WINE OF THE WEEK: Château Quincarnon Maypé-Lagrave 2019, Graves, Bordeaux, France

£15.85/£14.05, Haynes Hanson & Clark

As I'm currently in France, I’m giving this week's slot to a classic French red wine in a nod to Bastille Day on Monday. The real reason, of course, is that I want to highlight a very good and good value Bordeaux. Another reason is that I don’t recomment red Bordeaux – aka claret – often enough.

One of the things that is so appealing about the 2019 Maypé-Lagrave is that, at nearly six years old, it has developed some lovely, mature flavours. There’s a spicy nutmeg undertow, touches of dried herbs, sandalwood and cedar and a silk-smooth texture.

But at the same time it retains its ripe redcurrant and bramble fruit and pine-forest freshness. It opens up rewardingly in the glass, too, so it’s well worth decanting it an hour or so in advance.

The blend is 60% Cabernet Sauvignon from Château Quincarnon’s warmer sandy-gravel soils and 40% Merlot from its cooler clay-loam areas. The family-owned estate is in the heart of Sauternes, where the red wines go under the Graves appellation, and it's now run by Gabriel Aseretto whose father Carlos moved to France from Peru in 1981 when his wife Catherine inherited the property.

Lamb is an obvious partner for this 2019 – a slow-roast shoulder, a leg or some briefly barbecued chops – but it's a yielding, medium-bodied Bordeaux, not one with young tannins that need to be off-set by red meat. I enjoyed it with an aubergine and courgette gratin, a veal ragù (veal, capers, fennel seeds, sage, white wine, parmesan and a smidge of crème fraiche) and with a semi-hard Basque sheep’s cheese. 13.5%

Château Quincarnon Maypé-Lagrave 2019, Graves, Bordeaux, France

£15.85, or £14.05 when you buy 6, Haynes, Hanson & Clark

#wine #France #Bordeaux #CabernetSauvignon #Merlot #wineandfood #winepairing #red