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One of the best value clarets we know, when we offered it to you last year the 2015 Château Durand-Laplagne was a sell out!
If you bought and have begun drinking the 2015, you will know it is already hugely enjoyable, full of deep, ripe plum fruits, but still quintessentially a Bordeaux in style. The only wine we have found to equal or surpass it for value at this level is the 2016 vintage from the same property, which we now offer at the same initial release price. As we said in our original offer, this is a wine which has 'my house claret' written all over it!
Tasting both wines together this week, there was some agonising – like being forced to choose between two children! Happily, each has equally lovable attributes, whilst being quite different in character. Where the 2015 has melting tannins and is full and plush in the mouth, the 2016 has super-fine tannins with fresh acidity giving it more structure. To add to its appeal and in line with the vintage generally, at just 13.5% the 2016 has one whole degree less alcohol than its predecessor.
Described by James Suckling as 'better than the 2015', with another few months in bottle the 2016 will drink brilliantly (2020+). Unless you are planning to give up drinking, if you bought the '15 there is no reason not to buy the '16…
A blend of 75% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, the fruit is from a 14.5 hectare vineyard in Puisseguin-St-Emilion, on mostly argile rouge; the red clay soils which give the cuvée the name 'Terres Rouge'. Just 700 cases are made each year; a superb example of how modern Bordeaux from the 'little' Châteaux can offer real value on the world winemaking stage.
Due to land in the UK this May 2019.
View all of our current fine wine offers here
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