Introduction to the Wines of Bordeaux, Tuesday 10th December 2024
Tutored Tastings
Treat yourself, your family or a client to one of our exclusive tutored tastings. One of our experts will guide you through a range of wines or spirits while educating you on the evening’s topic. From style and regional focusses to cheese and wine pairings, these are unmissable chances to broaden your wine and spirits knowledge.
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.
Book
Description
Join us for an evening delving into the unique terroir of Bordeaux. Over the course of a two-hour masterclass your host will guide through the region’s history, sub-regions and most significant wines.
After a sparkling apéritif, you will try one of the region’s lesser-known styles and some entry-level red wines, before moving on to taste a flight of red wines from some more famous names. Each glass sampled over the evening will represent a renowned commune in Bordeaux, helping you to pin down the characteristics in aroma and flavour that typify each area. Our aim is that by the end of the evening you will leave far more confident in identifying Margaux from St Estèphe and will have a much greater understanding of this region’s wonderful wines.
Wines to be tasted:
2022 Berry Bros. & Rudd Extra Ordinary White By Château de Chantegrive
2020 Berry Bros. & Rudd Good Ordinary Claret by Dourthe
2017 Château Giscours, 3ème Cru Classé, Margaux
2019 Château Branaire-Ducru, 4ème Cru Classé, St Julien
2019 Château Pontet-Canet, 5ème Cru Classé, Pauillac
2019 Château Calon Ségur, 3ème Cru Classé, St Estèphe
2019 Château Gazin, Pomerol
2019 Château Trotte Vieille, 1er Grand Cru Classé (B), St Emilion
2019 Le C des Carmes Haut-Brion, Pessac-Léognan
2011 Château Branaire-Ducru, 4ème Cru Classé, St Julien
2017 Berry Bros. & Rudd Sauternes by Château Suduiraut
Dress code: smart casual
Event details
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