A busy couple of days in Bordeaux but, as we predicted, buyer interest is confined to a very narrow range of wines. Chief among those today is Batailley, where Frederic and father Philippe were looking justifiably pleased with themselves. Frederic told us that the vintage required a lot of work in the vineyard. They did two green harvests and made a stricter selection than in years gone by so that the grand vin is made from a yield of 35 hectolitres per hectare - much lower than those before Philippe took the helm. This has lovely dark earthy fruit and is up there with much more pricey wines from the appellation. For those of you accustomed to older Batailleys - from ten years ago or more - the quality of recent vintages should come as something of a revelation.

Yesterday another of our favourites, albeit with no concession on price - thanks to the excitement building around the chateau's 2012s. With dark fruit, hints of spice, lovely richness and the charm and freshness sometimes lacking in this vintage's wines, Alter Ego is a prime example of the success of Merlot in 2012. Yields at Palmer were just 28 hl/ha - much above 2011's miserly 20 - but still a level more common in the Rhone than Bordeaux. /AR

Today we also have the remaining wines from Baron Philippe de Rothschild, the irrefutably delicious Armailhac and the slightly more austere Clerc Milon. /AR

Offered subject to availability for shipment spring 2015

Halves & magnums £10 extra per 9 litre case; other formats on request