It is odd to taste a Bordeaux that is solely made from Cabernet Sauvignon because these wines are usually blends, but this is a very impressive wine with a gentlemanly feel. It is smooth, calm, oak-kissed and mellow and it is a benchmark partner to roast lamb. in , 12th Dec 2019
The inexpensive red Bordeaux category is a scary place but I found this wine a month ago and it blew me away. Made from 70% Merlot, 20% Malbec and 10% Cabernet Franc and it is a truly great effort with extraordinary depth of fruit. It is a tenner and I cannot believe it! in , […]
This is one of my favourite Champagnes of all and it is made from such a small house I doubt that you have come across it before. Made from a 90% Pinot Noir, 10% Chardonnay blend and coming from Grand Cru vineyards the value here is utterly incredible. You could conceivably pay twice the price […]
This demure wine, with its discreet label, does not jump off the shelf, so let me give it a gentle push. This is a jaw-droppingly pure Chardonnay with pretensions to tasting like a classy Chablis and yet it comes from the cool Loire region and it costs well under a tenner if you order a […]
Not the grandest of Burgundy appellations, but winemaker Thomas Bouley is from Volnay and the vines for this expressive, aromatic Pinot lie above the village of Volnay. It has lovely raspberry and cherry purity, nutty, savoury depth and silky texture. 12.5% in , 4th Dec 2019
It pays to look outside the most famous appellations. And the less ambitious 2014s are beginning to be broachable. This has real pace and refreshment. in , 30th Nov 2019
There are some stunning north Rhône Syrahs around, thanks to a recent run of excellent vintages. This rich, unoaked example was grown just outside the limit of that useful appellation St-Joseph. in , 30th Nov 2019
This Loire wine’s morello cherry fruit is more charming than many a Gamay grown in its homeland Beaujolais. A useful aperitif? in , 30th Nov 2019
Vieux Château Saint André is the family winery of Jean-Claude Berrouet, who made Petrus for 44 vintages before retiring in 2007. Berrouet now runs this operation with his son Jean-François. Lovely and refined, made with 85 per cent merlot and 15 per cent cabernet franc. in , 23rd Nov 2019
A glorious Rhône syrah, made by a St Joseph producer from vineyards that aren’t classified for the appellation (they’re on flatter, more sandy soil) but which clearly make bloody good wine. There’s a plume of scent, then a waft of bacon fat. Beautiful. in , 23rd Nov 2019