The 2013 vintage release price is in brackets as a price guide.
Five wines to buy to drink in 5 to 15 years
(our selection of the Vintage)
Chateau Cissac Haut Medoc (£80)
Our house favourite. Dark purple red with violet hue and black centre. Opulent nose with slightly smoky start, succulent fruit, elegant spiciness. On the palate well-structured with good weight and length.
Chateau Beaumont Haut Medoc Available now £83.50 (£85) 47% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot and 8% Petit Verdot.
Soft ripe red fruits on the nose, crunchy fruit on the palate with ripe tannins on the finish.
Pretty dark purplish crimson. Broad, luscious nose. Energetic and well balanced even if only medium weight and medium ambition. Easy to like with attractive fairly open fruit, even if hardly complex or long term. Drying finish with grainy, sandy tannins. Jancis Robinson 16/20. Drink 2018 to 2026.
Chateau Lamothe Bergeron Haut Medoc (£95) 50% Cabernet Sauvignon and 50% Merlot.
A lovely nose. Good fruit and concentration, with fine tannins leading to almost spicy finish. A really well made wine that stood out in the Medoc tastings.
Chateau Ormes de Pez St. Estephe (£175) 47% Cabernet Sauvignon, 44% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot.
Really hard to pick a favourite in the St Estephe, but for value this wine shines out. Great fruit on the nose. Good structure and round firm tannins. A good length with fruit on the finish.
A hint of sweet oak on the nose. Then admirable energy but a bit drying on the finish. A real go getter of a wine. Lots of tannins tucked in here but no excess acidity. A palate-dryer at the moment though. Jancis Robinson 16.5+/20. Drink 2024-2040
Chateau Angludet Margaux Available now £156 (£162) 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot and 11% Petit Verdot.
Good fresh fruits on the nose, with the floral touch of the Petit Verdot. A full mouth with a lovely concentration of flavours. Ripe tannins. Will drink really well in 7 to 15 years.
Dark blackish crimson. Heady, sweet, almost black-cherry aromas which are very unusual in 2014. At first I’m more aware of acidity than tannin on the palate. It’s a strange mixture of almost forced sweetness plus a little sourness on the finish. Not beautifully integrated or balanced - yet. But there is energy and will here. Jancis Robinson 16.5/20. Drink 2024-2038