£14.95, Tanners, tanners-wines.co.uk
The name may sound a tad old school, but the wine, I’m happy to say, is not. It’s claret for sure, aka red Bordeaux, but it’s not the old-fashioned, weedy, thin sort that use to fuel gentleman’s clubs at lunchtime (and may still do, for all I know). It’s a supple, rounded blend of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon aged in barrels for a year to give a spicy oak softness to the mulberry and blueberry fruit, graphite and green pepper flavours. It’s ready for drinking – Sunday lunch would be a good start – but you could put it away for a couple of years if you have a cellar or equivalent. It’s made for Tanners by the team at Château Clément-Pichon in the Haut-Médoc.
Tanners Super Claret 2012, Haut-Médoc, Bordeaux, France
£14.95, Tanners, tanners-wines.co.uk