Classic claret, available for tasting free of charge. What more could you want...

In the shadow of two back-to-back great vintages, 2011 Bordeaux had a mountain to climb. Vintage conditions were topsy-turvy, with a sunny, dry spring followed by a cool summer and a wet August. But those growers who had the foresight to wait out stormy weather in early September were rewarded with a spell of glorious hot, dry weather that carried on past harvest, well into October. On release, 2011s were described as 'classic claret'. They were tannic and hard to enjoy, and did not set the market on fire. Fourteen years on and they are a changed lot: they have shed many of those tannins and are showing their core. While prices on most of these wines have barely shifted since release, the generous scores Jane Anson gave many at the Decanter ten year-on retrospective testify to a vintage now coming into its own. That makes this a perfect opportunity to pick some up reasonably priced claret in the prime of its drinking window. /NT