Bordeaux Explorer's Case

Bordeaux is home to the world’s leading (and some of the most expensive) red wines and our 6 bottle Explorer’s Case that will take you on a vinous tour around the world’s premier wine region.

We start with a modest, but dependably reliable petit château, Beauregard-Ducourt, which comes from the Entre-Deux-Mers area between the rivers Garonne and Dordogne. It’s a subtly herby and softly spiced blend of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon which is very versatile and welcoming.

From here we move north across the Dordogne to Castillon and Château des Demoiselles which is a ripe and weightier blend of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon which has been barrel-aged for 12 months prior to bottling which gives it a layer of silky tannins to give the fruit flavours a good structure.

Next it’s on to the Médoc on the Left Bank north of Bordeaux and here we’ve picked the organic le Haut-Médoc de Haut-Bages Libéral. It’s an entry-level wine from the well-known Château Haut-Bages Libéral and is a great introduction to the spicy cedar and bramble fruits that are a hallmark of the Left Bank.

Going back to the Right Bank we visit Saint-Émilion and Château Boutisse where Merlot reigns supreme. This Grand Cru wine is full of red fruits, cinnamon and cloves. It’s now nicely mature but also has plenty of ageing potential.

Staying on the Right Bank, Chateau Les Graves de Viaud occupies 15ha of hillsides in the heart of the Côtes de Bourg. Their 'Terroir' is a blend of 40% Cabernet Franc, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon and 35% Merlot aged for 18 months in large oak barrels and from the excellent 2016 vintage.

For the final wine, we move to the Left Bank and move just south of Bordeaux to the Graves appellation and Vieux Château Gaubert. This wine is now right into the best of its drinking window and has developed a real complexity and savouriness on top of the ripe dark fruits and it’s quite a treat.

While there’s a definite style to Bordeaux reds the different areas within also give different nuances whether they be wines for drinking young or being allowed to mature and our Explorer’s Case aim to give a good look at those variations