Château la Tour de By Médoc 2014

Chateau la Tour de By is one of those reliable Clarets that you pick off the shelf safe in the knowledge that it'll deliver the goods. On the nose is ripe blackcurrant fruit with a livening menthol edge while the palate is deliciously super fruity with a touch of cedar spice which just adds to the character. 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 35% Merlot make up the major part of the blend. It's a classic left bank Claret that comes at a sensible price.

This is perfectly mature and ready for drinking and if paired with the likes of rib of beef it really sings. More modestly a tasty beef casserole also works a treat.

While wine making at the estate can be traced back to the 1700's the modern era for Château la Tour de By really began in the 1960s with its purchase by the Pages family. It's now run by very capable the grandsons of Marc Pages and recent extension to the vineyards mean they have now over 70 hectares in production a large proportion of which are old vines, thus capable of producing quality fruit. Their cru bourgeois status gives an indication of the expected standard of their wines and they can be relied upon to live up to that.