Ch Coustolle 2016 Canon-Fronsac

Full bottle just 1,203 g. 70% Merlot, 28% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Malbec. Fronsac owner Alain Roux’s flagship property.
Pale garnet. Some attractive evolution on the nose. Gentle (in terms of structure) but not simple and still with admirable Fronsac freshness. Not a blockbuster but really beautifully fresh. You want more! Quite long too. A six-and-a-half-year-old wine at this price has got to be. VGV.
13.5%
Drink 2020–2025
16.5

Ch Frontenac 2019 Bordeaux Supérieur

ull bottle just 1,268 g. 40% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Cabernet Franc grown on a 35-ha estate in Pineuilh on a hillside overlooking the Dordogne. After a four-week maceration it’s aged for two years in concrete.
Transparent garnet. Fully ripe fruit with fully ripe tannins and no great complexity but an attractive mix of ripe fruit, some concentration and vitality. This would already charm bordeaux fans. VGV
14.5%
Drink 2022–2025
16

Ch Les Marcieux 2018 Haut-Médoc

Full bottle just 1,249 g. 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot grown by the Listrac vignerons Gobinaud. 30% of the wine is aged in French oak barrels for 18 months.
Dark garnet. Intense nose. Attractively mineral, ‘stony’ impression on the palate. Good to see an Haut-Médoc that’s majority Cabernet Sauvignon … Really sappy and interesting. Dry finish but there is sufficient fruit on the way there. Reasonably subtle! GV.
13.5%
Drink 2020–2025
16