Alternative label to Ch Haute Breton Larigaudiere, and much easier to say, this is classic Margaux at an affordable price. This wine is a deep ruby-red with intense, refined ripe red fruit aromas and elegant notes of vanilla and violet. It starts out powerful on the palate with a long, fresh aftertaste..

The 2014 Siran has a very refined bouquet with blackberry, briary and light tertiary aromas. There is fine precision here, understated compared to the Sirans of old. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin and a keen line of acidity. Linear in style and a little conservative towards the finish, but showing freshness from start to finish. Edouard Miailhe, proprietor of Siran, has really upped the ante here and this 2014 is just a classic Bordeaux claret that should drink well from the start, yet has the substance to suggest it will age with aplomb.

Big, rich and velvety like a decent Margaux should be with a modern glossy feel on the palate. Designed for earlier drinking as a second wine, with extended barrel ageing. Delicious fruit, ample weight and body, ripe tannins.

Ch La Fleur Peyrabon is a 7 hectare vineyard that is very well situated between Ch Mouton Rothschild and Ch Lafite. It is made by the team at Ch Peyrabon. This has a lightness of touch with good flexible tannins and an enjoyable level of extraction so that you feel its presence in terms of mouthfeel and impact without feeling weighed down. They are not going for high drama, but drinkability, still with plenty of Pauillac seriousness and a lovey shower of fresh mint on the finish. Good quality. 50% new oak.

The 2016 Lafon Rochet is a blend of 25% Merlot, 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Petit Verdot and 6% Cabernet Franc cropped at 46 hectoliters per hectare and matured in 50% new oak. The harvest was between 1 October and 20 October. The alcohol is 13.6%, which is just a little higher here than say Cos d'Estournel or Montrose. It has a very succinct bouquet with blackberry, bilberry and light oyster shell aromas, classic in style, more reserved than I found the 2015 Lafon Rochet last year. The palate is medium-bodied with powerful tannin on the entry, a keen line of acidity (3.65 pH), fine symmetry with a pleasant rondeur on the finish sprinkled with black pepper and tobacco. This is a very fine Lafon Rochet from Basile Tesseron and his team.

Grippy structured tannin supporting fat, plump black fruit. Should mature well.

59% Cabernet Sauvignon, 41% Merlot. 25% new oak. Very deep purple. Great focus and juiciness. Lots of sinew but very glamorous. Pretty damn good for a second wine!

As usual, the second wine, the 2006 Clos du Marquis, exhibits a character similar to the grand vin, but it is a more fruit-forward effort with sweeter tannins, and a more precocious, evolved personality.

Deep garnet in the glass. Earthy, some spice on the nose. Black berry and dark berry upfront on the palate. Balanced with oak, freshly cut wood. Fresh tobacco leaves. Sticky tannins. Full bodied, medium high acidity. Medium length finish

Aromas of blackcurrant and ripe red fruits. Full and rounded palate with a long lingering finish.

Founded in 1870 and owned by the Meffre family since 1961 Chateau du Glana remains one of the very few Saint Julien properties outside the 1855 Grand Cru Classification. As such it offers great value as everything is carried out to the same standard as a Grand Cru; the vineyards are next to 3rd Growth Ch Lagrange, 40% new oak is used and the grapes are extremely well tended. The 2014 vintage is a lovely wine, now ready to drink and very moreish. Big blackcurrant flavours, good ripesness of fruit and tannin, long and velvety. Lovely

Grand Puy Casse is a classic Pauillac and this 2nd wine is very fine. Classic creme de cassis notes intermixed with liquorice, a bit of toast in an elegant frame.

The John X Merriman is a powerful wine that rewards aging. In its youth the wine is worth decanting and expresses cassis, black currant and dark fruits complemented with cigar tobacco and sour cherrynotes. As the wine ages and its fine grained tannins soften a softer more savoury palate develops revealing wonderful drinkability and tertiary complexity.

A super-rare allocation Opaque ruby colour with ripe cassis, plum, and redcurrant fruit, toasty oak barrel spice, vanilla, fennel, juniper berry, bay laurel, well-integrated velvety tannins, full mid-palate, firm acid, long, sumptuous finish.