Formerly known as Capbern Gasqueton, this Cru Bourgeois Saint-Estèphe estate has been in the same family for 10 generations. It's the same family that owns 3ème Cru Classé Calon Ségur. It lies in one of the finest parts of the appellation, between Phelan Ségur and Meyney, and every aspect is given Grand Cru care. Hand picking of the 41 hectares of vines, with ageing in top-quality oak, all adds up to the exceptional quality.
This vintage has gathered many top scores from wine critics such as Jeb Dunnuck and James Suckling, who called it "full-bodied with a deep character". Two thirds Cabernet with almost the same in new oak, it has “gorgeous cassis, violets, classy oak, with beautiful tannins” (Jeb Dunnuck). One to cellar for a few years.
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Delicious depth and richness with real freshness give this Bordeaux white perfect balance. It’s a collaboration between our award-winning winemaker Jean-Marc Sauboua and owner of Château Le Coin Ludovic Roussillon.
The key ingredient is Sauvignon – Gris that is, not Blanc – which combines spicy richness and lime freshness. All the grapes are tended at Ludovic’s superb estate in the Entre-Deux-Mers, just over the river from Le Chai au Quai, our winemaking HQ in Castillon.
His claret is always a hit and nine years ago we persuaded him to make us a white too. The limestone soils help to produce lovely fruit intensity, while old-vine grapes and a tiny portion of oak fermentation lends even more richness. Great solo or with a creamy gratin.
Lying close to Margaux's Châteaux Giscours and du Tertre, Château Cazauviel remains surprisingly under the radar. It was inherited by Régis Bernaleau from his father in 1978 and today remains in family hands. It is situated on the prized gravel soils of the Arsac plateau, which lends both an intensity and a finesse to the wine. This pretty claret is from a vintage struck by early April frosts – the most devastating for many years.
It reduced yields, but as Decanter wrote, "there are some excellent wines." Most, like Cazauviel 2017, are not long keepers, but makes delightful drinking now. Ideally open a couple of hours before serving and decant. It'll make a delicious glass with roast chicken with morels or a mushroom croustade.
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L’Épiphanie de Pauillac is the latest of our secret releases from iconic Bordeaux châteaux. It hails from Pauillac’s top tier – a Premier Grand Cru Classé estate. There are only three in the appellation: Lafite Rothschild, Mouton Rothschild and Latour. We guarantee this wine is from one of them. It isn’t their Grand Vin, of course, but it’s made from the same fruit by the same winemaker and housed in the same barrels. Yet it costs less than 1/16th of the Grand Vin’s price.
L’Épiphanie de Pauillac has blackcurrant, cherry and ripe plum infused with subtle spice, cedar and cigar box notes. These classic aromas combine with firm tannins for a complex wine with a long finish. By all means open a bottle now, but cellaring will pay dividends.
Its vineyards are nearly all planted to Merlot, with a small amount of Cabernet Franc, and tended with meticulous care. As you can see from critics' scores, it is an admired claret and one that ages very well too. Matured in French oak (50% new), it has structure and length, but above all an appealing depth of luscious fruit and spice – like Christmas in a glass! It’s a luxurious sipper, ideal with cheese after the Christmas feast. “Spiced plums and cocoa-dusted blueberries ... Succulent" (James Suckling, 94pts)
Tony Laithwaite has long wanted to make an estate white at La Clarière, but traditionally Castillon is all about reds. Now he's crafted this oak fermented white. Long, complex and citrusy, it's won four Golds.
