Second wine of the excellent Le Pin Beausoleil. Guide Hachette 1 star "raspberry, wild strawberry, blackcurrant and violet: here is a pretty spring bouquet. A few subtle menthol notes add a touch of freshness. On the palate, everything is silky and there is no trace of tannins. It is indeed the fruit that reigns here throwing the Little Sun."

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 aromas of blackcurrant, blackberry and oak notes. Well balanced, powerful and velvety.

This 20ha estate has been owned since 1994 by Florence and Daniel Cathiard, who also own Château Smith Haut Lafitte and are making some of the most exciting, perfectly honed wines in Bordeaux. Their top wines ell north of £80 a bottle so this wine appears relatively good value, particulalry since it came out top at a recent Decanter tasting of Red Graves from 2016. Bravo. Planted to 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Merlot, on mostly gravel soils with some clay. Grapes are handpicked and sorted twice, whole-berry fermented in large oak vats before ageing 14 months in 25% new French oak barrels. This is intense, fruity and a real joy to drink now or keep for another 10 years.

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

Second wine of Chateau Monlot, which sits on excellent Clay-Limestone terroir in the Saint-Emilion commune of Saint-Hippolyte. Beautiful youthful colour. A mix of red and black fruits and a pronounced oaked tone on the nose. On the palate, pleasurable harmony, honesty and fruit intensity.