Highly Recommended

90–94pts

Château la Rose Perrière, Lussac Decanter average score: 92/100pts

Individual judges’ scores: Stephen Brook 93 Andrew Jefford 93 Tim Sykes 89 £30 Au Bon Vin, Daniel Lambert, Flagship Wines, Haslemere Cellar, Rollings Wines Earthiness, coconut and spice on a lush, deep and smooth-textured palate. Could be taken for a St-Emilion. Drink 2019-2027 Alcohol 14.5%

Château Clarisse, Vieilles Vignes, Puisseguin 91 SB 88 AJ 90 TS 95

POA

Wine Source The nose is restrained but classy, with notes of black fruit and liquorice. In the mouth it is chunky and grippy and brimming with plums in a ripe, semi-baked style with ample tannins to back up that fruit. Drink 2019-2026 Alc 14%

Château de Lussac, Lussac 91 SB 95 AJ 91 TS 88

£16.99 (2011) Majestic Deep, dense and a little subdued at present, with mint, earth, blackcurrant and blackberry fruit quietly bubbling away. Full-bodied and weighty, with a splendid texture leading to a spicy and exotic finish with a chocolatey tone.

Drink 2019-2027 Alc 14.5%

Château de Barbe Blanche, Lussac 90 SB 90 AJ 92 TS 89 £19.20

Theatre of Wine

Coconut and vanilla oak aromas give way to dense and creamy, incense-infused scents. A modern Right Bank wine that is generously built with blackberry and plum fruit, but also some freesia and peony freshness and orangezest finesse. Drink 2019-2027 Alc 15%

Château Teyssier, Montagne 92 SB 92 AJ 93 TS 90 £18.50 Berry Bros & Rudd

Fresh plum and damsons on the nose, then a sleek and silky palate with a concentrated structure. Not a brash style; has some finesse. The oak is well judged and shows charm on the finish. A big, bold Merlot for a hearty stew or roast. Drink 2019-2026 Alc 14.5%

Château des Laurets, Puisseguin 91 SB 90 AJ 92 TS 90

£25 Waddesdon Wine Muted but stylish nose of sloe fruit and nutmeg. It is enticing because the palate is shapely and concentrated with mouthfilling textures, appealing sucrosity and spice on the finish. Drink 2019-2026 Alc 14%

Château du Courlat, Cuvée JeanBaptiste, Lussac 90 SB 89 AJ 91 TS 90 £19

Tanners

As yet unfocused aromas, yet the palate is plump and textured with creamy rich fruit and mocha tones. This sumptuous, ambitious Merlot needs time to to settle down a little but it has excellent potential. Drink 2020-2026 Alc 14.5%

Vieux Château Palon, Montagne 92 SB 90 AJ 95 TS 91 £25 Stone Vine & Sun

Sweet, sumptuous and exciting aromas, with ample oak but balanced by poised raspberry and plum fruits and roast meat notes. Rich and hedonistic on the palate with bags of ripe, plush fruit. A magnificent effort.

Drink 2019-2026 Alc 14.5%

Château Croix de Rambeau, Jean-Louis Trocard, Lussac

91 SB 93 AJ 90 TS 90 N/A UK www.trocard.com Smoky, Cabernet-marked nose, with notes of camphor and mulberries. Sweet fleshy cherry fruit on a sumptuous, flamboyant palate with a chocolatey note. Drink 2019-2026 Alc 14.5%

Château Corbin, Jacques Rambeaud, Montagne 90 SB 93 AJ 89 TS 88

£18 New Generation McKinley Seductive black cherry fruit gives a rich and opulent wine with soft plum and fig characters. It is not overly dense but there is plenty of spice and the finish is earthy, lively and long. Drink 2019-2025 Alc 14.5%

Château Haut-Goujon, Famille Henri Garde, Montagne 90 SB 88 AJ 91 TS 91

£12.95 (2014) Vine Trail Earthy and gutsy, this wine has faintly stewed aromas of black fruit. It has promising power and depth, despite not being overly refined, yet it is worth pursuing because it is beautifully balanced. Drink 2019-2025 Alc 13.5% ➢

‘It’s worth paying that extra fiver to get a little more distinction’ Stephen Brook