Bordeaux Blends

The largest estate in the Durantou stable, and one undergoing huge work - including on the olive groves, here. The 2020 is a lovely wine, with silky tannins and lots of bright red fruit. The finish is savoury and mouthwatering. Just a lovely wine.

This is a special late release from Château Giscours: their second wine from an outstanding vintage. The label is the winning design from a competition launched in March 2021, designed by James Albon, and 100% of the profits from the sale of this wine will be donated to The Drinks Trust’s Covid-19 relief fund, to support members of the UK hospitality industry adversely affected by the Coronavirus pandemic. The wine itself is beautiful. Notes of violets and pure, dark Cabernet fruit on the nose, while the palate is detailed, with fine tannins and a savoury note underpinning the core of ripe fruit. The finish is chiselled and intense, with lots of energy shining through. This demonstrates why 2015 in Margaux is such a legendary vintage: it’s a stunning wine, for an excellent cause.

Montaiguillon’s 2020 is another resounding success, continuing a string of excellent vintages at the estate. It is a deep ruby colour with notes of spiced plums, cassis and blackberries on the nose. There’s a savoury, graphite note woven through the juicy, sumptuous palate. Its rounded tannins are already integrated with the plump fruit, and the finish has a fresh, balanced length, the likes of which you’d expect from wines with much bigger price tags.

The 2020 Branas Grand Poujeaux is an impressive wine, from an estate in a hidden corner of the Médoc that’s worthy of your attention. It’s deep and pure on the nose, with notes of iron oxide and lots of dark cabernet fruit. The palate is finely judged, with refined tannins and very long, savoury finish. This looks like a wine of a far higher price. A top addition to your cellar.

The 2020 Labégorce is a beautiful Margaux, that's undoubtedly Cru Classé quality, but that's available at a much lower price. Notes of lavender and woodsmoke on the nose, and a structured yet elegant palate, that shows the best of this commune. A must-buy in 2020.

Tasted April 2022. Very intense black fruits, with a slight aromatic lift and savoury spice. The acidity is fantastically fresh, but balances so well with the pure, ripe fruit. There's complexity of crushed rock, mint and clove. This has density and concentration, but is perfectly poised. The tannins are ripe and there is a lovely saline, appetising quality to the finish, thanks to a higher than usual proportion of Cabernet Franc.

Anseillan is a small property within the estate of Lafite Rothschild, and for years they have made this separate wine and enjoyed it at the chateau, amongst the family. The 2018 was the first commercial release, and in the year since they have decided to release this magnum parcel from the 2014 vintage. In this part of the left bank 2014 was a glorious vintage, with ripe blackcurrant, plum and red cherry fruit, spice and stony character. This is maturing slowly, developing truffle, earth and smoke on the nose.

From the Durantou family of wines, this is a bottle that will never disappoint. There's a coolness here, but still so much fruit, and wonderful tannic structure. For a wine at this price point this will age brilliantly - everyone should have a bottle or two in their cellar.

Belgrave is situated just outside of the St-Julien commune, and the 2019 expresses all the hallmarks of this special place with inky blackcurrant fruit, sweet spice and a minty lift. There’s an earthy, gravel complexity and black pepper. Beautifully structured with fine tannins and a long flavourful finish.

From the Ausone stable, Fonbel is an excellent source of good value right bank Bordeaux. The 2020 is punching above its weight, with a refinement yet exuberance that's not normally seen at this pricepoint. It points to the quality of the Vauthier winemaking.

The Durantou stable of wines are, once again, not to be missed, and this is the perfect example. So much going on here, with lots of bright fruit, crunchy tannins, and a long, stony finish. For the medium term this will surprise and delight. Stock up.

Tasted April 2022. Peymouton in 2021 shows a good level of ripeness with fresh, sappy red berries and some darker, more brooding fruit underneath. The structure is firm at this early stage, with lots of fine tannins and fresh acidity. The whole palate is tightly wound, ready to age gracefully in bottle.

The 2018 Branas Grand Poujeaux is a beautifully styled left bank claret, with loads of ripe berry fruit on the nose, notes of violets and a hint of baked earth, and plenty of lift, too. The palate is silky and detailed, with stunning length for a wine of this price. Tasting it blind, you’d mistake this for a Grand Cru Classé.

The Castéja family, at the helm at Château Batailley, have produced a delicious wine in 2021. The characteristic freshness of the vintage shines through and makes this a very appetising wine. As always with Batailley, there is a classic Pauillac structure, with plenty of fine tannins and concentrated black fruit and savoury flavours.

A mini Ornellaia, this second wine is made up of a Bordeaux blend of Merlot (44%), Cabernet Sauvignon (30%), Cabernet Franc (13%) and Petit Verdot (13%). 2020 saw rather changeable weather with very long periods followed by heavy rainfall and drops in temperature, resulting in a longer harvest than usual to enable the different varieties were picked at optimum ripeness and condition. A combination of hand picking, sorting tables at the winery as well as the addition of an optical sorter in 2016 has resulted in a wine that is of impressive quality. The wine is aged in French barriques (25% new) for 15 months before being bottled and remains in bottle for a futher 6 months prior to release. The winemaker believes the 2020 is reminiscent of 2018, 2013 and 2010, and having tasted all three recently, this wine is destined for great things. Expect red plums and red wild berry perfume, combined with liquorice spice and herbal undertones.

Tasted April 2022. Seriously impressive in 2021, La Garde has good concentration and a velvet, almost creamy texture. The flavours are full of bramble, blackcurrant, red plum and violets, and there's a developing silkiness to the tannins.

Ormes de Pez is the kind of wine we buy year in, year out En Primeur here at Lay & Wheeler. Made by one of Bordeaux's most talented teams - the team behind Lynch-Bages - it's a wine that delivers spectacularly for its price. Savoury and focused in 2020, there's beautiful energy here: this is classic claret that will never cease to impress. In short, it's a cornerstone of your cellar in the years to come.

Cairossa has been owned by the same people as Chateau Giscours in Margaux since 2004 and is based on the Tuscan coast. 2019 is full of creamy red berry fruits and plenty of sappy tannins. There's some crunchier fruit on the palate and some woody herb flavours, as well as some more earthy spice.

Château Thénac is undoubtedly the finest wine from Bergerac that we’ve come across. The 2015 is deep in colour with notes of ripe plum, dark chocolate, and bramble. There’s plenty of grip here, with vanilla spice and a hint of cedar, and fresh, lifted acidity. This really punches above its modest price tag.

The 2017 Les Forts de Latour has plenty of ripe blackberry, currant and plum, and plenty of graphite, tobacco and dried herb complexity already sings through on the palate. This is well-balanced, poised and medium-weight, reflecting the lighter vintage, which makes it all the more refreshing to drink.

Mas de Daumas Gassac’s quirky blend has earned it many fans over the years. The main component of Cabernet Sauvignon gives it structure and tannic backbone, whilst Merlot fleshes out the mid-palate. Spiced notes from Petit Verdot and a herbaceous lift from Cabernet Franc help add complexity. So far, so Bordelais… But the Mas de Daumas has an extra edge, thanks to the baking southern sun of the Languedoc, and the unusual components of Tannat and Pinot Noir that also play supporting roles. The overall impression is a rich, full-bodied wine, with a dried herb-scented lift, and fine, peppery tannins.

Made entirely from Cabernets Sauvignon and Franc this vintage, the 2021 Larrivet Haut-Brion is an absolute joy. Plums and blackberries mingle on the palate with delicate spicy notes and a distinct mineral finish. Cabernet Franc delivers its characteristic salinity here with an aromatic lift. Definitely a property to watch.