Staff Picks
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Country: France, BordeauxGrapes: MerlotABV: 13.5%Style: Savoury Classic Red2020 was a glorious year for Bordeaux and the vintage’s quality filtered down to the petit chateaux as the Bois de Rolland Cuvee Prestige 2020 shows. A year of extremes that saw everything from drought to deluges, hail to heat waves, all set against the COVID-19 pandemic, it was a vintage where winemakers needed to be on their guard. Those who were watchful saw reduced harvests of exceptionally ripe grapes that produced wines of wonderful quality. Taste Deep cherry red, the bouquet blends red be -
Country: France, Bordeaux, Haut MedocGrapes: Cabernet SauvignonABV: 13%Style: Savoury Classic Red92 Points - Wine Enthusiast. Another star of our great value Bordeaux wine list, the Chateau les Vimieres 2021 was awarded 92 points by Wine Enthusiast. The tiny (0.45-hectare) estate is home to seventy-year-old vines that produce minuscule quantities of super-concentrated grapes. Created by Eric Boissenot, consultant to Chateau Latour and Chateau Lafite in the challenging 2021 vintage, it’s rich, velvety, loaded with black fruits and supported by a fine structure. An awful lot of wine for the -
Country: France, Bordeaux, Canon FronsacGrapes: MerlotABV: 14.5%Style: Savoury Classic Red90 Points - La Revue du Vin de France. Located on South Facing slopes overlooking the Dordogne River, Chateau Barrabaque is located in the appellations of Fronsac and Canon-Fronsac. Cuvee Hugo is a fruit forward Merlot dominated wine with barrel ageing in French oak, bringing a beautiful structure. Rated an impressive 90 points by La Revue du Vin de France and hailing from the wonderful 2019 vintage, Cuvee Hugo offers exceptional value for money. Vivino Rating: 4.3 (Sept 2024) Wine Press Ratings
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Country: France, BordeauxGrapes: MerlotABV: 13%Style: Savoury Classic RedBronze Medal Winner. 2021 was a glorious year for Bordeaux and the vintage’s quality filtered down to the petit chateaux as the Bois de Rolland Cuvee Prestige 2021 shows. A year of extremes that saw everything from drought to deluges, hail to heat waves, all set against the COVID-19 pandemic, it was a vintage where winemakers needed to be on their guard. Those who were watchful saw reduced harvests of exceptionally ripe grapes that produced wines of wonderful quality. Awards Bronze Medal - Decan -
Country: France, Bordeaux, PomerolGrapes: MerlotABV: 13.5%Style: Savoury Classic Red92 Points - Wine Enthusiast. Clement Fayat set up his construction business in the 1950’s. Having grown it to the 4th largest in its sector (just behind Bouygues – owners of Chateau Montrose) he decided to follow his passion and began to invest in properties in Bordeaux. A lover of Pomerol, he purchased Prieurs de la Commanderie in 1984 and has begun to achieve the potential quality that rough diamond always promised. Dusty garnet colour. Aromas and flavours of mocha, toasty pistachio, and berry -
Country: France, Bordeaux, PomerolGrapes: MerlotABV: 14%Style: Savoury Classic RedClement Fayat set up his construction business in the 1950’s. Having grown it to the 4th largest in its sector (just behind Bouygues – owners of Chateau Montrose) he decided to follow his passion and began to invest in properties in Bordeaux. A lover of Pomerol, he purchased Prieurs de la Commanderie in 1984 and has begun to achieve the potential quality that rough diamond always promised. Dusty garnet colour. Aromas and flavours of mocha, toasty pistachio, and berry tart with a supple, bright, -
Country: France, Bordeaux, MargauxGrapes: Cabernet SauvignonABV: 13.5%Style: Savoury Classic Red93 Points - VertdeVin. The 2,5 hectare parcel producing just 10,000 bottles of this confidential wine stand in a mythical triangle of vines surrounded by Château Palmer, Rauzan Segla and Cantenac Brown, just the finest terroir one could hope for in the appellation. "Generous nose showing fruits in brandy, dried fruits and fine oakiness. Warm, expressive attack echoing the nose beautifully. The mid-palate and finish are firmer and bolder in this characterful wine." The wine is the epitome of the -
Country: France, BordeauxGrapes: MerlotABV: 13.5%Style: Savoury Classic Red2020 was a glorious year for Bordeaux and the vintage’s quality filtered down to the petit chateaux as the Bois de Rolland Cuvee Prestige 2020 shows. A year of extremes that saw everything from drought to deluges, hail to heat waves, all set against the COVID-19 pandemic, it was a vintage where winemakers needed to be on their guard. Those who were watchful saw reduced harvests of exceptionally ripe grapes that produced wines of wonderful quality. Taste Deep cherry red, the bouquet blends red be -
Country: France, Bordeaux, Canon FronsacGrapes: MerlotABV: 14%Style: Savoury Classic Red90 Points - Jeff Leve. Château Vrai Canon Bouché hails from Canon Fronsac and since 2005 it has become one of this commune’s leading wines. Its single vineyard is planted with a blend of 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Franc and is hand-tended like it was a garden. The owners have steadily reduced the use of chemicals and have deployed natural methods to restore the soil’s vitality. 2017 was a particularly successful year for the property. Writing in the Wine Insider, Jeff Leve awarded it 90 points -
Country: France, Bordeaux, MargauxGrapes: Cabernet Sauvignon, MerlotABV: 13.5%Style: Savoury Classic Red95 Points - Decanter. The Chateau Cantenac Brown 2016 is another fantastic wine from this esteemed property. Composed of a blend of 68% Cabernet Sauvignon and 32% Merlot, it’s a sensational wine that bears all the hallmarks of this great vintage. The years of hard work and investment that have flowed into this estate have paid significant dividends and Cantenac Brown is now back where it belongs amongst the finest wines in Bordeaux. Compared to its neighbours Chateau Palmer and Chateau Margaux, -
Country: France, Bordeaux, Pessac LeognanGrapes: Cabernet SauvignonABV: 14%Style: Savoury Classic Red96 Points - Wine Enthusiast. La Mission Haut Brion produced a typically brilliant wine in 2008. While the vintage as a whole has been somewhat overshadowed by the 2009 and 2010, the 2008s are often exceptional and offer great value for money by comparison. Robert Parker awarded this classic blend of 51% Cabernet Sauvignon, 43% Merlot, and 6% Cabernet Franc 95 points praising its ‘Medium to full-bodied and concentrated with good acidity, freshness and delineation.’ Neal Martin gave the 2008 96 po -
Country: France, Bordeaux, PomerolGrapes: MerlotABV: 13.5%Style: Savoury Classic Red94 Points - Jeff Leve. Even in the context of Pomerol, Clos l’Eglise is a tiny property. In an average year, its 5.98-hectare vineyard (which isn’t a walled ‘clos’) yields only 2,800 cases of wine, and given its rising popularity, stocks are quickly exhausted. The secret to its success – alongside the huge investment by its owners the billionaire Garcan-Cathiard family – is its sandy-gravel topsoil, hard-pan subsoil and climate which is drier in the summer and winter than further west in the Med -
Country: France, Bordeaux, Saint EstepheGrapes: MerlotABV: 13%Style: Savoury Classic Red92 Points - Wine Enthusiast. Chateau Petit Bocq made the most of its scattered Saint Estèphe plots and selected only the finest fruit for its Grand Vin in 2017. This Cru Bourgeois Supérieur is made up of 50% Merlot, 48% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 2% Petit Verdot from vineyards that border the likes of Cos d’Estournel and Montrose. Known as one of the best value wines in all of Saint Estèphe, it’s been described as a ‘…seriously structured wine. It also has density and solid black fruits that are r -
Country: France, Bordeaux, PauillacGrapes: Cabernet SauvignonABV: 13%Style: Savoury Classic RedLynch Moussas 2008 produced an impressive wine in the underrated 2008 vintage. Robert Parker awarded it 88-89 while Wine Enthusiast gave it 89 and described it as being ‘intensely spicy wine, full of exotic flavours, dried prunes, figs and a powerful layer of cinnamon.’ Created from a classic blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, Lynch Moussas has always made a traditional style of Pauillac and is renowned for its longevity and complexity. Vivino Rating: 4.1 (Jun 2024) Taste Medium-red with ga -
Country: France, Bordeaux, PauillacGrapes: Cabernet SauvignonABV: 13%Style: Savoury Classic Red91 Points - Wine Enthusiast. Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste produced an outstanding 2013. Writing in the Wine Advocate, Neal Martin described it as ‘one of the finest Pauillac wines of the vintage.’ A cool, wet spring, baking hot July, and a harvest carried out in fits and starts, this was a vintage that tested the winemakers’ skills to the limit. Grand-Puy-Lacoste’s Xavier and Emeline Borie were more than up to the challenge though and produced a wine that warrants its status as a Grand Cru Classé. -
Country: France, Bordeaux, Haut MedocGrapes: Cabernet SauvignonABV: 13%Style: Savoury Classic Red92 Points - Wine Enthusiast. Another star of our great value Bordeaux wine list, the Chateau les Vimieres 2021 was awarded 92 points by Wine Enthusiast. The tiny (0.45-hectare) estate is home to seventy-year-old vines that produce minuscule quantities of super-concentrated grapes. Created by Eric Boissenot, consultant to Chateau Latour and Chateau Lafite in the challenging 2021 vintage, it’s rich, velvety, loaded with black fruits and supported by a fine structure. An awful lot of wine for the -
Country: France, Bordeaux, Haut MedocGrapes: MerlotABV: 13%Style: Savoury Classic Red91 Points - International Wine Report. Surrounded by prestigious chateaux and sharing an exceptional terroir, Chateau d’Esteau Cuvee d’Eyssan delivers one of the best price-quality ratios in the region. This gorgeous blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Franc is a lightly wooded, fruity, and lively Haut-Médoc. It offers inviting aromas of cherries and plum, woven together with cedar, spices, and hints of dried tobacco. A well-balanced, elegant, medium-bodied Médoc, it is ready to be -
Country: France, BordeauxGrapes: MerlotABV: 13.5%Style: Savoury Classic RedGold Medal Winner. Château Bois de Rolland is situated just 17 kilometres from Saint Emilion, famous for its World Class wines like Château Angelus. This cuvée, made from old vines (Vieilles Vignes) benefits from the same clay and limestone soils, perfect for the Merlot grape to show its full potential. 70% Merlot & 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, this estate bottled wine has a lovely cherry red colour with an elegant nose of cinnamon, vanilla and red fruits. Nicely rounded with a good structure and -
Country: France, Bordeaux, FronsacGrapes: MerlotABV: 14.5%Style: Savoury Classic RedIn the heart of the minuscule 1000 hectare Fronsac appellation, tucked in between Châteaux Dalem, Haut Carles and Beausejour, lies this hidden jewel on the banks of the ambling Dordogne river. The microclimate here, created by the rolling hills of clay and chalk situated by the mineral rich river have an effect on the Merlot grapes which gives them stunning acidity. Plump, soft plummy black fruit flavours, medium to full bodied and a gorgeous satisfying mouthful. A must try great quality and val -
Country: France, Bordeaux, Haut MedocGrapes: MerlotABV: 13%Style: Savoury Classic Red92 Points - International Wine Report. Château d’Esteau is located in Saint Sauveur in Bordeaux, France and surrounded by prestigious Chateaux - sharing an exceptional terroir - and delivering one of the best Price / Quality ratio in the region. This gorgeous wine is a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, Cuvee d’Eyssan is a lightly wooded, fruity, and lively Haut Medoc. The 2018 Cuvee d'Eyssan offers inviting aromas of cherries and plum are woven together with cedar, spices a -
Country: France, Bordeaux, MedocGrapes: Cabernet Sauvignon, MerlotABV: 13.5%Style: Savoury Classic RedDelicious and incredible value for money - a must-try. This 50/50 blend of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon from Bordeaux was awarded the highest level of HVE environmental accreditation. Château Meilhan is vinified and bottled by Guy Bailly, owner of Château le Bourdieu in the Médoc. Located near the village of Valeyrac, his chateau was built in 1830 by Phillipe Delacourt, known as the Lord of Bourdieu. This wine has a lovely nose of black fruits and toasted notes with the structure and balance yo -
Country: France, Bordeaux, Canon FronsacGrapes: MerlotABV: 14.5%Style: Savoury Classic Red90 Points - La Revue du Vin de France. Located on South Facing slopes overlooking the Dordogne River, Chateau Barrabaque is located in the appellations of Fronsac and Canon-Fronsac. Cuvee Hugo is a fruit forward Merlot dominated wine with barrel ageing in French oak, bringing a beautiful structure. Rated an impressive 90 points by La Revue du Vin de France and hailing from the wonderful 2019 vintage, Cuvee Hugo offers exceptional value for money. Vivino Rating: 4.3 (Sept 2024) Wine Press Ratings -
Country: France, Bordeaux, Saint EmilionGrapes: Cabernet Franc, Merlot, MalbecABV: 13.5%Style: Savoury Classic Red95 Points - Decanter. One of Saint-Émilion's most prestigious Grand Cru's, located right next door to the famed Château Cheval Blanc. From the oldest surviving wine producing château in Saint-Émilion comes this incredible Grand Cru Classe wine from a fabulous vintage. A sensationally moreish, fragrant and textured wine created by the renowned Olivier Decelle. Vivino Rating: 4.1 (Jun 2024) Wine Press Ratings 95 Points - Decanter "Wonderfully floral cherry notes on the nose here - ripe, vibrant an -
Country: France, Bordeaux, Saint EmilionGrapes: Cabernet FrancABV: 13.5%Style: Savoury Classic Red93-94 Points - James Suckling. One of Saint-Émilion's most prestigious Grand Cru's, located right next door to the famed Château Cheval Blanc. From the oldest surviving wine producing château in Saint-Émilion comes this incredible Grand Cru Classe wine from a fabulous vintage. A sensationally moreish, fragrant and textured wine created by the renowned Olivier Decelle. Vivino Rating: 4.1 (Sept 2024) Wine Press Ratings 93-94 Points - James Suckling "A dense and linear fruit. Gorgeous already." 91- -
Country: France, Bordeaux, Haut MedocGrapes: Cabernet SauvignonABV: 13.5%Style: Savoury Classic Red90 Points - VertdeVin. 'A thousand Roses'. Named after his mothers love for roses, Owner David Faure has aimed to create aromatic, rich and smooth wines, just like roses. An intense and deep purple colour, the nose is fresh, carrying floral notes and light notes of vanilla, with a subtle hint of strawberries. The palate is very fresh, lively and reveals a medium to concentrated structure. Located in the Southern Médoc with prestigious Grand Crus Classé neighbours, this Château is 100% Organic an -
Country: France, Bordeaux, Haut MedocGrapes: Cabernet SauvignonABV: 14%Style: Savoury Classic Red'A thousand Roses'. Named after his mothers love for roses, Owner David Faure has aimed to create aromatic, rich and smooth wines, just like roses. An intense and deep purple colour, the nose is fresh, carrying floral notes and light notes of vanilla, with a subtle hint of strawberries. The palate is very fresh, lively and reveals a medium to concentrated structure. Located in the Southern Médoc with prestigious Grand Crus Classé neighbours, this Château is 100% Organic and a real hidden gem! W -
Country: France, Bordeaux, FronsacGrapes: MerlotABV: 15%Style: Smooth Fruity RedBronze Medal - Decanter World Wine Awards. In the heart of the minuscule 1000 hectare Fronsac appellation, tucked in between Châteaux Dalem, Haut Carles and Beausejour, lies this hidden jewel on the banks of the ambling Dordogne river. The microclimate here, created by the rolling hills of clay and chalk situated by the mineral rich river have an effect on the Merlot grapes which gives them stunning acidity. Plump, soft plummy black fruit flavours, medium to full bodied and a gorgeous satisfyingRegular Price£15.95Bin End Sale - 25% off£11.97