What to drink this summer

2009 is quite rightly celebrated as a top vintage in Bordeaux, known for generous fruit and weight. Lovely blackcurrant, black plum and red cherry fruit here, with spicy, peppery notes on the nose and rich, mocha on the palate with a velvet texture. There's great balance with a tensile, mineral seam running through it and matching the intensity of the fruit.

This 100% Merlot is juicy, pure and sumptuous. Here, clay soils retained moisture throughout the long dry summer of 2016, meaning that this has remained balanced and fresh. With a long, well-defined finish, this is surely the best Marsau ever.

Claudie’s father, in his days of running a plant nursery with access to a huge range of plant material, planted seven different clones of Pinot Noir in this 2.5 hectare site. Now at 45 years old, this diversity, twinned with the quality of vineyard husbandry, means the vineyard is thriving. The different clones call for pruning and harvesting at different times, but it’s an effort worth making, as the wine is texturally sophisticated, juicy, and full of Pinot nuance. So balanced and extremely drinkable.

This Nuits premier cru combines the sweet red fruit of the 2013 vintage and the savoury structure of the commune. As it has evolved in bottle it has developed complex sous-bois aromas of undergrowth, spice, and leather, still with its Pinot red berry fruit driving along to a long, elegant finish. It is cool and understated, with particularly fine tannins supported by a little oak that integrates seamlessly.

This is so much more than your average Côtes du Rhône. It comes from the vines that surround the cellar, sitting just beyond the northern border of Châteauneuf. It is so textured and fresh, with energy, purity, and density. Its juicy red fruits combine with a lovely salty minerality making for a charming, drinkable style.

This comes from many parcels dotted around the central and southern part of the appellation. Sylvain intelligently handles his fruit: the young vine bunches are destemmed, while the older vines’ stems are kept intact, combining them to produce a highly juicy, perfumed style. A glossy style bursting with fruit.

A bottling that pushes the boundaries of what high-quality Beaujolais can be: grapes spend an enormous seven months macerating in large clay amphorae, creating a textured, explosive wine that’s spectacularly delicious.

This is made from various parcels of old vines that are all located on the hillsides, with good drainage. This is a benchmark Chinon that has flourished in the 2019 vintage. There is nicely fragrant red fruit on the nose, with a touch of graphite and seaweed, giving it an iodine edge. The palate has a spicy, lightly herbaceous weight and fine, firm tannins, with lovely acidity.