Secrets and gems from Bordeaux: a 12-bottle mixed case

'Bordeaux is often criticized for charging a king’s ransom for its top wines. In reality, it is a vast cradle of quality that can offer unbeatable value, depending on how far you are willing to venture beyond the famous names.' - Neal Martin, vinous.com, January 2021

Bordeaux produces more fine wine than any other region in the world. At the top end, it can feel exclusive. First growths are not for every budget. Some chateaux are bought and sold by magnates and insurance companies; property directors and winemakers move around like football team managers. But these famous names are only a tiny fraction of the full story. There are some 6,800 producers here, many of them struggling to make ends meet, and for the discerning consumer, there are some brilliant bargains to be had.  

To help you get to grips with the diversity of quality behind the big names, we have put together a mixed case with a bottle each from some of our favourite unsung Bordeaux stars. They cover the appellation from end-to-end, in a range of styles. Some are mainly Cabernet, some are mainly Merlot, but all of them are great ambassadors for their region. /NT

To place an order, click on 'Order' below, reply to this email, or call us at 020 7638 5998.

Affordeaux Mixed Case — £270 12x75cl

Saving £38.95, delivered free of charge. Subject to agreed substitutions based on availability.

Contains one each of the following:

2020 La Tour de By (Medoc) £21.95/bt
Cedar-tinged black fruit in this sure-fire, classically composed claret. The estate sits on a high-point overlooking the Gironde. English soldiers were garrisoned here in the Hundred Years War. Nowadays, the vantage point is all about winemaking - the breeze off the estuary brings a freshness to the wine, even in hot vintages like 2020.

2020 Raison d`Hetre (Castillon Cotes de Bordeaux) £22.50/bt
Sappy and mouth-filling, this is the punningly-named second wine from Jacques Thienpont’s Castillon property L'Hetre. Mulberry and plum, and maybe a hint of rosemary, this would work very well with lamb.

2020 Montlandrie (Castillon Cotes de Bordeaux) £26.95/bt
The relatively cool terroir of Castillon tends to shine in hot vintages like 2020, and this has a plush sensuality beyond what is usual at its price point. Or as Jane Anson says: 'Brilliant stuff, don’t miss it.' But of course, this is one of the Durantou family wines, so the winemaking pedigree is impeccable.

2019 Puygueraud (Francs-Cotes de Bordeaux) £18.95/bt
The cool, limestone-dominated soils of Francs can make austere wines in cool years, but in hot years they excel, making bright and succulent wines like 2019 Puygueraud. Black cherry and iris, with a menthol lift, and just a faint hint of wood char to add gravitas. 

2019 Carbonnieux Rouge (Pessac-Leognan) £33.95/bt
The gravelly soils of Pessac are often thought to bring a smudged tobacco character to red wines made here, and there’s definitely some sauna wood smoked-cedar here alongside the brambly red fruit. Once upon a time this was the in-house wine for a religious abbey. Those monks clearly had good palates. 

2019 Labegorce (Margaux) £33.95/bt
On good Margaux terroir with a significant proportion of old vines, Labegorce 'easily jostles for attention among many more prestigious, classified growths', in the words of Bordeaux Insider Jane Anson. This is a cracker, with all the combination of freshness and concentration that marks the best 2019s. Neal Martin gives it 94 points.

2018 La Loubiere (Bordeaux Superieur) £11.95/bt
Marie-Micheline Roux remembers her grandfather Aristide telling her, ‘If you take care of the land and the vines, they will always repay you by giving you good wine’. It’s a motto the family have been following, with great results, for six generations at their property in Entre-Deux-Mers, just across the river from St-Emilion. 

2018 Sichel Pauillac £24.95/bt
The terroir of the commune of Pauillac lends itself to a structured, muscular style of claret – but at the same time the wines here can be very refined. The Sichel Pauillac very neatly captures that dichotomy in a wine that evokes ripe blackcurrants crushed on river stone.

2018 Deyrem Valentin (Margaux) £28.95/bt
Unjustly overlooked in the 1855 classification, this excellent Cru Bourgeois Superieur competes with many classed growths, for a lot less money. The generous floral aromatics are quintessential Margaux.

2018 Collines de L`If (St-Emilion) £34.95/bt
Collines de l'If is the second label from lauded St-Emilion property L'If. This is made from a blend of Merlot and Cabernet Franc, from a plot of young vines that in due course will be used for the grand vin. All plum and flower, it’s very St-Emilion, and a lovely snapshot into the character of the grand vin.

2014 Larrivaux (Haut-Medoc) £19.95/bt
For over 400 years, the Haut-Medoc property Larrivaux has only ever been owned by women – a unique distinction in Bordeaux. The vines are on an excellent mix of limestone and clay-gravel soils. This fleshy, succulent 2014 shows savoury, maturing aromatics. 

2010 Patache d'Aux (Medoc) £29.95/bt
With a melting core of fruit, this fourteen-year-old is probably at the perfect age for a bottle of its class. The long history of winemaking here reflects the fact that the clay-limestone soils here mark one of the best spots of the wider Médoc appellation.