Red Wine

CWM Ranking - First Class 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"

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.

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.

Château Haut Boutisse, Saint Emilion Grand Cru, is a family property that has existed since the middle of the 19th century. Located on the foothills of Saint Emilion, the soil (Graves, clay-limestone and sandy loam) is similar to the greatest properties in Saint-Emilion.. A beautiful garnet colour. The complex nose presents a beautiful synergy between aromas of jammy strawberry and rose accompanied by fine smoky notes and dried figs. The mouth has a very nice balance between volume and freshness. The harvest is done manually. Vinification is a cold pre-fermentation maceration followed by alcoholic fermentation in temperature-controlled stainless steel vats with pumping over/punching down. The wine is aged for 15 months in new barrels (90%) and concrete vats (10%).

Ruby with hints of purple, not showing real signs of ageing. Elegant blackcurrant and plum on the nose, followed by some pepperiness and spice, ultimately autumn leaves. On the palate tannins softened by oak dominate. Quite high acidity, A serious Bordeaux wine, begs for a rib of beef or leg of lamb. This wine is perfectly ready to drink. Cocoa, tobacco, leather, liquorice, violet, plum and most of all blackberry. Full, with a long dark fruit finish. Great value cru bourgeois

From a small 7ha vineyard on the plain just below the town of Saint-Emilion, owned by the Gagnaire brothers. 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc. Bright deep ruby, with appealing aromas of plum, blackberry and vanilla. Charming body, very drinkable young, but well balanced between acidity and tannins, with lots of pretty fruit.

CWM Ranking: - First Class Decent yields of 50 hl/ha help keep this regular performer on an even keel pricewise. 60% Cab Sauv 35% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot. 25% new oak. V dark, opaque black purple. Savoury, woody, nose, then fine rich fruit with plenty of concentration, backed up with some ripe but big tannins and fine acidity.

CWM Ranking: High 2:1 Deep concentrated ruby colour. Toasty oak, grilled meat, pencil shaving, kirsch, blackcurrant, currants. Surprising, bright, juicy palate. Creamy secondary characteristics. Robust forward fruit, victoria plum, dark cherry, currants. Well held with ripe tannins. Balanced and enjoyable. Fruit falls away towards the end but reasonable length.

This Claret is fresh and balanced. The blend is Merlot-based and the wine is aged in French oak barrels for 12 months, giving a nice aroma of spice and wood smoke. The palate is fleshy with a hint of plum, the tannins fine and firm, leading to a generous finish. Drink now to 2036

Silver Medal winner for this Merlot-based red wine that is packed with flavour and very well balanced already. Lots of plum and blackberry primary flavours, soft tannins and a nice lick of acidity that keeps the wine energetic.

This 55% Cabernet Sauvignon and 45% Merlot blend comes from an estate just north of Saint-Estèphe. It reflects the structure and density of that appellation. Bold, ripe and fruity, it will age well. Drink from 2020

Floral, supple, elegant. Lovely ripe fruit, blackcurrant with coconut-y oak. Well formed, ripe tannin. Slightly coffee / toffee finish. Surprising.

Damien Pagès is the grandson of Marc Pagès (who took on Château la Tour de By in 1966). Château Noaillac is situated 15 kilometres north of Château la Tour de By. Planted to approximately 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 55% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot, with an average age of 40 years. Damien is a qualified oenologue and a brilliant winemaker. He describes his 2020 as follows: Charming and complex on the nose, with an elegant balance of fruit and oak aromas. Nice, intense claret colour, rich and full bodied with a long finish. An elegant, silky and luscious wine. Super value, almost too good!

Sauvignon Blanc on the nose, but there is also 20 percent Sauvignon Gris which gives weight and body. Good creamy weight and depth, white and yellow fruits with a crisp finish.

A great follow up to the excellent 2016 vintage from this petit chateau that shows what great value can be found at the lower prices in Bordeaux. Velvety tannins and sweet blackcurrant fruit, it's very approachable although young.nd ready to drink.

Very dense red, quite intense concentration of Cabernet fruit, lots of extraction but elegance as well, a fine wine that needs time.

A rich effort from this well-known property in St Christoly. Lovely rich mouthfeel, ripe and tannic with a luscious long finish. Low acidity suggests drinking this wine young, say 2018-2024.

Our house Malbec now for over 10 years. Simply nothing like it at this price. Great wine.

Pungent aromas of plum, wild strawberries, cherry and toasted spice. An elegant palate, with soft, velvety tannins, and a refreshingly fruity finish. Subtle touches of spice come from 10% of wine being aged for three months in oak.

Remi Jeanniard is the 'real deal' and a treasure for the Burgundy lover. An undeer-the-radar producer making fantastic wines in the heart of Burgundy's greatest vineyards. And they are affordable. "Fruit compote on the nose. Big and juicy. Quite charming and floral at the same time. A lot of structure, creamy towards the finish. Tannins even stay on the teeth."

In recent years this has been stunning value and, even more, a stunning red Burgundy. The 2019 is true to form, a fleshy, layered, old-vine red Burgundy that is both delicious now and also age-worthy. It hails from a single 0.94-hectare parcel of 40-plus-year-old Pinot Noir vines grown on the red clays of Les Grandes Terres (on the Santenay side of the commune). This clay-rich soil type has always produced the finest and plumpest reds of the village.

Deep purple colour, rich notes of blackberry and cocoa, plump palate with ripe soft tannins. 45% Merlot - 21% Cabernet Franc - 19% Cabernet Sauvignon - 15% Malbec An assortment of grape varietiesthat clearly illustrates this property’s hillsides origin of the terroir. Its blend makes it a unique Bordeaux wine. Vineyards are planted on slopes, facing south-south-west, on the right bank of the Garonne river, which receives a great amount of sunshine and this ideally mitigates proximity to the river (it also benefits from the bend in the Garonne). Slopes are comprised of limestone covered with shingly gravel soils at their peaks, clay-limestone mid-slope and fine gravel mixed with silica at the foot of these slopes, enabling Merlot grapes not to surpass their phenolic balance and allowing Cabernets to reach their full potential. Malbec produces quite low yields here, but this is compensated by its role in the final blend, bringing smoothness and spicy notes.

Lovely little property turning out ripe fruity claret at a good price. More of these please!