just a bit dusty on the end. Good fresh finish.