Le Grand Chai Bordeaux 2012

There are many things to recommend this claret from the team at Le Chai au Quai, a cellar superbly situated on the banks of the Dordogne river in Castillon. In theory, the wine is standard Bordeaux, although in practice it’s anything but, with the majority of the grapes hailing from premium Côtes de Bourg vineyards. Winemaker Jean-Marc selected some terrific parcels of nearly all Merlot, carefully vinified the juice, then aged the wine in oak for nine months to lend the silky, ripe plum and redcurrant flavours a lovely creamy roundness. Deliciously forward and fruity, the Le Chai team think it’s the ideal luncheon claret, so we’d better keep an eye on stock levels! Serve with chicken or pork casseroles, ploughman’s lunch or cold meats.