The Drinking Claret Case

A selection of our favourite Clarets.

1 bottle La Reserve Claret, Bordeaux 2008
Our house Claret selected from Saint-Emilion vineyards and blended exclusively for us by larger than life Jonathan Maltus, producer of Château Teyssier and Le Dôme, one of Saint-Emilion’s greatest (and most expensive) wines. Robert Parker described the 2008 vintage as “a vintage of at least excellent quality” and the wines are rich, concentrated and relatively forward. This is superb Claret for the price and we consider it a step from the 2006 vintage.

1 bottle Château Bauduc Rouge, Bordeaux 2008
After the phenominal success of Chateau Bauduc’s white we decided to list their red, which again is the house red at all of Gordon Ramsay’s 3 star restaurants and several of Rick Stein’s restaurants. As one would expect, it is a cracking food wine. From the very good 2008 vintage this fruit-driven, Merlot-Cabernet Sauvignon blend is starting to drink really well now and will continue to do so the next 3-5 years. Excellent value.

1 bottle Château Teyssier, Saint Emilion Grand Cru 2007
High quality St Emilion Grand Cru is almost impossible to find at this price, especially not from a property of the class of Château Teyssier. Teyssier is owned and run by the dynamic Jonathan Maltus, producer of top St Emilion Garage wine Le Dome, which sells for over £1,000 a case, and he is assisted in the production by Gilles Pauquet, the oenologist to Cheval Blanc. It should cost at least £5 more a bottle and is a real bargain for a wine that will provide excellent drinking over the next 5-7 years. Exceptional value.

1 bottle Ronan, Bordeaux 2009
A terrific Pomerol in all but name from the iconic Château Clinet. Named after managing director Ronan Laborde and vinified by their renowned winemaking team, this is pure Merlot. From the outstanding 2009 vintage, it is remarkably forward and both a serious and delicious wine to be found on the wine lists of many top Paris restaurants. At under £10 a bottle it is an absolute bargain.

1 bottle Pauillac, AC Pauillac 2006
Beautifully made, rich and already beginning to drink well, this is a wine that will grace any table as very high class Claret—at a fraction of the price its quality and origin would suggest.

1 bottle Margaux, Margaux Bordeaux 2006
Surprisingly soft and approachable with superb balance, structure and acidity as one would expect knowing where it came from. It shows its true potential if opened an hour or so before being drunk or decanted. Delicious. Very good Claret in every respect.

1 bottle Château la Commanderie de Mazeyres, Pomerol 2001
A high quality and mature Pomerol from la Commanderie de Mazeyres, whose vineyards have now been acquired and incorporated into the new Château Fayat in Pomerol. The wine is a perfect expression of what we all look for from Bordeaux's smallest, most exclusive and expensive appellation (vineyard land changes hands for £10m + an acre).

1 bottle Saint-Julien, Bordeaux 2008
A unique parcel of declassified wine from one of the most famous St-Julien super seconds that normally sells for £1000+ a case (and whose 2008 was rated 96–98 by Parker). A beautifully made top Claret from the first rate 2008 vintage at a price that we ordinary mortals can all at last afford—in other words ‘spectacular value.

1 bottle Domaine Virginie Thunevin, Bordeaux 2006
Known as "the bad boy of Bordeaux," Jean-Luc Thunevin was the pioneer of the garagiste movement: very high end wines produced from extremely low yields on small parcels of vines in St Emilion. The most famous and expensive example is Jean-Luc's Château Valandraud (the 2006 fetches over £1,700 a case). Domaine Virginie belongs to Thunevin's daughter but he is the winemaker. It's therefore no surprise then that this Claret is rich, concentrated and absolutely delicious. Unlike many of the garagiste wines it is also fantastic value.

1 bottle Château Laforge, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 2001
A unique parcel of St Emilion Grand Cru from one of the region’s very top producers, all at a fraction of the price for which other merchants are selling the 2001 (£525 a case at a renowned St James’s Street merchant). Produced by Jonathan Maltus (of Le Dôme and Teyssier) this is a very classy, mature right bank Claret, which at this price should not to be missed. A fine wine bargain.

1 bottle Château Méaume, Reserve du Château Bordeaux Superieur 2006
Alan Johnson-Hill only makes the Reserve du Château at Château Méaume in really good years—it is the pick of his crop and is aged in second year barrels bought from the legendary Le Pin in Pomerol. This is a very good Claret from the sumptiously ripe 2006 vintage.

1 bottle Château Grand-Pontet, St-Émilion Grand Cru Classé 2004
A rich, fully mature St-Émilion Grand Cru Classé (a step up from a simple Grand Cru) made by up and coming star Sophie Porquet from the best terroir in St Emilion, to the west of the town of St-Émilion. 2004 was a good Bordeaux vintage, especially for Merlot in St-Émilion. 90-92 from Robert Parker, this is the perfect drinking claret for Christmas. Good for another 5 years—great value for wine of this quality.

 

Prices are all-inclusive for deliveries to UK mainland. Minimum total order is 1 case (12 bottles of 75cl equivalent) for the UK and 2 cases (24 bottles of 75cl equivalent) for Northern Ireland, Highlands and islands. Please note there is a surcharge for delivery to Northern Ireland and Islands. Please call 020 7549 7900 for more info or read our Delivery/Collection Information and Terms & Conditions. We use recycled boxes for our mixed cases to help protect the environment.