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With a history dating back to 1143, Chateau du Tertre is one of the oldest properties in Bordeaux. Since 1995 it has been in the hands of the Jelgersma family, also owners of Chateau Giscours. The du Tertre vineyard is a large single block, with 52ha under vine, planted to Cabernet Sauvignon (55%), Merlot (27%), Cabernet Franc (11%) and Petit Verdot (7%). Biodynamic viticultural techniques were being introduced beginning in 2008 and du Tertre was one of the first in Bordeaux to ferment grapes in egg-shaped concrete vats. The property produces a second wine, Les Hauts de Tertre, and from 2014 a dry white wine, Tertre Blanc, an unusual blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Viognier and Gros Manseng. This Margaux property was classified Cinquieme Cru (Fifth Growth) in 1855.

An elegant more mid-weight Pauillac, Chateau dArmailhac is classically structured claret that is slightly earlier drinking than some of its Pauillac counterparts. The grapes are handpicked, de-stemmed and vinified using traditional methods before undergoing maturation in 30% new oak and 70% second fill barrels.

Beychevelle is often described as the Versailles of Bordeaux, due to its spectacular château and gardens. Beychevelles origins go back to the mid-1400s and the estate was renovated and rebuilt in the second half of the 18th Century. It is now owned (since 2011) by the Japanese Suntory company in partnership with Pierre Castel, head of Castel Freres. The 75ha of St-Julien vineyards are planted on deep, gravelly soils 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot and increasingly farmed organically. A striking new glass-walled winery was completed in 2016. Chateau Beychevelle, classified Quatrième Cru (Fourth Growth), is a traditionally-styled Bordeaux wine full of cassis, earth, spice and tobacco notes that ages well.

While the estate known as Chateau Haut-Bailly dates back to 1461, its wine production began in 1530, falling into the hands of the de Leuvarde and Le Bailly families in 1630. It was purchased in 1998 by Robert G Wilmers, a Harvard-educated banker, and his French wife Elisabeth and under their care, the estate has begun producing some of the best wines in its history. The cellars and production procedures were renovated and modernised and this year, the Chateau itself was awarded government recognition of its cultural and vinious heritage. From some of the oldest vines in the region, the 2016 has been lauded as one of the Chateaus best, with Neal Martin hailing it as perhaps the best that I have tasted in almost 20 years of tasting at this estate.

Chateau Branaire-Ducru is a fourth growth (4ème Cru Classé) St-Julien estate, in the southern area of the appellation. The Grand Vin has a high proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon between 80-85% in most years; one of the highest in the Médoc. The grapes are hand-harvested and undergo a three week post fermentation maceration to build tannin structure before the wine is matured in 60-65% new French oak barriques for 16-20 months. Branaire-Ducru is renowned for producing classic claret wines that are elegant, ripe and well balanced.

The first grape plantings on what we know as Chateau Grand Puy Lacoste date from the 1500s and the property began to take its present shape in the 1700s. The beautiful château itself, still in use, was built in the second half of the 19th Century. Grand-Puy-Lacoste was classified a Cinquième Cru (Fifth Growth) in the Bordeaux Classification of 1855. Vineyard area totals 55ha planted to Cabernet Sauvignon (75%), Merlot (20%) and Cabernet Franc (5%). Typically for Pauillac, deep, gravelly topsoil overlies a limestone base. The Grand Puy of the name is a low hill that interrupts the flat landscape. Owned by the prominent Borie family since 1978, the vineyard, cellars and winery have all been extensively renovated since 2004. The Grand Vin is classic Pauillac full bodied, tannic, concentrated and ageworthy, offering cassis, cedar, tobacco and truffle scents and a juicy mouthful of flavour. There is a second wine, Lacoste Borie.