Montaiguillon’s 2020 is another resounding success, continuing a string of excellent vintages at the estate. It is a deep ruby colour with notes of spiced plums, cassis and blackberries on the nose. There’s a savoury, graphite note woven through the juicy, sumptuous palate. Its rounded tannins are already integrated with the plump fruit, and the finish has a fresh, balanced length, the likes of which you’d expect from wines with much bigger price tags.

Les Créots is found in the relatively unknown village of Thauvenay at the south-eastern limit of the appellation. Its quartz-flecked clay soils are fertile ground for quality-minded producers seeking vineyard expression. For an introduction to the domaine’s whites, you couldn’t do much better than this. It is floral and delicate on the nose. The palate has an agile freshness. This is a wonderfully restrained style of Sancerre Blanc, with zesty freshness.

Tasted April 2024. 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, 1% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot. 12.91% ABV. Vines here are on average 55 years old. The 2023 expression of Cos still has its inate power, but it's restrained by gentle techniques in the cellar. The result is a fresh, expressive wine with lots of structure and velvet tannins.

Tasted April 2024. 51% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot. 12.9% ABV. From vines around 40 years old. Elegant and classical in style, with fresh bramble fruit and a silky texture. Gentle extraction means this wine is restrained with delicate complexity, matched by juicy, perfumed fruit and bright acidity.

Tasted April 2024. Dense black fruit, and deep purple in the glass. Ripe, fine and densely packed tannins, with lots of concentration of smooth dark fruit on the palate.

Tasted April 2024. Ripe black and purple fruit on the nose with licorice. Powerful on the palate with velvet tannins and a lot of ripe black fruit. A minty lift at the end of the palate, with mineral notes on the long finish.

Tasted April 2024. 58% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Petit Verdot. 13.5% ABV. Cassis, blackberry and cocoa on the nose, with licorice and graphite developing on the palate. Full bodied and polished on the palate, with very fine tannins. Supple and opulent.