Wine Region: Bordeaux

(2026) There are several white Bordeaux wines from producer Calvet around. This one, on offer at £7 in Ocado at time of review, also says 'Cuvée Fumé' on the label and has 11% alcohol. The Sauvignon aromas ring clear, the oak influence very subtle, perhaps just adding a little almond sheen. Quite straighforward, light, and fresh in the finish it's a nice aperitif, goat's cheese or seafoody choice at the offer price (down from £8.50).

(2026) In terms of a genuine wine-like experience, the booming sector of 0% abv, alcohol-removed 'wines' are a complete disaster; none of the taste anything like wine. Now there's a growing sector of 'mid-strength' wines that come in between 5% and 9% abv and have a lower calorific value. Though viticultural and winemaking decisions can keep alcohol in check, most of these use technology to remove alcohol from a full-strength base wine. At 6% abv this cannot legally be labelled as wine because, it is below the 8.5% threshhold. In style it falls mid-way between one of the thin, non-descript, 0% efforts and an inexpensive, very light Merlot. Unfortunately it's a bit closer to the former; certainly the words on the back label like 'Smooth' and 'Velvety' are complete fantasy. What it does have going for it is that it is dry, has a bit of wine-like character, and reasonable balance. It might wash down a pizza easily enough, but there we have the elephant in the room: its price of £15.99. The additional processing needed will add to cost, and I don't wish to put a new wine enterprise down, but I just cannot square the experience with the price. I am still waiting for a properly recommendable example of the genre. Watch the video for more information.

(2026) The dry white wine from Suduiraut comes from 50- 60-year-old vines and is for me the best vintage yet of this wine. A blend of 56% Semillon and 44% Sauvignon Blanc, fermented and aged in oak, around 12% of which was new, it is an exuberant and ripe wine, yet one with steel at its core. There are grace notes of fennel and Spring flowers over orange and lime fruit on the nose, a subtle creaminess too. In the mouth this has tang and a grapefruit burst of zest and citrus, running into a finish that is long and dry, a powdery, chalky mineral undertow at its core. This will not hit the market until 2027 I believe, but tasting so good, so young, it should drink well from release and for several years after. En Primeur from the listed stockists at time of review.

(2025) Gloria is an estate established only in the 1950s, long after the famous 1855 classification of the Médoc, but over the years it has been consistently rated as equivalent to many of the Crus Classé wines. In 2019 the blend is 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, with Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot from a ripe vintage where this wine weighs in with 14% alcohol. That sumptuous nature is immediately evident, the black fruit deep and glossy, but plenty of cedar and graphite precision and a sense of mineral freshness too. In the mouth it is medium-bodied and again rich, the weight of fruit on the mid-palate flows into tannins that are just softening from chewy density, the acid and tingle of cigar box spices into the finish. Drink this now after decanting or cellar for a decade surely and note that by the six-bottle case suppliers including Mann Fine Wine will bring this in at under £35 a bottle equivalent. Watch the video for more information.

(2025) Well, this is utterly gorgeous. Pouring a glowing, lightly burnished gold, the heady aromas encompass barely sugar and exotic apricot and mango, but so much honeyed, lightly truffly botrytis character too. Rich but agile in the mouth, it has weight and texture but such clarity, the fully sweet and luscious tropical fruit with candied glacé oranges and mandarins, and a pitch-perfect balance in the almost endless finish. What a treat. Many stockists have this only by the case at time of review, and many in-bond only, but Brunswick is one showing the wine by the bottle.

(2025) Château Batailley (pronounced 'BAH-tay-yay') is a fifth growth Cru Classé, the 2016 composed of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot. Aromatically this is delightful. It is still fruit driven after nine years, with cassis and glossy black cherry, but tinged with spices and mint, a little pencil-shaving note of finesse. In the mouth it is medium bodied and the tannins still pack a punchy grip. The fruit remains in the black spectrum, and there's a little meatiness and gaminess. The acid balance is lovely here, so between it and the tannins, the finish is dry though the core of fruit persists, pepper and graphite edges into the finish too. Very stylish for decanting and drinking now, or reasonably extended cellaring I'd guess.

(2025) From Bordeaux's Right Bank, a Merlot dominated red wine coming from a vintage that many are claiming to be a great one. The estate has been owned by the English Johnson-Hill family for almost 50 years and has seen considerable investment under current proprietors, Mark and Sadra Johnson-Hill. The nose is spicy, dark and fruit-cakey, with plum, currants and a hint of cedar. In the mouth this has fine medium weight, and that dark berry fruit is nicely smooth and ripe through the mid-palate, running into a balanced finish showing soft but supportive tannins and elegant acidity. A good choice for Christmas perhaps, drinking well already. Watch the video for more information.

(2025) A family-owned estate in one of Saint-Emilion's 'satellite' appellations, this is 65% Merlot, plus 20% Cabernet Franc and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon. Classic nose, cedar and a touch of game over ripe and rich plum and blackcurrant, a hint of something slightly green is lovely in the overall picture. On the palate this is savoury with spice and tannins, medium-bodied with the fruit melding into the savoury, quite meaty profile. Good acidity to freshen and, with its fruit and bit of structure, this should cellar for a few years.

(2025) This traditional method blend of Cabernet Franc and Merlot offers really good value for money at just £10. A pale salmon pink to peach colour, the nose is sherbetty and bright, with raspberry and a hint of pulpy strawberry. In the mouth the fruit is sweet, but the wine is racy, with plenty of zippy citrus and a fleet-footed style to make a very attractive aperitif, or maybe to match with some summer strawberries. Watch the video for more information.

(2025) From a family property now in the hands of the fourth generation, this is 85% Merlot plus Cabernet Franc and comes from vineyards on sand, clay, limestone and gravel. Dark, meaty, plummy and spicy, it's a warming and wintery red, the fruitcake richness of the aromas leading through to the palate, where bold tannins and a grip of acidity are just softened by both its age at eight years old, and presumably some time in barrels. It's not hugely long, but it is authentic and tasty for sure.