Next door to Rioja, Navarra has always been less traditional. Its winemakers were some of the first to break rank and grow non-traditional Spanish grapes. A daring move, but one celebrated now – Navarra Cabernet continues to impress.

This mellow 2017 comes from the 65-year-old Señoria de Sarria bodega, an estate highly regarded throughout the world which lies in Puente La Reina. The fruit that went into this wine usually goes into their flagship Reserva Especial, but winemaker Milagros Rodriguez put some aside to make this exciting blend.

Powerful Cabernet Sauvignon with silky old-vine Graciano, aged two years in barrel and another four years in bottle, this is a magnificent, mellow red, packed with dark fruits and sweet spice. It needs time to open up, so decant if you can, and then serve with your finest roast lamb.

Founded 200 years ago, Château Pédesclaux is a magnificent estate, both in terms of wine and architecture. It combines the beauty of the 19th century with the modernity and technological advances of the 21st.

The additional work was undertaken by architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte, whose aim was to place “production at the heart of the estate within a high-performance building that is entirely fit for purpose and makes a harmonious whole with both the château and its surroundings”. It's quite something to behold.

Since the Lorenzetti family took ownership they've converted to organic. Their top wine is a rich, Cabernet-based claret, supported by Merlot, and finely expresses its gravel terroir. Still a young wine – best to cellar or open early.

There's no doubt about it, Big Mac McPherson makes a mean, BIG red - indeed, he's been making some of our popular weighty Australians for years. He's passed this skill on to his son Angus, as well as a bug for travelling. Angus, like his dad did before him, has been gaining experience around the world, but has recently returned to the cellar, keen to show his worth.

Believing the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, Angus has blended this gobstopper red from Bordeaux's Cabernet, Merlot and Petit Verdot. It has lovely, dark fruity appeal, with plenty of spice from the Petit Verdot and juicy plummy Merlot filling it out. A touch of firmness makes it great with food. Decant The Angus and serve with slow cooked lamb or rare roast beef.

Once a sister property to Thomas Barton's Châteaux Langoa and Léoville Barton, 18th-century Château Le Boscq was purchased by Maison Dourthe in 1995. It then went through a complete renovation and a big step up in the quality of its wine. Its 18 hectares of vineyard, unusually in one single block, are planted on gravel and clay soils in the northern part of Saint-Estèphe.

Clay provides a cooler soil which favours Merlot, hence a higher than normal proportion of Merlot is planted – just over half, with 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, the usual hero of the Left Bank, plus Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. A year's ageing in nearly half new oak barrels adds to the gravity and longevity of this firm claret. Open early and decant or cellar a while.

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.