BORDEAUX SUPPLEMENT

MARGAUX Themost southerly of theMédoc communeswith lighter, well-drained soils, one oftenfindswines herewith wonderful aromatics and silky tannins – and less Cabernet sauvignon dominance. Often the wines can be drunk aheadof its northernneighbours. ChâteauMargaux sits at the pinnacle of the appellation, a stunning property that of course turns out absolutely spectacular wine. Palmer, Rauzan-Ségla and D’Issan are all worthy of a spot in your cellar. In 2021, the season started early with flowering and the growing season was unusually long. 60days fromVeraison toharvest as opposed to the usual 40daus, finishing on 14thOctober. To avoid mildew in the early summer, bunches were green-harvested to allow aeration, ensuring smaller yields, but superb quality. The September warmth finally arrived allowing the Cabernets to ripen fully before harvest. The strong quality of the Merlot crop is noticeable in most wines bringing a great elegance and purity. The best-known properties – as always! - have thrived; their vines working hard but ultimately producing superb wines.

REDBORDEAUX

CHÂTEAUANGLUDET, CRUBOURGEOIS SUPERIEUR 53%Cabernet sauvignon, 24%Merlot, 23% Petit verdot. 50% aged in amphora. Very fine nose, really dense with lots of ripe fruit. Elegant Cabernet is matched with deep bramble and spice from the high percentage of Petit verdot. Plenty of pure fruit on the palate with notes of crunchy blackberries, red fruit, sweet spices, and a savoury finish. The tannin is very fine thanks to the amphora aging. Really delicious, elegant and mouth-watering. A serious contender, excellent value to be had here. DRINK: 2026 - 2038 £125 - £150 / 6BOTTLES WA87-88 CHÂTEAUGISCOURS, 3ÈMECRU “The 2021 Giscours is immensely promising and shows just how far this important estate has come in the last fewyears. Unwinding in the glass with aromas of cassis, dark berries, cigar wrapper, violets, sweet forest floor and burning embers, it’s medium to full-bodied, deep and layered, with terrific depth at the core, ripe tannins, lively acids and a long, penetrating finish. With wines like this, we’re back to a level of quality that Giscours hasn’t routinely attained since the 1970s! The blend is 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot; and even if by the standards of the last decade, that isn’t a particularly elevated percentage of Cabernet, this is nonetheless a very Cabernet-drivenwine in style. Tasted six times.” -WILLIAMKELLEY,WINEADVOCATE DRINK: 2028 - 2046 £225 - £280 / 6BOTTLES WA93-95 CHÂTEAUD’ISSAN, 3ÈMECRU 55%Cabernet sauvignon, 39%Merlot, 3%Cabernet franc, 2%Petit verdot, 1%Malbec. Thenose is elegant and fresh, somebright raspberry, cherry and blackberry fruit. A touch mineral. On the palate it has lots of pure ripe fruit, the freshness is here and the finish ends on some serious savoury tannins. Good concentration of fruit overall. A serious offering, will age well especially when the tannins soften up. Very petty elegant fruit. Good stuff. DRINK: 2030 - 2046 £225 - £285 / 6BOTTLES WA90-93

CHÂTEAUBRANE-CANTENAC, 2ÈMECRU 55% Cabernet sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 4% Cabernet franc, 0.5% Carmenere, 0.5% Petit verdot. A lovely, sweet and aromatic nose full of floral notes and vibrant red fruit and plum. The palate seems light thanks to its good levels of acidity but don’t be fooled, it has a good body, plenty of fruit on the mid palate and the tannins are grippy providing excellent structure. Another elegant Margaux true to the classic style. Very approachable and well balanced. DRINK: 2032 - 2048 £270 - £335 / 6BOTTLES WA93-95 ALTEREGODE PALMER 60%Cabernet sauvignon, 32%Merlot, 8%Petit verdot. 20months in barrel, 20% new oak. A perfumed, lifted nose with some good crunchy fruit. The palate is very silky and refined. The mid palate is packed with pure cassis fruit, some dark smoke notes. The tannin has a big grip giving a full body kept in check by a god level of freshness. The finish is long with lots of Cabernet notes and a good level of spice. DRINK: 2030 - 2042 £275 -£340 / 6BOTTLES WA91-93 CHÂTEAURAUZAN-SÉGLA, 2ÈMECRU 62%Cabernet sauvignon, 36%Merlot, 1%Petit verdot, 1%Cabernet franc. Dark inky nose, not very typical to appellation this year but this is a well-made wine with good quality fruit. Red berries, black and blue fruit show through on the palate with a hint of smoke. Palate has some flesh. The tannin is very fine and grippy, quite serious. Good chalky mineral finish. Quite elegant and serious. DRINK: 2032 - 2046 £360 - £450 / 6BOTTLES WA93-95 PAVILLONROUGEDUCHÂTEAU 73%Cabernet sauvignon, 18%Merlot,5%Petitverdot,4%Cabernet franc. Lovely dark ruby colour, inky. A very dark brooding nose, dusty, with pure cool fruit, mineral, graphite and an attractive floral note. Pure Margaux appellation expression. The tannin is velvety and the finish is fresh and cool, quite restrained with a slight herbal twist. Very fine, textural and elegant. DRINK: 2028 - 2042 £750 - £895 / 6BOTTLES WA91-93

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