2009 Clement Pichon

50% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Cabernet Franc. The vineyard covers 25 ha with gravel soils over an iron sub-layer. The average age of vines is 25 years. The grapes are hand-harvested, sorted on the vine and on a table before total de-stemming. The juice is divided accordingly into thermo-regulated steel vats. A long maceration is allowed for 25-30 days and carefully managed micro-oxygenation takes place. Maturation takes place entirely in oak barrels, half of which are renewed every year, for 13 to 16 months. I think Sainsbury’s have been offering this for quite a while – one of those wines worth pouncing on when they have a blanket 25% discount offer. Dark crimson. Powerful, sweet and concentrated – Bordeaux with just a little dollop of Mendoza. The tannins on the finish seem a little informed by oak. Ideally wait a while. GV (JR)

The home residence of the construction magnate Clement Fayat, this property sitting in the very southern end of Medoc has turned out a very attractive wine with lots of black currant, black cherry and cedary notes. It is evolved, elegant, medium to full-bodied, with a dark plum/ruby color. Savory and complex already, this wine should drink nicely for another 7-10 years. (A member of the Association of Crus Bourgeois du Medoc.)