Bordeaux
-
74 Bordeaux Supérieur AC 2006
Château la Grave SingalierGrape:75% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon (12.5% alc.)
From vineyards on the banks of the River Garonne, this wine misses out on the Graves appellation by only 200 metres. Soft and fruity with an attractive cedary fragrance.
Click here for technical information about this wine
-
75 Entre-Deux-Mers AC 2007 Vieilles Vignes
Château Sainte-MarieGrape:50% Sauvignon, 40% Semillon, 10% Muscadelle (12.5% alc.)
The grapes are hand-harvested for this wine in a region where 98% of wines are machine harvested. The soil is ploughed between the rows and the yields are 25% lower than normal. The wine spends six months on fine lees and is zesty and honeyed, a perfect reflection of its grape varieties. For drinking now to 2011.
Click here for technical information about this wine
-
76 Graves Blanc AC 2008
Château MoutinGrape:90% Sauvignon, 10% Semillon (12.5% alc.)
This stylish wine comes from 30 year old sauvignon and 50 year old semillon vines planted in a gravelly, sandy soil in Portets. Vinified in barrels it offers clean, mineral and citrus fruit flavours. For drinking now to 2012.
Click here for technical information about this wine
-
77 Pessac-Léognan AC 2006
Château Pont St MartinGrape:80% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon (13% alc.)
Organic viticulture, low yields from 25 year old vines and meticulous winemaking are behind this excellent Pessac-Léognan. It has the weight of fruit and density that only fine wines possess, yet it is supple, harmonious and not over extracted, with a notable stony, mineral element. For drinking now to 2015.
Click here for technical information about this wine
-
78 Loupiac AC 2002/2005 Cuvée d’Or
Château Dauphiné-RondillonGrape:75% Semillon, 25% Sauvignon (13.5% alc.)
Loupiac is an appellation on steep gravelly banks of the right bank of the Garonne, opposite Sauternes. This is the château’s top cuvée from 70 year old semillon and 20 year old sauvignon. It has a rich gold colour, intense fruit on the nose and fine concentration on the palate – nuts, honey, marmalade and a touch of vanilla, with excellent relief and balance on the palate. For drinking now to 2011+. Sweet.
* Half bottles are available
Click here for technical information about this wine
-
79 Montravel Sec AC 2009
Domaine de PerreauGrape:70% Sauvignon Gris, 30% Semillon (12.5% alc.)
Montravel is a tiny area in the hills north of the Dordogne providing Bergerac’s finest whites. An interesting blend – sauvignon shows on the aroma, but the addition of semillon gives an extra structure with a dash of honey on the palate.
Click here for technical information about this wine
-
80 Côtes-de-Bourg AC 2005
Château BrulesécailleGrape:55% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Cabernet Franc (13% alc.)
From a 20 hectare single parcel of land, with some 60 year old vines, grapes are harvested late and the yield is 25% less than the maximum permitted under the appellation’s rules. This is an excellent wine at this price level, with a lovely rich fruity nose (prune, tobacco, coffee), luscious mouth feel, with good attack and length on the palate. For drinking now to 2012.
Click here for technical information about this wine
-
81 Canon-Fronsac AC 2004 La Truffière
Château Cassagne Haut-CanonGrape:60% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Cabernet Franc (13% alc.)
This vineyard has a superb terroir – a small steep-sided knoll overlooking the Dordogne – with a rich and varied mosaic of all the soils (Oligocene clays and sands with limestone on the hilltop) of the appellation. Aged in 40% new oak (the balance up to two years old), La Truffière is the château’s top cuvée. Very rich in its youth, it ages magnificently, gradually developing finesse and truffley notes on the nose, balanced by a nice minerality and freshness. For drinking now to 2013.
Click here for technical information about this wine
-
82 Montagne-Saint-Emilion AC 2006
Château Haut-GoujonGrape:70% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon (13% alc.)
This wine comes from vines in the northwest corner of Montagne-Saint-Emilion lying next to the best vineyards of Lalande-de-Pomerol. Indeed it is difficult to distinguish this wine from a good Lalande. A deep colour (neither fined nor filtered), it has rich stylish fruit with a hint of iron. For drinking now to 2011.
Click here for technical information about this wine
-
83 Saint-Emilion AC 2007
Château Moulin de LagnetGrape:80% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon (13% alc.)
No herbicides or pesticides, late-picked grapes and rotation between oak cask and stainless steel vats are some of the secrets behind this wine’s quality. It is mediumbodied, with classic hints of eucalyptus and mint on the nose and intense red fruit flavours. For drinking now to 2012.
Click here for technical information about this wine
-
84 Saint-Emilion Grand Cru AC 2005
Château Haut-SegottesGrape:60% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Franc, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon (13% alc.)
This comes from superbly situated vineyards on the plâteau of Figeac and Cheval Blanc, still tended personally by the devoted Madame André. It’s a wine with a great heart of concentrated healthy fruit and savoury tannins. For drinking now to 2013.
Click here for technical information about this wine
-
85 Lalande-de-Pomerol AC 2004
Château Haut-GoujonGrape:80% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon (13% alc.)
This is the château’s top wine from the oldest and best placed parcels of vines, which lie on gravel banks with little outbreaks of iron in the clay beneath. Aged in 50% new and 50% one year old barrels for 18 months, and fined but not filtered, this is a stylish, elegant wine with hints of truffle on the nose, succulent, spicy red fruits and strong minerality in the background. For drinking now to 2012.
* Half bottles are available
Click here for technical information about this wine
-
86 Pomerol AC 2004
Château Thibeaud-MailletGrape:90% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc (13% alc.)
Thibeaud-Maillet is a real jewel. A tiny 1.5 hectare estate, the 26-48 year old vines are planted in a sandy, gravelly alluvial soil, which overlies Tertiary clay. The wines from this estate have a subtle, teasing, complex fruit with a silky delivery on the palate. For drinking now to 2014.
Click here for technical information about this wine
-
87 Médoc Cru Bourgeois AC 2006
Château Saint-AubinGrape:31% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Cabernet Franc, 17% Petit Verdot (12.5% alc.)
Mid-weight, this wine has a beautiful, clear mid-claret colour. Aged in three and four year old barrels it offers blackcurrant, plummy, spicy flavours with a hint of cedar and cigar box in the background. It is already giving a lot of pleasure but will improve to a peak over the next year. For drinking now to 2012.
Click here for technical information about this wine