We’ve selected six gorgeous clarets that are perfect for drinking now and over the Christmas period, and will also make wonderful presents if you are stuck for ideas.
2009 is well documented as one of Bordeaux’s finest recent successes so we have included two delicious reds from the Médoc that are spot on for enjoying now in the form of Ch Cantemerle and Ch Fonreaud.
2012 produced some delicious forward drinking styles, none more so than the seductive Margaux pair of Ch Angludet and Ch d’Issan, both of which boast wonderfully sweet floral fruit and soft silky palates.
Our final two have been carefully selected from 2007, a vintage that has really blossomed and come into its own. Ch Lagrange from St Julien and Ch La Lagune from the Haut-Médoc are two familiar names that have exceeded everyone’s expectations in what was a demanding year. Both are sensational wines that are very well made with ripe supple dark fruit flavours, and are consequently firm favourites amongst us at Goedhuis.
These are six drinking clarets that no one should be without this Christmas. Please let me know if you would like any additional information
*All prices quoted inclusive of Duty and VAT. Available for immediate delivery. Free UK delivery on orders over £300
Ch Fonréaud Listrac Médoc 2009
£234.00 per 12 bottles / £244.00 per 6 magnums
The generous, ripe, supple vintage of 2009 has produced a Fonréaud of sweet, luscious dark hedgerow fruit. There are the classic left-bank smoky cedar notes and an appetisingly savoury tone to the smooth fruit. Goedhuis
Ch Angludet Cru Bourgeois Margaux 2012
£150.00 per 6 bottles
Another truly exceptional wine from the Sichel family, the 2012 d’Angludet has a deep ruby/purple color, a sweet floral, blueberry and blackcurrant-scented nose with a touch of licorice, light tannins, low acidity and a nice, fleshy mouthfeel. This is a sexy, mouth-filling and satisfying wine from both a hedonistic and intellectual vantage point. 90 points Robert Parker
Ch Cantemerle 5ème Cru Haut-Médoc 2009
£390.00 per 12 bottles
Readers looking for the more ethereal, elegant side of Bordeaux need search no further than Cantemerle, one of the estates in the very southern end of the Medoc. Dense ruby/purple (nearly opaque), this wine offers up notes of lead pencil shavings, spring flowers, raspberries and black cherries. The wine is ethereal, medium-bodied, and by no means a blockbuster, but long and intellectual. 91+ points Robert Parker
Ch Lagrange 3ème Cru St Julien 2007
£462.00 per 12 bottles
There is a sense of exuberance on the nose: black berries, wild strawberry, cedar, a touch of Asian spice coming through. Great lift and intensity. The palate is medium-bodied, ripe black fruits, good structure with a firm, quite masculine finish with just a hint of tobacco and spice. Very good for the vintage. Classy. 91 points Neal Martin
Ch d’Issan 3ème Cru Margaux 2012
£570.00 per 12 bottles
The 2012 Château d’Issan, builds on the richness of the second wine and adds more body, structure and density. It has an inky purple color and a stunning nose of spring flowers, blueberry and blackberry fruit as well as touches of incense and graphite. Medium to full-bodied and stunningly concentrated, this 2012 is a great success in the vintage, one of the superstars. Moreover, its precociousness suggests it could be drunk in the next 4-5 years or cellared through 2025. 95 points Robert Parker
Ch La Lagune 3ème Cru Haut-Médoc 2007
£570.00 per 12 bottles
Another brilliant effort from the Frey family, the 2007 La Lagune reveals a beautiful layered mouthfeel with lots of plum, black cherry, and kirsch liqueur-like notes intermixed with a spicy character. Medium-bodied, broad, and savory with beautiful purity and overall equilibrium. 90 points Robert Parker