Bleasdale Vineyards have been proudly owned by the Potts family for five generations. Founder Frank Potts was born in Hounslow, and joined the Royal Navy at the tender age of 9! He started his career as a powder monkey and travelled the world several times, before settling in South Australia in 1836. Originally a carpenter, in 1850 he spotted a great plot of land near the town of Langhorne Creek. He and his new wife decided to buy it and began farming. Theirs was the first winery of the region.
In 2007, Paul Hotker became their winemaker (Winemaker of the Year in 2018) and since then they've won 60+ Trophies. For 25 years, they've used Cabernet Franc in blends, but here have bottled it solo. Enjoy its crunchy fruit freshness. Serve cool.
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Château de Birot is an elegant, 17th-century property with vineyards perched on a high plateau looking down on the Garonne river and across to famous Sauternes. Until a few years ago, it belonged to the renowned Castéja family. They sold it and the new owners have been working hard, updating the estate. In the cellar, they discovered a forgotten batch of château wine from 2007.
Despite its 17 years’ age, it’s still tasting delicious, complex and long. It’s Merlot dominated from estate vineyards in the superior Premières Côtes, with a little of both Cabernets. After 17 years of maturing in the cellars, it has developed some sediment in bottle. A good sign. Stand the bottle upright for a few hours and carefully decant just before serving.
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Château Peybourdieu is exactly the type of small, under the radar property we love to champion. It also illustrates Robert Parker’s advice not to “overlook the so-called petits vins of Bordeaux – they frequently compete with wines selling for two or three times the price”. Winemaker Denis Cayé is the third generation of his family at the property and his years of experience are evident in this fine 2021 vintage. The estate lies just north of the Haut-Médoc, between the Atlantic and Gironde estuary, protected from strong winds by forest.
A classic Médoc blend of Cabernet and Merlot, it delivers blackcurrant, earthy and oaky hints with a liquorice and cigar box character. Open a few hours early and decant. It's excellent with roast meats.
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