Bordeaux

This property in St Estephe is owned and run by the team behind Cos Labory. This is soft and drinking very well with typical mature Claret elegance and understatement and has lovely gamey notes.

This 4eme Grand Cru Classe can be inconsistent in lesser years, but has come up trumps in '05. Rounded and supple with opulent tannins, this is a fantastic wine for those blessed with a little patience, as it should be opening up nicely by 2012.
Parker Points: 90/100, Jancis Points 17.5/20, Drink 2012-2022

Excellent 2eme cru property which has really come on in the last decade or so, paying extra care both in the vineyard and the winery to produce a supple, velvety wine which delivers all the opulence you want from great Bordeaux. This vintage has produced a solid, big boned wine which will need plenty of time to mature. It's strength lies in its power and concentration.
Parker Points 92/100, Jancis Points 17/20. Drink 2016/2030

Cos Labory constantly punches above its weight, and this wine from a very fine vintage is true to form. Concentrated and powerful, it's a joy now but will be your friend for decades!

This Merlot dominated right bank wine (with a good glug of Cabernet Franc and a dash of Malbec) is beautifully perfumed with lots of damson fruit and toasty oak notes. The palate is refreshingly middle-weight with a real burst of fruit on the finish. Outstanding.

That rarest of things - emminently drinkable Claret for less than £10!

Soft, ripe Merlot/Cabernet Franc blend with a smoky, gamey edge and velvet tannins.

Fleshy, robust and well balanced with delicious liquorice aromas. This is a really fantastic claret and loads of value for money.

A predoninantly Merlot dominated Claret, this wine is medium bodied with soft, supple raspberry fruit flavours. It is on the more savoury side of Bordeaux and has a really lovely warming spice to the finish.

One of Margaux's rising stars, this is perfumed and elegant with bloody black fruit on the palate, crisp acidity and powerful tannins.

This Chateau is a model of the Pauillac style, made with grapes from some of the finest vineyards in the Medoc. Under the same ownership as Lafon-Rochet, this 5eme Grand Cru Classe has reached a real peak in 2005. Big and powerful with dense, supple tannins, and a future of immense potential, it has that classic fragrance of cassis and cedar, with hints of menthol.
Parker Points 96/100, Jancis Points 17 (must have been in a grumpy mood as Wine Spectator loved it too)! Drink 2016-2028

Dominated by Merlot (80%), this wine is unusual in having a small percentage of very old vine Carmenere in the blend. Hand picked and made it is in a big, powerful style with meaty fruit.

Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc make up an unusually high 40% of the plantings at this Pomerol Chateau, but 2005 was perhaps not perfect for the Cab Franc, so Merlot dominates this wine. Elegant yet energetic, it shows immense poise and balance and is one of the true greats of the vintage.
Parker Points 95/100, Jancis 19/20, drink 2010-2035