Haut Beausejour 2003: Typically wonderful Saint Estephe at only £20-25

The Haut Beausejour 2003 is a little cracker. At only £20 or so a bottle it represents excellent value as a Saint Estephe wine and a Cru Bourgeois to boot.

I had it at a favourite place of mine in London, Planet of the Grapes.

The 2003 is typical of the year and the region. Big fruity flavours, but with the superb lingering mineral complexity of Saint Estephe's terroir that other Cabernet-Sauvignon wines of a similar ilk often lack.

Get some, before I and all my wine loving friends drink what's left out there. It's hard to find online, but it will be there somewhere...

On Wine Searcher it's scoring 85-90. That's about right. I'd give it an 88, which for the price, you will struggle to beat.

Chateau Gruaud Larose 1998: A fine full bodied Saint-Julien

I shared a bottle of Chateau Gruaud Larose 1998 with a friend over Christmas, as a bit of a treat given the price (Around £45). Here's a little bit more about it.

With a mix of 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 6.5% Cabernet Franc, 4% Petit Verdot and 2% Malbec it's a big bold Saint-Julien wine. Robert Parker give it an 88, which I'd say was about right.

For around that price (£40-50) I'd suggest that Chateau Meyney 1989 is more of a bargain, if you can call it that within this price range. That wine scores over 90 from Parker, and deservedly so.

But the Gruaud Larose is still a lovely wine. Big bold, deep red/purple colours, intense fruit and a hint of age give way to a lengthy, full and supple finish. It's very full-bodied for a Saint-Julien wine, which is one reason I loved it. Jancis Robinson calls it "crimson" coloured, which describes it perfectly.

The 2008 and 2009 wines seem to be doing very well in terms of Parker scores.

More on that here.

No doubt the 2010 has been massively over-priced and will come down in 2011. We will see.