Bordeaux

{***}
{region}Pomerol{region}
{color}Red{color}
{maturity}laying-down{maturity}
{maturity-text}For laying down{maturity-text}
{vintage}2017{vintage}
{ratings}

[]Wine Advocate:: 96-98/100

{ratings} {***}

{***}
{region}Bordeaux{region}
{color}White{color}
{maturity}ready-keep{maturity}
{maturity-text}Ready, but will keep{maturity-text}
{vintage}2010{vintage}
{ratings}

{ratings}{***}

Bright crimson. Meaty, really savoury nose with great life. Medium weight and beautiful balance. Some light inkiness and a little marked by the oak at present but a really beautiful whole. Fragrant, roses with life and lift again. The wine is relatively high in acidity but, most unusually, surrounded by the ripe fruit. Easy to see a relationship with the beautiful 2006 served after this. Drink 2020 - 2040.

Jancis Robinson MW, jancisrobinson.com (Jul 2016)

{***}
{region}Pomerol{region}
{color}Red{color}
{maturity}ready-improve{maturity}
{maturity-text}Ready, but will improve{maturity-text}
{vintage}2014{vintage}
{ratings}
[]Jancis Robinson:: 18.5/20

[]Wine Advocate:: 96/100

{ratings} {***}

Ch. Giscours is one of the largest Margaux properties and now producing wine worthy of its Troisième Cru Classé status. Giscours was in a dire state when it was acquired by Nicholas Tari in 1952. He invested heavily and the quality of the wine improved beyond recognition. In 1995 he sold the property to Dutch businessman Eric Albada Jelgersma. Giscours produces richly aromatic wines that are surprisingly powerful on the palate, displaying ripe, black fruit with hints of cedar and new oak.

Giscours typically produces one of the most masculine wines of the Margaux appellation and one which normally requires a little patience. Defined by its rich, dark fruit, complex structure and wonderful, classic perfume, this elegant 2001 is nonetheless drinking beautifully now, yet will last another five years.

Berry Bros. & Rudd

There is a completeness that is evident in 2005 Clarets, and this is what immediately strikes with 2005 Cantemerle. It has bags of fruit, tannin and acidity, all tied up in an impeccably-balanced, polished package. Sweet cassis fruit is accompanied by a spicy edge and a long, fresh lift. This is very pretty now but ideally wants another five years to really get going, and will easily keep for another five after that.

Tom Cave, Cellar Plan Manager

Cabernet Sauvignon 75%, Merlot 18%, Petit Verdot 5%, Cabernet Franc 2%.

Although the overall production at Ch. Margaux is down about a quarter, the proportion of Pavillon Rouge is up slightly (31% of production). Aurélien Valance feels this is indicative of the quality, that even more of the harvest than usual was up to the mark for this cuvée. The bouquet is more accented in crunchy red fruit than the grand vin, and the tannins feel more pronounced. But the ineffable polish and grace of Ch. Margaux remains fundamentally woven into the wine’s persona. This is elegant and perhaps a little more open-textured than the ’19, but there’s still sufficient tension to leave the wine irresistible.

Drink 2028 - 2045

Berry Bros. & Rudd

The pale lemon coloured 2016 Lions de Suduiraut gives up quite earthy scents of fungi, moss and fallen leaves over a core of peach preserves, dried apricots, poached pears and orange marmalade. The palate is beautifully layered with stone fruit and citrus notions, framed with just enough freshness, finishing long and earthy.
Drink 2019 - 2033

 
Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Wine Advocate (March 2019)

Sauvignon Blanc 85%, Sémillon 15%.

This is produced in small volumes. It comes from vines in the Port de Goulée in the northern Médoc, by the mouth of the Gironde Estuary. Some vines are as old as 37. This Sauvignon-dominated blend has a tropical nose, with ripe apricots, mangoes, gooseberries and a hint of ginger spice. The palate is rich and juicy but balanced by a fresh burst of acidity and a saline finish.

Drink 2023 - 2038

Our score: 16/20

Berry Bros. & Rudd

The 2008 Potensac has an attractive bouquet with blackberry, briary and cedar aromas that gently waft from the glass, the oak here nicely integrated. The palate is medium-bodied with firm, grainy tannin. This comes across a little savoury in style, with hints of dried blood infusing the black fruit towards the slightly dry but still balanced finish. Fine. Tasted blind at Farr Vintners’ 10-Year On tasting.

Drink 2018 - 2026

Neal Martin, Vinous.com (May 2018)

The contribution of Muscadelle to this wine is unusually important. The Muscadelle vines are quite old, planted in 1988. This year’s weather conditions have given the fruit aromas of grape and elderflower instead of the peapod note it can sometimes deliver. 

The wine is not especially mineral but has plenty of energy, if not the citrus edge of 2021. It is a wine for drinking early, with a fleshier and more exotic profile than usual. It was fermented and aged in barrel; with the new cellar facilitating temperature control for each individual barrel, the wine is well-composed and immediately attractive.

Sauvignon Blanc 67%; Sémillon 22%; Muscadelle 11%

Drink 2023 - 2029

Score: 17/20

Berry Bros. & Rudd (April 2023)

A remarkable wine in this vintage, LEglise Clinets 2008 has a color almost as dark as the barrel sample of 2010. Classic mocha and caramel-infused creme de cassis and black cherry notes, with hints of licorice and loamy soil soar from the glass of this opaque ruby/purple, aromatically compelling wine. Opulent, expansive, and savory, with a broad texture, a full-bodied mouthfeel, terrific purity and a layered finish, this is another big, massive wine that transcends the vintage character, and will probably need 7-10 years of bottle age. It should keep for 20 or more years as well.
Robert M. Parker, Jr. - 02/05/2011

In the 19th century, it was a common practice of the time to “hermitage” the wines. Bordeaux châteaux would add to their wines a certain quantity of wine from the Rhône – notably from the region of Hermitage – whose syrah would strengthen the structure and power of the claret. This is a historic wine, whose name honors the storied past of the great wines of Bordeaux. Yet today, the aim is no longer to simply boost a meagre claret so as to give it muscle, but rather to create a unique wine, combining wine from Palmer and a small measure of a great wine from the northern Côtes du Rhône. The 2016 blend: 45% Merlot, 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Wine of Cotes du Rhone.

This was an outstanding vintage for white Bordeaux and our “GOW”, skilfully made by Dourthe. The nose is bright and aromatic, with notes of lime, flower, elderflower and green tea leaf. The palate brings exotic fruits, typical of its 100% Sauvignon Blanc makeup. Swathes of citrus and white peach lead to a zesty burst of acidity. No oak is used, allowing the crisp, mineral profile to speak for itself. This is perfect as an apéritif or with lighter fish or chicken dishes.

Georgina Haacke, Fine Wine Buyer, Berry Bros. & Rudd (June 2023)

Cheval Blanc’s second wine, the 2005 Le Petit Cheval, possesses some of the character of its bigger sibling. Revealing a slight green streak among the cranberry and black cherry fruit along with medium body and a soft, plush texture, it is ideal for drinking over the next decade.
Robert Parker - Wine Advocate - 30-Apr-2008

This great terroir sandwiched between Vieux Chteau Certan, Petrus and La Fleur Petrus, on the high plateau of Pomerol, has been owned for many years by the Barrau-Badar family. Beautiful coffee, cedar wood, Christmas fruitcake, black cherry and blackcurrant fruit jump from the glass of this full-bodied, rich, multi-layered, and very impressive Certan de May. I dont remember it showing this well in barrel and post-bottling, but it is strutting its stuff at age 10, and has a good 20 years of upside left to it. This is a beauty. I especially admire the layered, textural style of the wine. Drink it over the next 20 years.
Robert M. Parker, Jr. - 29/06/2015

We normally find tasting Giscours at this stage a tad underwhelming to be honest, tending to buy large quantities (far more expensively I may add) when it’s singing, four to six years after the vintage. Not this year!!! Really generous without being pushed, intense and concentrated with an amazingly long finish, this could easily be their greatest vintage, and it actually surpasses the brilliant 2005. Fantastic.

Berry Bros. & Rudd

The annual release of 10 year old Château Palmer, and this time it's an often-underrated but delicious vintage that sits in the shadow of the most prestigious years of the last decade. Proof of how slowly this wine ages, it is packed with blueberry and cassis fruits, a shot of mint leaf, mandarin peel, sage and dark chocolate, with shoulders and a serious architecture, bigger than you might expect for a vintage with such an easy-drinking, gourmet reputation.

I last tasted this vintage around eight months ago and it has opened up further since then, often the case as wines shift around the decade mark, and this is an upscore. A moment when Palmer was fully committing to farming biodynamically, doubling its coverage to almost 15 hectares, and had just unveiled a new cellar. Harvest October 1 to 15, Sabrina Pernet technical director, Thomas Duroux director. 68% new oak. No rush to drink, and has many decades ahead, but you can begin thinking about it.

Drink 2023 - 2042

Jane Anson, JaneAnson.com (July 2022)

Ideal with a 2-hour carafe.

Finesse and savoury black fruits and mint leaf with gentle rosemary. It has a quiet concentration, together with layers of graphite, and slate, and a mouthwatering finish. Both quiet and yet powerful, it gives an insight into what makes Lafite so singular, and that is all you can really ask of a 2nd wine. Interesting also how it differs from Petit Mouton, such a brilliant distillation of the difference between the two estates.

Drink 2022 - 2034

Jane Anson, JaneAnson.com (March 2022)

Composed of 60% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2017 Canon la Gaffeliere contains a large part of second-generation fruit because 65% of the crop was affected by frost. Deep garnet-purple in color, it has pronounced crme de cassis, blueberry pie, red currants and red plums notes with touches of Chinese five spice, fragrant earth, tapenade and tobacco. The palate is medium-bodied with nice firm tannins giving a sturdy frame along with plenty of freshness supporting great mid-palate density, finishing long and earthy.
Lisa Perrotti-Brown - 27/04/2018

The 1961 Ducru Beaucaillou is a vintage that I have tasted on a dozen occasions over the years and, although nowadays it can vary bottle to bottle, it remains a formidably Saint-Julien. It shows just a thin circle of bricking commensurate with its age, quite deep at its core. The bouquet is vigorous and enticing with black fruit, autumn leaves, black truffle and, evidenced on this particular bottle, a light ferrous/rusty piping scent. The palate is structured and dense. This has always been a swarthy and muscular Ducru-Beaucaillou, extremely focused and, whilst not displaying the finesse of its peers, there is something aristocratic and deeply impressive. It will clearly give another two decades of drinking pleasure. Tasted blind at La Trompette.

Drink 2019 - 2045

Neil Martin, vinous.com (Oct 2019)

The tannins are still young and present, but aromatically, it is beginning to open, and this is a good time to drink this Les Forts - blueberries abound, with a delicious spicy black pepper and rosemary edge. 0.5% Cabernet Franc completes the blend. 43% of production in Forts. Harvest September 12 to 26.

Drink 2021 - 2045

Jane Anson, Decanter.com (February 2021)

Pure nectar, this heavenly French dessert wine can be savoured on its own, or paired with fruit tarts such as apricot or duck liver parfait. With luscious flavours of apricots, honey, orange blossom and exotic candied fruits, harmonious citrusy acidity keeps everything in check. Serve chilled in your prettiest crystal, and this golden elixir will bring smiles all round.

Sam Wylie-Harris, IrishNews.com (December 2023)

Our Sauternes has been made by Château Suduiraut. This is an early-drinking style of Sauternes, with bright aromas of orange blossom and candied apricot. The palate is ripe and glossy, with flavours of quince and white peach along with sweet undertones of allspice, stem ginger and honey. The blend is led by Sémillon, bringing a balancing bite of citrus to the finish. You can enjoy it year-round, and it’s delicious with most hard or blue cheeses.

Georgina Haacke, Wine Buyer, Berry Bros. & Rudd

Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2018 La Mondotte strolls nonchalantly out of the glass with expressive scents of plum preserves, blueberry compote and chocolate-covered cherries, followed by suggestions of candied violets, licorice, hoisin and black truffles with a waft of ground cloves. It's medium to full-bodied with seriously impressive tension and wonderfully ripe, velvety tannins supporting the generous black fruit preserves layers, finishing with amazing length and loads of panache. It will require a good 4-5 years to unlock some of its finer nuances, then drink this powerhouse over the next 25+ years. - Wine Advocate

{***}{region}St Emilion{region}
{color} Red{color}                {maturity}laying-down{maturity} {maturity-text}For laying down{maturity-text}
{vintage}2018{vintage}
{ratings}
 [] Wine Advocate:: 97/100

[] James Suckling:: 98/100

[] Vinous:: 96/100   

{ratings} {***}

The 2001 Calon-Ségur has a delightful bouquet, very pure and a little more vivacious than the preceding vintage, featuring lovely brambly red fruit, rose petals, autumn leaves and a touch of cigar box, all well defined and focused. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, a little more cohesive than the 2000, and slightly granular in texture, with a graceful, elegant and quite persistent finish. This is one of the few châteaux where it's difficult to choose between the 2001 and 2000. Drinking perfectly now. Drink 2021 - 2045

Neal Martin, vinous.com (Sep 2021)

{***}
{region}St Estèphe{region}
{color}Red{color}
{maturity}ready-keep{maturity}
{maturity-text}Ready, but will keep{maturity-text}
{vintage}2001{vintage}
{ratings}
[]Vinous:: 94/100

{ratings} {***}

The 2017 Bellevue Mondotte is just as impressive from bottle as it was en primeur. Powerful and structured, with tremendous intensity in all of its dimensions, the 2017 is all class. Inky dark fruit, graphite, menthol and licorice all come together with time in the glass. This tiny vineyard on very poor limestone subsoil gives wines of real power and structure. The 2017 is a gorgeous Saint-Émilion endowed with tons of energy and tension. Drink 2027-2042
Antonio Galloni, Vinous (Mar 2020)

{***}{region}St Emilion{region}
{color}Red{color}                                                              

{maturity}laying-down{maturity} {maturity-text}For laying down{maturity-text}
{vintage}2017{vintage}
{ratings}
[] Wine Advocate:: 96-98/100

[] Antonia Galloni, Vinous:: 96/100

{ratings}{***}

Veronique Saunders says that in 2017 the estate lost 30 percent of fruit due to frost. Dark ruby, the nose has notes of spices, cedar, dark fruit and cassis. On the palate it is medium bodied and extremely silky with high quality tannins. A blend of 60 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 32 percent Merlot, four percent Cabernet Franc and four percent Petit Verdot, it has a gentle, delicate feel in 2017 with cool fruit and a long persistent finish. 

{***}{region}Pessac-Léognan{region}
{color}Red{color}                                                        

   {maturity}laying-down{maturity} {maturity-text}For laying down{maturity-text}
{vintage}2017{vintage}
{ratings}
[]The Wine Advocate:: 94-96/100

[]James Suckling:: 94-95/100

{ratings} {***}

The 2017 Ch. Pape Clément falls into the glass with a deep maroon colour. It has a delicate, expressive nose of red fruit, cassis, iron and wet stone. The blend is 49 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 48 percent Merlot, two percent Petit Verdot and one percent Cabernet Franc planted on clay gravels. The palate is medium-bodied with a lively, tannic grip. It finishes with a long, peppery, saline minerality. A complex wine which will reveal itself over many years.

{***}{region}Pessac-Léognan{region}
{color} Red{color}                                                               

{maturity}laying-down{maturity} {maturity-text}For laying down{maturity-text}
{vintage}2017{vintage}
{ratings}
 [] The Wine Advocate:: 92-94/100{ratings}    {***}

Dark red with a purple hue, the nose is redolent of black fruit with some mocha and coffee notes. Fresh and full-bodied, there are crisp tannins with a finely tuned layer of spice giving way to a well-balanced, long finish.

Blend: Cabernet Sauvignon 62%, Merlot 35%, Cabernet Franc 3%

Our biggest seller for decades, “GOC is a carefully assembled blend from some of Bordeaux’s best terroirs. Merlot makes up 67% of the blend, giving the wine its silky richness. The balance is mostly Cabernet Sauvignon, adding power and structure. After a year in oak, this shows why Claret is such a perennial favourite: warm, savoury aromas of cedar and woodsmoke, with supple cassis and blackberry on the palate. Designed for early drinking, this is a comfortable partner for most food, and is soft enough to be enjoyed on its own.

{***}
{region}Bordeaux{region}
{color}Red{color}
{maturity}drink-now{maturity}
{maturity-text}Drink now{maturity-text}
{vintage}2020{vintage}
{ratings}

{ratings}
{***}

Experts on the subject of soil will tell you that Haut Bailly boasts one of the finest terroirs in the Pessac-Leognan appellation. The wine made here has always been fine, but it has reached a new level of excellence in recent years, rivalling some great Haut-Medoc Cab-Sauvignon-dominated wines. For me, this new departure began with the 2004 vintage, not hailed as a great vintage in Bordeaux but bearing the hallmark of what the British call a "classic vintage", meaning a wine of finesse and elegance, with cool, sweet fruit supported by ripe tannins and balancing acidity—a joy to drink now and until 2030.

Berry Bros. & Rudd

Deeply coloured with a crimson hue, this was remarkably expressive at first taste before decanting for a few hours. Instinctively, I was expecting a muscular and brooding Batailley, such is the nature of the vintage, but rather quite the opposite with a silky and seductive wine which showcased layer upon layer of complexity, forest fruits and blackberry pie, through to cedar and spice box. Don’t get me wrong, there’s still plentiful structure keeping this completely alive, the tannins finely etched into the background, and acidity plays a balancing role; however, I find the wine is in harmony at present, with 16 years under its belt.

With an opportunity to do this justice, I served alongside a roasted rare topside of fine beef and couldn’t have asked for more - this was absolutely singing, with mineral freshness and impressive length to boot. I would certainly recommend this food pairing. Otherwise, it is extremely enjoyable on its own after a few hours in a decanter. Undoubtedly, it will give for another 10-15 years, but there is certainly no harm in cracking open some 2005 Ch. Batailley now! A stalwart of Pauillac from a brilliant vintage, it’s a reminder of how good Bordeaux can be….Fabulous.

Chris Lamb, Account Manager, Berry Bros. & Rudd

I have loved this wine on many occasions, and I love it here again. This is not a wine that is hiding its age - there are already some tertiary notes developing - and you'll find younger-looking 2005s, but it has a generosity of spirit, a succulence to its fruit, and a hauntingly fresh menthol edge to the finish that is really beautiful. Mouthwatering brilliance. 45% of production.

Drink 2018 - 2030

Jane Anson, Decanter.com (November 2017)

Ripe fruit and hints of tobacco hit the nose before you discover the palate has well-balanced acidity and silky tannins. There is a good concentration of blackberries and earthiness with a slight hint of liquorice. As with the estate's white, the finish goes on and on. This is one for the traditional Bordeaux lover.

Ben Upjohn, Berry Bros. & Rudd

No wonder Olivier Bernard was beaming. His 2007 is the latest in a line of stunning vintages, which, apart from the fantastic 2005, is his best wine since 2000. A brooding, spicy, damson nose leads onto a dense palate with blackberry, crushed cassis, tobacco and leather with a long, pure finish. 

The balanced, mouth-filling fruit is cloaked in velvety but significant tannins (higher than 2005), bestowing the wine with a refined, masculine, early-drinking style. Fantastic in the context of any vintage and not far off the quality of Haut-Brion, this is an essential buy for any Claret-lover.

Simon Staples, Berry Bros. & Rudd

Belonging to the Mouton stable, and with a prestigious location right next to both Mouton and Lafite, Ch. Clerc Milon is a fresher, lighter style of 2008 which has a delicious hint of creamy raspberry fruit to the more classic blackcurrant backbone. Fine with exceptionally fine tannins this has a lovely rounded finish with more than a hint of the savoury minerality of the vintage.

With its smooth, creamy, black and red fruit and massive, super-suave tannins, this is a silky, powerful, sexy wine with the plump, ripe fruit of the vintage and a refreshing, mineral backbone. Well-balanced and with fine tannins, this has the elegance and finesse of its heritage with a fragrant, enticing nose that will draw you back for more. This is at a really good price for the quality and is really worth considering.

With an intense, complex nose and dense bramble and spice notes on the palate, the 71% Cabernet, 29% Merlot blend is concentrated with dark fruit gravitas and a long, mineral finish. The richness of the fruit is very evident here and brings to mind the 2001, but the crisp acidity is a reflection of the unique character of 2008. The richness of the fruit is very evident here and brings to mind the 2001, but the crisp acidity is a reflection of the unique character of 2008. Pichon-Baron may be classed as a 2ème Cru Classé, but 2008 they produced a wine of first-growth quality.

Berry Bros. & Rudd

Tasted blind at Farr Vintners 10-Year On Bordeaux horizontal.

The 2010 Echo de Lynch Bages has a very attractive bouquet, a mélange of red and black fruit tinged with damp loam and undergrowth aromas, all well-defined and welcoming floral scents with continued aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grain tannins. Hints of graphite and bell pepper infuse the ample black fruit. There is superb weight and body towards the finish. A classic Claret from start to finish, this is a great wine in the making. I was shocked and pleased when the identity of this wine was revealed (incidentally, it was one I had not encountered previously).

Drink 2020 - 2035

Neal Martin, Vinous.com (April 2020)

The 2012 Troplong Mondot has a fragrant bouquet with black cherry, cough candy and touches of marmalade, not complex but vigorous and fresh. The palate is medium-bodied with a fine bone structure and good acidity. Some expressive Cabernet Franc lends a Left Bank tincture to the spicy, black pepper-tinged finish. Classy, but not sure about its longevity. Tasted twice at Bordeaux Index's Ten Year-On tasting and blind at the Southwold Ten-Year On tasting.

Drink 2022 - 2032

Neal Martin, Vinous.com (September 2022)

Château Brane-Cantenac is among the most reliable names on Bordeaux’s Left Bank, ranked a Second Growth in 1855.

The 2014 has immediate appeal on the nose, with black fruits, peppery spice, violets and cigar box aromas. It’s a delicious Claret to drink now, with inviting flavours of blackberry, plum and earthy complexity from bottle age. It also has the structure to age further, with fine tannins and refreshing acidity. The spicy note works very well with Ixta Belfrage’s porcini mushroom ragu, though you couldn’t go wrong with a simply prepared duck breast.

Charlie Geoghegan DipWSET, Berry Bros. & Rudd

Tasting at this St. Estephe property was a pleasant experience, universally enjoyed by our Fine Wine team. Forward and lifted cassis fruit on the nose with violets and notes of graphite. More of the same across the palate, flamboyant and dense with bags of acidity providing a linear feel – typical of the finest 2014s. This is fleshy and generous, but with the firm tannin backbone we expect from the commune.

Martyn Rolph, Head of Buying, Berry Bros. & Rudd

This property seem to be able to deliver exceptional wines whatever the weather due to arguably one of the best terroir in Bordeaux and a dedicated wine making team who is adverse to trends and do not manufacture their wines. This year is no exception, the nose is intense and layered with cassis and blackberries. Once on the palate the power and drive is instant, covering all parts with meaty, powerful black fruits. The length is firm and focused but the tannins are very ripe. This vintage will open up quite quickly but with such power and balance this is also built for the long term.

Max Lalondrelle, Fine Wine Buying Director, Berry Bros. & Rudd

{***}
{region}St Estèphe{region}
{color}Red{color}
{maturity}ready-keep{maturity}
{maturity-text}Ready, but will keep{maturity-text}
{vintage}2005{vintage}
{ratings}
[]The Wine Advocate:: 97/100

[]Robert Parker:: 94+/100    

[]Jancin Robinson:: 18.5/20    

{ratings} {***}

55% Cabernet Sauvignon; 41% Merlot; 4% Petit Verdot.

The nose has a really nice aroma of tobacco combined with floral notes. Darker fruits dominate, with blackberry, cherry, and plum to the fore. The palate is sweet, too, with an energetic lift and a very rewarding length. We really like the wine this year. A cooling, mineral earthiness arrives on the finish, which is welcome and pleasing. Quite sumptuous for a second wine, it is serious this year—a good fruit core, nice and savoury and a joy to taste.

Berry Bros. & Rudd

Calon very much reflects the vintage in 2006. Rather than trying to make something big and brawny, this is full of finesse and class, and that inimitable austere St Estèphe style. Made with 60% Cabernet Sauvignon it is a wine for the long term. Its aromas are all dark fruit and raspberries imbued with minerals, while the palate is refined, with lovely crisp silky fruit and a firm tannic structure. This is another very impressive Calon.

Berry Bros. & Rudd

Good Ordinary Claret is our flagship red Bordeaux. Produced in partnership with Dourthe, it is a blend of fruit from some of Bordeaux’s finest terroirs. Since its inception in the 1970s, it has become the top seller in our range  Eand a firm favourite of ours. When asked to explain the name “Good Ordinary Claret E our former Chairman Christopher Berry Green once said: “It was Claret, it was good, and it was ordinary. EOver the years, it has become known affectionately as “GOC E 

This limited-edition label for our Good Ordinary Claret was designed for us by London-based artist Rob Ryan. His paper-cut design draws inspiration from the shopfront at No.3 St James’s Street, our home since 1698.

Our Good Ordinary Claret is an early-drinking style of red Bordeaux  Eone that is versatile and reliably delicious. The 2020 vintage is predominantly Merlot, supported by Cabernet Sauvignon and a dash of Cabernet Franc. On the nose, ripe hedgerow fruits mingle alongside warming aromas of cedar and allspice. 

The palate is plump and moreish, laden with black cherries, blackberries and myrtle berries. Meanwhile, a backbone of smooth, velvety tannins brings structure and complexity. This is a great wine to please a crowd, perfect with a Sunday roast or a winter vegetable stew.

{***}
{region}Bordeaux{region}
{color}Red{color}
{maturity}drink-now{maturity}
{maturity-text}Drink now{maturity-text}
{vintage}2020{vintage}
{ratings}

{ratings}
{***}

Very dark crimson – looks much bluer than the 1996. Still bluer than the 2004. Savoury, complex, really rather gorgeous nose even if far from the first flush of youth. Sumptuous nose even if on the palate it’s more austere than the nose suggests. Quite grainy tannins on the finish but lovely balance. Very fresh.

Drink 2012 - 2025

Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com (October 2015)

In my view, Henri Lurton's wonderfully understated Second Growth is one of the most consistent wines of the Médoc. Never forced or pushed, it is a true and usually close-to-perfect expression of the vintage. 2012 is no exception, with the vintage conditions determining the cépage and over 30% of the blend provided by rich and succulent Merlot. Delicate pepper and ripe cherries are lifted by a beautiful crunch of warm and voluminous fruit, while the finish is very elegant and long, with waves of expressive red fruits, making this another fine effort.

Jake Dean, Director of UK & Ireland, Berry Bros. & Rudd

Fully mature (yet I'd say in the early stages of its drink window), the 2000 Château Gruaud Larose offers a ripe, powerful, medium to full-bodied style as well as lots of currant and darker fruits followed by cedarwood, tobacco, iron, and assorted meaty, spicy nuances. It's a rich, almost chunky effort with a great mid-palate, still present yet ripe tannins, and an excellent finish. It lacks some of the purity and precision of today's wines yet is a satisfying, rich, impressively textured Saint-Julien to drink over the coming 15-20 years.

Drink 2021 - 2041

Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com (April 2021)

Latour is a benchmark for its unwavering consistency and exceptional quality in even the most challenging vintages. The 1996 vintage, in particular, showcases the heavenly results achieved by this renowned winery. This textbook Latour wine is characterised by its immense concentration, richness, polished tannins, and full-bodied yet not overwhelming nature. The wine's phenomenal power and balance make it an extraordinary specimen. We anticipate its continued evolution up to 2030.

Berry Bros. & Rudd

65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot, 4% Cabernet Franc.

Patrick Maroteau's excellent 2015 from this Fourth Growth estate shows real purity, with great precision and ripe tannins that grip and offer an intense focus—the rich, fresh, spicy nose of damsons and blackberry fruit oozes class. There is precision here, a polish—quite simply harmonious. The wine tastes glorious, just as great wine should taste: crunchy, pure and fresh fruit, high acidity, silky ripe tannins and nice balance. This is a triumphant wine, with a typical and classic blend for this great estate and phenomenal length. It's really elegant and one of our favourites—a must-buy this year.

Berry Bros. & Rudd

Also a stunning wine, the 2003 Pavillon Rouge du Chateau Margaux is a sleeper of the vintage. Much fresher and less evolved than I would expect a second wine to be from this vintage, it is a Margaux-like effort with a flowery character, good precision and freshness, red and black currant notes, and an attractive, medium-bodied, surprisingly concentrated mouthfeel. It is clearly one of the finest second wines made in this vintage.

Robert M. Parker, Jr., Wine Advocate (August 2014)

Tasting at Ch. Léoville Poyferré was one of our ‘wine moments’ of the 2009 en primeur week. It is, quite simply, astonishing. Very perfumed, with a delicious, juicy density on the palate, this has layer upon layer of gorgeous fruit (blackberries freshly picked from the hedge) with a wonderful, gravel minerality and earthy complexity. Supple, ripe tannins melt on the palate and the length is incredible. This is one of the most exciting wines of its level in 2009; an absolute must-buy.

Good Ordinary Claret is our flagship red Bordeaux. Produced in partnership with Dourthe, it is a blend of fruit from some of Bordeaux’s finest terroirs. Since its inception in the 1970s, it has become the top seller in our range  Eand a firm favourite of ours. When asked to explain the name “Good Ordinary Claret E our former Chairman Christopher Berry Green once said: “It was Claret, it was good, and it was ordinary. EOver the years, it has become known affectionately as “GOC E 

This limited-edition label for our Good Ordinary Claret was designed for us by London-based artist Rob Ryan. His paper-cut design draws inspiration from the shopfront at No.3 St James’s Street, our home since 1698.

Our Good Ordinary Claret is an early-drinking style of red Bordeaux  Eone that is versatile and reliably delicious. The 2020 vintage is predominantly Merlot, supported by Cabernet Sauvignon and a dash of Cabernet Franc. On the nose, ripe hedgerow fruits mingle alongside warming aromas of cedar and allspice. 

The palate is plump and moreish, laden with black cherries, blackberries and myrtle berries. Meanwhile, a backbone of smooth, velvety tannins brings structure and complexity. This is a great wine to please a crowd, perfect with a Sunday roast or a winter vegetable stew.

{***}
{region}Bordeaux{region}
{color}Red{color}
{maturity}drink-now{maturity}
{maturity-text}Drink now{maturity-text}
{vintage}2020{vintage}
{ratings}

{ratings}
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Initially I had my reservations about this controversial wine. Question marks have hovered above the vintage across Bordeaux since release, many Chateaux claiming their 2003s are great but atypical. Let me set the record straight, this 2003 Ch. Latour is more than great, and quintessential Latour. The nose is rich and pure Pauillac. In the mouth the ripeness really shines through.

The wine builds and builds, the volume of flavour is outstanding but all kept in check by a beautiful structure. The wine is complete and now beautifully integrated with an endless finish. Of course, this icon will age almost indefinitely but has the balance to give some much pleasure now. If you love Latour, your cellar is not complete without this.

Berry Bros. & Rudd

Our Good Ordinary Claret is an early-drinking style of red Bordeaux. The 2021 vintage combines Merlot (52%) with Cabernet Sauvignon (44%) and a dash of Cabernet Franc (4%). This was a “classic” year for red Bordeaux: lighter-style wines defined by purity, lower alcohol and crisp acidity. The nose here is bright, brimming with red and morello cherries, with a subtle lift of raspberry leaf and a hint of sweet spice. The palate is juicy and smooth, layered with crunchy red and black fruit. This is versatile and, as always, reliably delicious.

Georgina Haacke, Bordeaux Buyer, Berry Bros. & Rudd

More dense and compact than 2009, the 2010 Feytit-Clinet offers a huge, rich, backward style in its smoked dark fruits, graphite, crushed rock, violet, and truffle aromas and flavours. Like the 2009, it's a massive, rich, incredibly concentrated wine. Hide bottles for 4-5 years and enjoy over the following two to three decades.

Drink 2022 - 2051

Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com (October 2018)

We’ve partnered again with the Cazes family of Château Lynch-Bages for our Pauillac. It is a delicious blend of Merlot (55%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (45%), selected from the estate’s younger vines. The nose is rich and inviting, offering cassis, brambles, damsons and a note of sweetness from a year in oak barrels. The palate is full and intense, with grippy tannins framing the dark, spiced berry fruit. This would partner well with a rack of lamb or rib of beef. Enjoy it now or over the next couple of years.

Georgina Haacke, Bordeaux Buyer, Berry Bros. & Rudd 

This is a classic red Bordeaux blend of Merlot (50%), Cabernet Sauvignon (40%) and Cabernet Franc (10%). The nose is immediately inviting with red cherry and delicate floral notes. With ripe red and black fruit flavours, the palate is framed wonderfully by subtle, ripe tannins and lingering spice. This is a great example of the freshness and intensity of the 2022 vintage. It makes a great pairing with most hearty, savoury dishes.

Georgina Haacke, Bordeaux Buyer, Berry Bros. & Rudd

We’ve partnered once again with Château Haut-Bailly for our delicious 2022 Pessac-Léognan. Made from the estate’s younger vines, the blend is based on Cabernet Sauvignon (45%) and Merlot (35%), alongside a notably high proportion of Cabernet Franc (18%) and a dash of Petit Verdot (2%). The nose is gently floral, with swirling red fruits and a hint of sweet spice. The palate is rich and textured, combining dark and hedgerow fruits with a bright redberry crunch and refreshing acidity. It pairs wonderfully with meat, game or rich mushroom dishes.

Georgina Haacke, Bordeaux Buyer, Berry Bros. & Rudd

Château Beychevelle’s 2009 has a beautiful nose of ripe bramble fruit, dark cassis, and a smooth but highly concentrated palate of red and black fruits. The Merlot content (44%) is surprisingly well-balanced here, considering the turbo-charged nature of some of the Right Bank wines. Beychevelle have blended it perfectly with their 46% Cabernet Sauvignon and a touch of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot to make a truly harmonious wine.

Berry Bros. & Rudd

Absolutely fantastic! Rich, opulent and creamy-textured with the spectacular Léoville-Las Cases signature deftly etched across it from nose to finish, packed full of perfect dominating red fruit and a stunning finish.  Usually Las Cases blows this out of the water, but not so in 2010 – it’s the best any of us can recall: a must-have.
(75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc)
Simon Staples, Fine Wine Director

Composed of 54.2% Cabernet Sauvignon, 41.7% Merlot and 4.1% Petit Verdot, the 2015 Le Pauillac de Chateau Latour opens with a deep garnet-purple colour and beautifully expressive notes of crushed blackberries, chocolate-covered cherries and black raspberries with touches of baking spices and potpourri. Medium-bodied, finely crafted, refreshing and with wonderful purity in the mouth, the fruit is supported by velvety tannins and finishes long and spicy.

Drink 2020 - 2034

Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Wine Advocate (March 2020)

This estate has been under new ownership since 2010 and the 2012 is a great success story.  The fruit shows luscious redcurrants and the overall style is really soft and attractive. It is the finish, however, where the wine really shows off a wonderful sapidité (a French term meaning an almost salty, mineral savouriness). The château's director, Guillaume Pouthier, puts this down to using ripe stalks in the blend, a difficult method frequently used in Burgundy but very rarely seen in Bordeaux. This 2012 is very much a success.

Pichon-Lalande's 2008 is, in our opinion, the chateau's best wine since 2002. With big, soft tannins, good fruit concentration, lots of oaky spice and a juicy, fruity finish, this displays classic Lalande elegance with the rounded, plump, fleshy fruit of the vintage. Not quite as majestic as next-door neighbour Latour's 2008 perhaps, but this is very fine nonetheless.

56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 42% Merlot, 1% Petit Verdot, 1% Cabernet Franc.

Just below Ch. Margaux and Ch. Palmer in the Margaux pecking order, this historic estate created a stylish wine in 2014. Darker fruits dominate, and the wine expresses a tension that suggests there is more to come in the future. Blackberries and a touch of cassis add real appeal. There is a generous core of velvety fruit, and the most appropriate descriptor for the entire tasting experience is ‘charming’. The nose has creamy notes, and it’s really open and expressive. The fruit is round, too, with an enticing spicy edge on the finish. It has good length and attractive, refreshing acidity that dances in the mouth.

Berry Bros. & Rudd

At present still dominated by new wood characters - however underneath there is concentrated, powerful fruit bolstered by ripe, firm tannins. Potentially the finest La Mission of the second half of the 1990s, and maybe since 1990.

This is our first St Julien made by Château Branaire-Ducru. Cabernet Sauvignon dominates, but an almost equal dose of Merlot ensures a soft, approachable style. The nose is perfumed and fruit-driven, with raspberries and blackberries lifted by floral aromas and a hint of menthol. The palate is juicy and moreish, with blackcurrants layered upon hedgerow berries and vibrant redcurrants. The tannins are generous but silky, bringing structure and depth. Enjoy it with roast vegetables or chicken, though it certainly holds its own alongside a leg of lamb. 

Georgina Haacke, Bordeaux Buyer, Berry Bros. & Rudd 

The 2005 Pontet-Canet is a heady, exotic wine. Inky dark fruit, mocha, chocolate, liquorice, spice and tobacco are front and centre. Readers will find an unabashedly opulent, full-throttle 2005 with quite a bit more oak influence and overall extraction than is the norm these days. Even so, the 2005 is a young, young wine with a bright future. This is one sexy Pauillac, that's for sure.

Drink 2025 - 2045

Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com (April 2021)

70% new oak. Hold +2 years or carafe for 4 hours.

Density, power, concentration—this is a full-on Pauillac with a ton of cassis and blueberry, liquorice, espresso, and cocoa beans, with an intense muscular tannic frame. With precise architecture, it delivers on the promise that has been building for several years—muscular, ripped, will power for decades.

Drink 2025 - 2050

Jane Anson, JaneAnson.com (September 2024)

The 2009 Echo De Lynch Bages is succulent and pure, with dark cassis fruit and earthy complexity. Very juicy and fresh yet very structured, this is still hiding some power and could do with a few more years of ageing in the cellar to really shine. As ever, though, the attention to detail from the team at Lynch Bages is clear. This is a wine of the utmost quality.

Berry Bros. & Rudd

asted blind

The 2010 Canon-la-Gaffelière has quite a compact nose, backward and rather surly compared to its peers. It feels a little Left Bank in style with light pencil shaving aromas developing. The palate is medium-bodied with crisp tannins, a fine bead of acidity, nicely structured with a grippy, quite spicy and forthright finish that feels reassuringly persistent. Very promising, but it needs another couple of years in bottle.

Drink 2022 - 2045

Neal Martin, Vinous.com (April 2020)

Sadly, there is only very small production of Alter Ego de Palmer this year, but it is really worth seeking this one out as it is, once again, absolutely fabulous. Wonderful, fresh, crunchy red fruits that are so juicy and compelling make you want to drink it from the barrel now. Forget about all this ageing malarkey! Displaying beautifully brilliant balance, it kicks many other châteaux’s Grand Vin’s into the cheap seats.

Drink 2016 - 2026

Berry Bros. & Rudd

60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot, 3% Cabernet Franc.

There is fleshy, tasty fruit here, and a lovely intensity on the nose. The bouquet is beautifully expressive and laced with sweet, dark fruits. Cassis and dark fruit continue to dominate on the palate, the crunchy tannins a welcome arrival. The wine is very dark, and you can sense an underlying power, even though it doesn't express itself that way, yet. A wine to be cellared for several years, it will reward those with patience. Well balanced, harmonious and, dare I say it, a classic Poyferré.

Berry Bros. & Rudd

A second wine that has improved dramatically is the Alter Ego de Palmer. The 2009, a blend of equal parts Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, exhibits aromas of blackberries, cassis, chocolate, roasted espresso and a smoky/foresty note. This hedonistic, juicy, succulent Margaux is meant to be consumed in its first 10-15 years of life.
Robert M. Parker, Jr. - 23/12/2011

{***}
{region}Margaux{region}
{color}Red{color}
{maturity}drink-now{maturity}
{maturity-text}Drink Now{maturity-text}
{vintage}2009{vintage}
{ratings}
[]Robert Parker:: 89-92/100 []The Wine Advocate:: 91/100

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