Bordeaux gets a bad rap. What was once the choice for a generation looking for red wine with power, sophistication and elegance (which the great, bordeaux-loving wine critic Robert Parker describes as having intensity of flavour without heaviness) has now become a byword for excess.
Like London property, prices at the top end of the market have gone into the stratosphere. A bottle of Château Lafite Rothschild 2010 will now set you back about £450 — and that’s just the retail price; you’ll pay a lot more in a restaurant.
But bordeaux is important. It is still the finest red wine in the world and, for many winemakers, whether plying their trade in Australia, Chile, Italy or Spain, it is the benchmark.
It’s why I spend a week every April driving around Bordeaux, tasting the new vintage from barrel. Divided by the huge Gironde estuary, the region has two styles of red wine: on the left bank of the water the wines are a blend of cabernet sauvignon, merlot, cabernet franc and petit verdot. This is known as the Médoc and it’s where the most spectacular châteaux are found. The wines are glorious. Their flavour is characterised by notes of blackcurrant, tobacco and cedar wood.
On the right bank, the wines are based on merlot, the vines planted around the villages of Saint-Emilion, Pomerol and Fronsac. These wines are softer and can have a rich, plum character.
Advertisement
Both styles are dry, leaving an attractive tannic or bitter note that refreshes. They pair well with rich food, the classic combinations being roast lamb or beef.
The good news is you don’t have to spend hundreds of pounds for a taste of bordeaux magic. The region produces more than 800m bottles a year, so there is plenty to go around. On my expeditions, I have found many examples under £25 a bottle that are ready to drink within two to five years of bottling. Here are six that are ready to drink now.
Buy Will’s wine case and save £59
Will has worked exclusively with the Sunday Times Wine Club to select a superb case of bordeaux for you to enjoy. Order your case for £119.88, saving £59 on 12 bottles, and read his tasting notes, all at sundaytimeswineclub.co.uk/dish
WILL’S CHOICE
Advertisement
2014 Sauvignon Blanc, Dourthe La Grande Cuvée
£8.99, Waitrose
Bordeaux also produces zippy, dry whites that pair well with the region’s oysters. This is a fine example, with plenty of citrus kick.
2009 Château Reynon, Premières Côtes de Bordeaux
£11.96, Justerini & Brooks
A year where quality is uniform across the board. A cracking buy, this one is replete with dark fruit and cedar.
2012 Château Beaumont, Haut-Médoc
Bordeaux £15.45, winedirect.co.uk
Silky and always consistent, this is a wine to collect, year after year.
2012 Château Teyssier, Saint-Emilion
Bordeaux £19.95, Tanners Wines
Made by Englishman Jonathan Maltus, this is one of the most reliable red bordeaux I know. Full-bodied, but with a soft, silky feel.
2000 Cambon La Pelouse, Haut-Médoc
Bordeaux £22.46, bordeauxindex.com
A great year — you would be wise to snap this one up. It’s rich and ripe, with attractive complexity.
EDITOR’S CHOICE
Advertisement
2009 Château Cantemerle, Haut-Médoc, Bordeaux
£23, Fine + Rare
For under £25, you are getting an absolutely sensational wine, packed with those hallmark flavours of the Médoc: dark fruit, wood and spice. A must-buy.