Haut-Medoc
Despite being as visually unprepossessing as the rest of the Médoc, this large red-wine appellation is home to some of the world’s greatest wines. Its 4,500 hectares of vineyards form a largely continuous strip that follows the Gironde from St Seurin-de-Cadourne to Blanquefort. All the great communes of the Left Bank fall within its boundaries: Margaux, St Julien, Pauillac and St Estèphe.
Despite being as visually unprepossessing as the rest of the Médoc (despite its grandiose châteaux) this large red-wine appellation of Haut-Médoc is home to some of the world’s greatest wines. Its 4,500 hectares of vineyards form a largely continuous strip that follows the Gironde from St Seurin-de-Cadourne, just north of St Estèphe, to Blanquefort in the northern suburbs of Bordeaux.
All the great communes of the Left Bank fall within its boundaries: Margaux, St Julien, Pauillac and St Estèphe, as well as the up and coming Moulis and Listrac. These are labelled under their own, more illustrious and expensive appellation names. Châteaux labelled simply as Haut-Médoc rarely reach such heights, but nevertheless offer consistently good quality and offer some of the best value in Bordeaux.
Haut-Médoc wines tend to be firm and fine with generous fruit and a nice minerality – what many would consider ‘classic Claret’. They come from loftier vineyards and offer higher quality and more complexity than those labelled simply as ‘Médoc’. Almost all wines are a blend of the principal varieties – Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc – which helps producers hedge their bets if the slightly capricious climate causes one variety to fail. Small amounts of Petit Verdot, Malbec and even Carmenère are also used.
The higher proportion of sand and gravel to the south tends to produce finer wines, while the heavier clay and gravel north of Margaux yields sturdier examples. The best Haut-Médocs are found north of Ludon, a village just below Margaux. These include five classified Growths: Third Growth Ch. La Lagune, underperforming Fourth Growth Ch. la Tour Carnet and Fifth Growths Ch. Cantemerle, Ch. Camensac and Ch. Belgrave – as well as a number of fine Cru Bourgeois. Ageing ability varies but the lesser wines are usually delicious after three to four years, lasting around a decade, while the Cru Classés have a drinkability window of around six to 15 years.
Recommended Châteaux (labelled as Haut-Médoc): Ch. Beaumont, Ch. Belgrave, Ch. Cantemerle, Ch. Peyrabon
Prices:
Bottle
£16.00
Bottle 6 x 75cl 183cs
Laura Atkinson, Private Account Manager
Case price (Bottle 12 x 75cl)
Bottle 12 x 75cl 32cs
Bottle
£29.50
Bottle 12 x 75cl 1cs
Ch. Cantemerle fashioned a robust, serious Claret in 2004. Moderately tannic, medium-bodied with good structure, purity, and balance, it opens with a subtle nose of liquorice and blackcurrants. Hints of menthol, black cherries, cranberries and blueberries emerge on the palate.
Case price (Bottle 12 x 75cl)
Bottle 12 x 75cl 48cs
Bottle
£38.00
Bottle 12 x 75cl 3cs
Bottle
£33.00
Bottle 12 x 75cl 54cs
D. Magnum
£147.19
D. Magnum 1 x 300cl 1cs
H/Bottle
£36.00
H/Bottle
£36.00
H/Bottle 12 x 37.5cl 7cs
Case price (Bottle 12 x 75cl)
Bottle 12 x 75cl 6cs
Bottle 12 x 75cl 1cs
Bottle 12 x 75cl 1cs
Tom Cave, Cellar Plan Manager
Case price (Bottle 12 x 75cl)
Bottle 12 x 75cl 16cs
Case price (Bottle 6 x 75cl)
Bottle 6 x 75cl 43cs
H/Bottle 24 x 37.5cl 1cs
Bottle 12 x 75cl 1cs
Magnum 6 x 150cl 1cs
D. Magnum 3 x 300cl 1cs
Bottle
£50.00
Bottle 12 x 75cl 6cs
Case price (Bottle 12 x 75cl)
Bottle 12 x 75cl 10cs
Bottle 12 x 75cl 1cs
For his limited-production cuvée, proprietor Jean Gautreau selects the 15 best barrels from the vintage and uses a higher percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon than usual in the blend (approximately 80 percent). The 2004 has an opulent cassis and blackberry nose, with deeper, savoury and currant notes emerging on the palate – all balanced by a refreshing cedar lift on the finish.
Bottle
£53.00
Bottle 6 x 75cl 38cs
This is now fully mature, delivering a deliciously savoury, traditionally styled Claret. Blackcurrants and blackberries fill out a framework of dry earth, cedar and cigar box, all carrying through to a firm, crisp finish. An intriguing find from an underrated vintage.
Bottle
£58.00
Bottle 6 x 75cl 7cs
The 1996 is a classic Cabernet Sauvignon vintage and drinking beautifully now. There are substantial savoury depths to this blackcurrant and briary fruit-driven wine, with a satisfyingly firmness to the palate that still shows its capacity to age. Fresh and vibrant with cedar notes on the finish. Drink now to 2022.
Bottle
£74.00
Bottle 6 x 75cl 2cs
Magnum
£80.00
Magnum 6 x 150cl 20cs
This is quite forward in style for a 2006. Dense dark fruits and earthy tones combined with juicy tannins and a long finish mean that this wine offers far more than its price suggests. It should start to drink in 2010 and will continue to delight for 10 more years.
(Matthew Tipping, BBR Fine Wine Specialist, Oct 2008)
(Simon Staples, BBR Fine Wine Director, June 2007)
Case price (Magnum 6 x 150cl)
Magnum 6 x 150cl 11cs
Bottle 12 x 75cl 1cs
Robert M. Parker, Jr. The Wine Advocate June 2009
Case price (Magnum 6 x 150cl)
Magnum 6 x 150cl 1cs
Case price (Jeroboam 1 x 500cl)
Jean Gautreau purchased Ch. Sociando-Mallet in 1969 and rescued it from a period of inconsistency turning it into one of the most popular Cru Bourgeois on the market today. In 1995, driven by a quest for quality, Jean Gautreau and his team decided to select the fifteen best barrels from the vintage to make a special cuvée blend made with a higher percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon (approx. 80%) than the regular château bottling (approx. 60%). The total volume is only 1% of the production of the whole estate and hence is very rarely seen in the market
The wines of Ch. Sociando-Mallet are traditionally weighty, firm and well-structured, rich in fruit with excellent ageing potential and Cuvée Jean Gautreau is simply a different expression of this style but with an extra step up in quality and ageability.
As Jean Gautreau says: "I have a superb terroir which I want to express in the wine. I try to make a classic Médoc for long keeping."
A result of the remarkable 2005 vintage, this wine offers the hallmarks of the year with excellent concentration of fruit, ripe yet structured tannins and a lovely freshness throughout. Eleven years on and this is starting to display some secondary characteristics, yet there remains a lovely core of black berry fruit, complemented with notes of bramble and damson.
A slight creaminess to the texture, there is great richness across the palate which holds through to a long finish. Great structure with integrated tannins which will carry this for years to allow greater evolution in bottle. Approachable now, but I would enjoy this from 2018 - 2028.
Chris Lamb, Private Account Manager
Bottle 6 x 75cl 1cs
Bottle 6 x 75cl 1cs
Philip Moulin, Berrys' Private Account Manager
D. Magnum 1 x 300cl 1cs
D. Magnum 1 x 300cl 1cs
(Simon Staples, Sales and Marketing Director)
(Simon Staples, BBR Fine Wine Director)
Bottle 12 x 75cl 1cs
Bottle 12 x 75cl 1cs
Bottle 12 x 75cl 1cs
Wine critics the world over see Chateau Cantemerle as offering some of the best value in Bordeaux with its combination of good quality and modest pricing. It will never be an investment wine per se, but particularly from an exemplary vintage such as 2010, one can have a case of wine that will cellar effortlessly and will always be a joy to drink. This will fit perfectly into the Cellar of any connoisseur and at this price is very good value, after 5 years or so of patience you will have a superb case of wine to drink over the next 15 years.
This is absolutely terrific! Always reliable, good value but perhaps a little too steady, their 2010 takes it up several notches and on to a whole new level. It is really generous with ripe fruit, and should offer terrific value for the best Cantemerle we can ever recall tasting.
Simon Staples, Fine Wine Director Asia
Bottle 6 x 75cl 2cs
Bottle 12 x 75cl 5cs
Bottle 12 x 75cl 1cs
Magnum 6 x 150cl 1cs
Bottle 12 x 75cl 1cs
60% Cabernet Sauvignon 30% Merlot 6 Cabernet Franc 4% Petit Verdot
Its glorious 2005 has soft, sweet, ripe blackcurrant and black cherry fruit which blossoms within a lovely fragrant Margaux-style freshness and racy acidity. With lovely concentration, elegance and poise this should be a terrific bargain and looks sure to rival, if not surpass, their fabulous 1982.
Robert Parker - Wine Advocate - Apr 2007
Bottle 12 x 75cl 1cs
88/100
Drinking window 2018-2027
Neal Martin, The Wine Advocate, 28th October 2016