2016 Château Paret, Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux

80% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon. Close to the border with St-Émilion. Unoaked.

Straightforward crimson. Very little visible sign of evolution. Very frank, zesty unadorned Bordeaux fruit with very racy, agreeable sandy tannins on the finish. An honest country claret. Looking at the bottle, your guests could easily confuse this with a wine costing five times as much.