2020 Berry Bros. & Rudd Good Ordinary Claret, Limited-Edition Label, Bordeaux

2020 Berry Bros. & Rudd Good Ordinary Claret, Limited-Edition Label, Bordeaux

Product: 20208157584
Prices start from £170.00 per case Buying options
2020 Berry Bros. & Rudd Good Ordinary Claret, Limited-Edition Label, Bordeaux

Buying options

Available by the case In Bond. Pricing excludes duty and VAT, which must be paid separately before delivery. Storage charges apply.
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1 x 300cl double magnum
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Description

Good Ordinary Claret is our flagship red Bordeaux. Produced in partnership with Dourthe, it is a blend of fruit from some of Bordeaux’s finest terroirs. Since its inception in the 1970s, it has become the top seller in our range – and a firm favourite of ours. When asked to explain the name “Good Ordinary Claret”, our former Chairman Christopher Berry Green once said: “It was Claret, it was good, and it was ordinary.”

Over the years, it has become known affectionately as “GOC”. This limited-edition label for our Good Ordinary Claret was designed for us by London-based artist Rob Ryan. His paper-cut design draws inspiration from the shopfront at No.3 St James’s Street, our home since 1698. To reduce packaging waste, this wine is capsule-free.

Tasting note

Our Good Ordinary Claret is an early-drinking style of red Bordeaux – one that is versatile and reliably delicious. The 2020 vintage is predominantly Merlot, supported by Cabernet Sauvignon and a dash of Cabernet Franc. On the nose, ripe hedgerow fruits mingle alongside warming aromas of cedar and allspice. The palate is plump and moreish, laden with black cherries, blackberries and myrtle berries. Meanwhile, a backbone of smooth, velvety tannins brings structure and complexity. This is a great wine to please a crowd, perfect with a Sunday roast or a winter vegetable stew.

Georgina Haacke, Bordeaux Buyer, Berry Bros. & Rudd

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About this WINE

Dourthe

Dourthe

Dourthe are one of the best and most successful wine producers in Bordeaux. They own a number of leading chateaux throughout Bordeaux including the Bordeaux Superieur, Chateau Pey La Tour, Classed Growth Ch. Belgrave, and La Garde in Pessac-Léognan. They are also involved in ventures in Argentina (Clos de los Siete) and in Languedoc (Ch. de Serame).

They specialise in brilliant blends for generic wines and their highly acclaimed, signature wine is called Essence. Essence is a new type of wine for Bordeaux as it is a blend of wines from 3 different appellations, Haut-Médoc, St Estèphe and Pessac-Léognan. A tiny amount, only 6000 bottles are available of this wine each vintage.

Dourthe has been selected among some of the best in the wine business to supply the revamped version of our legendary Good Ordinary Claret.

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Bordeaux

Bordeaux

Bordeaux remains the centre of the fine wine world. The maritime climate on the 45th parallel provides for temperate winters and long, warm summers, perfect conditions for growing grapes suited to the production of classically-constructed, long-lasting wines. This vast region of 120,000ha of vineyards (four times the size of Burgundy) is home to 10,000 wine producers and 57 different AOCs. Red now makes up 88 percent of Bordeaux wine, and is usually referred to as Claret. The origin of this name was to differentiate the lighter-coloured wines of the coastal region from the deeper "black" wines from up-country regions. 

The Left Bank, comprising the wine regions of the Médoc, Pessac-Léognan and Graves are planted predominantly with Cabernet Sauvignon, which thrives on the gravelly soils left by the ancient course of the river. This is a thick-skinned variety which ripens late, producing powerful, tannic wines capable of long ageing. It is blended with Merlot, Cabernet Franc and sometimes Petit Verdot. The highlights of the Médoc are the four communes of St- Estèphe (blackcurrant concentration); classical, cedarwood and cigar-box Pauillac; richly-fruited St Julien; and elegant, fragrant Margaux.

On the Right Bank, most famously in St-Emilion and Pomerol, it is the fleshy Merlot grape which prevails, sometimes supported by Cabernet Franc. Here the soils are more mixed, with gravel and clay underpinning the rich, fruity wines of Pomerol. Styles vary more in St-Emilion, depending on the predominance of sand in the lower-lying slopes, or limestone on the hillsides and plateau. 

By the 18th century, individual properties - known as châteaux, however humble - were becoming known for the quality of their wines and in 1855, those of the Médoc (plus Haut-Brion, a property commended by Samuel Pepys as early as 1663) were classified into five levels of classed growths. Lafite, Latour, Margaux and Haut Brion were cited as First Growths, to whose ranks Mouton Rothschild was elevated by presidential decree in 1973. Beneath the ranks of the classed growths lies a raft of fine châteaux known as Crus Bourgeois, while a host of less well-known "petits châteaux" still makes attractive, enjoyable Claret at affordable prices.

The other jewel in the Bordeaux crown is the district of Sauternes, making some of the most outstanding sweet white wines in the world (from the likes of Châteaux d'Yquem, Rieussec and Climens). The foggy autumn mornings along the banks of the Garonne River near Sauternes and neighbouring Barsac enable the noble rot, botrytis cinerea, to form on the skins of the grapes, which can still ripen in the afternoon sun as late as the end of October or early November. The Sémillon grape is the prime component, but Sauvignon Blanc and a little Muscadelle are also planted to provide insurance if the weather is less favourable to Sémillon, as well as offering a counterpoint in flavour.

There are many inexpensive dry white wines - more Sauvignon than Sémillon - from regions such as Entre-Deux-Mers and Graves, with just a handful of outstanding properties located in Pessac-Léognan. The most famous of the great dry whites hail from Châteaux Haut Brion, Laville Haut Brion and Domaine de Chevalier.

The finer wines of Bordeaux are sold en primeur in the late spring following the harvest, some two years before the wines are ready for physical delivery. The châteaux offer their wines through a system of Bordeaux négociants (brokers) who sell them on to importers round the world. Prices vary enormously from one vintage to another, dependent on perceived quality and world demand, which shows no signs of diminishing, especially for the great years.

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Cabernet Sauvignon blend

Cabernet Sauvignon blend

Cabernet Sauvignon lends itself particularly well in blends with Merlot. This is actually the archetypal Bordeaux blend, though in different proportions in the sub-regions and sometimes topped up with Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Petit Verdot.

In the Médoc and Graves the percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend can range from 95% (Mouton-Rothschild) to as low as 40%. It is particularly suited to the dry, warm, free- draining, gravel-rich soils and is responsible for the redolent cassis characteristics as well as the depth of colour, tannic structure and pronounced acidity of Médoc wines. However 100% Cabernet Sauvignon wines can be slightly hollow-tasting in the middle palate and Merlot with its generous, fleshy fruit flavours acts as a perfect foil by filling in this cavity.

In St-Emilion and Pomerol, the blends are Merlot dominated as Cabernet Sauvignon can struggle to ripen there - when it is included, it adds structure and body to the wine. Sassicaia is the most famous Bordeaux blend in Italy and has spawned many imitations, whereby the blend is now firmly established in the New World and particularly in California and  Australia.

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When is a wine ready to drink?

We provide drinking windows for all our wines. Alongside the drinking windows there is a bottle icon and a maturity stage. Bear in mind that the best time to drink a wine does also depend on your taste.

Not ready

These wines are very young. Whilst they're likely to have lots of intense flavours, their acidity or tannins may make them feel austere. Although it isn't "wrong" to drink these wines now, you are likely to miss out on a lot of complexity by not waiting for them to mature.

Ready - youthful

These wines are likely to have plenty of fruit flavours still and, for red wines, the tannins may well be quite noticeable. For those who prefer younger, fruitier wines, or if serving alongside a robust meal, these will be very enjoyable. If you choose to hold onto these wines, the fruit flavours will evolve into more savoury complexity.

Ready - at best

These wines are likely to have a beautiful balance of fruit, spice and savoury flavours. The acidity and tannins will have softened somewhat, and the wines will show plenty of complexity. For many, this is seen as the ideal time to drink and enjoy these wines. If you choose to hold onto these wines, they will become more savoury but not necessarily more complex.

Ready - mature

These wines are likely to have plenty of complexity, but the fruit flavours will have been almost completely replaced by savoury and spice notes. These wines may have a beautiful texture at this stage of maturity. There is lots to enjoy when drinking wines at this stage. Most of these wines will hold in this window for a few years, though at the very end of this drinking window, wines start to lose complexity and decline.