Exceptional southern French red, with a touch of Pomerol class! Faugères is one of the finest and best-loved appellations of the Languedoc, as you'll taste in this authentic, herbal-scented 2016, made by a former 100pt Pomerol winemaker.
It's a cru area, with vineyards planted on the mountain's lower slopes. Warm sunny days and cold nights are perfect for bringing out the aroma, elegance and freshness in its grapes.
Fifth generation Didier Lefebvre's Château La Bégude was founded in 1896. Such is his passion for his mature vineyards, he has converted them all to organic.
He grows classic Provence varieties – Cinsault, Grenache and Carignan, with a sprinkle of Vermentino, Ugni Blanc, Syrah and Mourvèdre.
Picked early morning and cool fermented, it captures all the savoury berry freshness you'd expect of this great wine.
Southern Burgundy’s Mâconnais has long been known for being a hotspot for good value but in the last decade its winemakers have proved that this goes hand in hand with remarkable quality too. They may not be able to put ‘Grand Cru’ on the label, but some of the bottles certainly warrant it. The Greuzards have been crafting superb wines at their Greffière estate for four generations now.
In fact there is evidence the property was making wine from 1585. Their top vineyard – La Roche Vineuse – is 12 hectares with vines 30 to 50-years-old. No wonder the fruit is so deliciously concentrated and long. Slow fermentation with lees stirring results in this rich complex style. Serve lightly chilled with white meats, risotto or a creamy fish dish.
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Hervé Sabardeil, our winemaker with limitless talent, has been making Cabalié, the big, ripe Catalan red, for over 15 years. He added the old-vine (Vieilles Vignes) edition in 2011, originally as a one off, but it was so popular we insisted he did it again. And again! The magic to this punchy red is really in the vines. At 60 to 100-years-old, yields are minute (about half of a Grand Cru claret). As a rule of thumb, the smaller the yield, the more concentrated the fruit, the more flavoursome the wine!
That’s why we call it Cabalié’s Big Brother. Still made in the same style that was beloved by the Roman centurions and now our customers too, it packs even more flavour than the original. Ideal with garlic-roasted lamb, rich stews or cheese.
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.
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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.
Take a sip of this delightful Provençal rosé and let its beguiling floral aromas and delicate berry fruit transport you to France’s beautiful, unspoiled Provence. Delightfully refreshing, this pink is full of the joys of summer all year round!
Scattered on the high-altitude slopes of the Cévennes foothills, lie the vineyards of Terrasses de Larzac. The top wine from there fetches £100 a bottle. Nearby are the other Languedoc crus - Montpeyroux, Pézenas and Pic Saint Loup. Tucked away among them and in the shadow of the great Mont Baudile lies a forgotten IGP, named after this towering mountain.
Cave Fonjoya boasts 90% production of this tiny area and the very finest grapes are reserved for this wine. A classic blend of Syrah, Grenache, Carignan and Mourvèdre, it's a sumptuous, smooth red, with polished tannins and deep black fruit with herbal nuances. Pure charm and a great partner to grilled meats, ideal at a barbecue, or with a rich, garlicky, herby casserole, veggie or not!
