Some slurps consumed of late:
2010 Château Haut-Bernones, Haut-Médoc
The Haut-Médoc is the southern part of the Médoc, home to the communes of Saint Julien, Margaux and Pauillac among others. You'll find some of the world's most famous châteaux, but lesser known properties, like the 18th century Château Haut Bernones, are well worth seeking out. Situated on excellent gravelly soils (just like its Cru Classé neighbour, Château Beychevelle), the estate has been owned and run by the Ruton family since 1948. Winemaking is overseen by Eric Boissenot, whose expertise is also called upon by such stellar names as Château Latour, Margaux and Léoville Las Cases.An elegant claret with good ageing potential, Château Haut Bernones is ideal with a roast and superb with venison stew.
60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc.
13% ABV. About £13 a bottle from Laithwaites.
Consumed the last of my 2009 Château de Boissac, Bordeaux
Double Gold Medal winner: Concours Mondial, Bruxelles, 2010 and Concours de Bordeaux, 2010
This sumptuous claret - beautifully smooth and brimful of ripe, dark berry fruit (think black cherries, blackcurrants and a lovely hint of tobacco) - proves why top Bordeaux is still the wine of choice for fine dining and how the First Growths command such high prices. No-one expects Lafite or Marguax for under a tenner but neither does one expect a double Gold medal-winning claret from an historic family estate on best ever vinatge form. And Chateau de Boissac is everything you definitely would expect of a super smart estate ... sweeping drive, magnificent lake and six generations of winemaking tradition.
13.5% ABV Was £10 a bottle, again from Laithwaites.
Now enjoying a bottle of the 2010 Château Le Coin, Bordeaux
This is the third vintage we've worked with Ludovic Roussillon at Château le Coin, helping him to make modern, fruit rich clarets exclusively for our customers. The soils on his immaculately tended estate in the Entre Deux Mers are pure limestone and very rocky, so the vines are kept well drained and grapes are very concentrated.Ludovic is very open to new ideas, and our own Bordeaux specialist Jean-Marc Sauboua helped him get the most from his grapes in the "once in a lifetime" 2010 vintage (Neal Martin). Both are justly proud of the wine's Gold medal winning success. Made mostly from Merlot with just a touch of both Cabernets, Château Le Coin makes a perfect partner for your Sunday roast and is delicious, too, with venison sausages.
Multi award winner:
Gold, Concours Agricole De Bordeaux, 2011 France
Gold, Concours General Agricole de Paris, 2011 France
Silver, Les Vinalies Internationales Paris, 2012 France
Silver, Los Angeles International Wine competition, 2012 USA.
14.5% ABV and only £10 a bottle from Laithwaites.
The 2010 seems to be living up to the superb standard of the 2009 vintage.
Have you opened yours yet Marco?