Summertime Claret! This lovely Bordeaux blend strikes the perfect balance for a summer red; fresh blackcurrant, berries and red plum, with a leafiness and perfume that brings brightness to the palate. Medium body and light tannin. A touch of cedar and spice from time in bottle gives depth and leads to impressive length on the finish. An easy food pair to meats, cheeses and flavourful vegetable dishes.

I can vividly remember the first time I tasted this. Mercurey is at the southern end of Burgundy, over an hours drive due south from Beaune, and it gets warmer and the grapes riper. As such the Chardonnay is wonderfully rich, ripe, and powerful, but due to Faiveley prowess nothing is allowed to go to extremes. They have managed to harness the power with soft oak ageing to produce a really single vineyard masterpiece. Treat yourself!

500 litre wooden casks to ferment

Steep rocky stoney slopes : tick

South facing slopes to maximise sunny exposure : tick

Rich, dark, peppery Syrah with abundant sweet yet spicey currant and damson flavours : tick

Cornas : no

Garrigue : no

Fyenbos : tick

Samanatha O'Keefe : has created something really special here!

From these legendary winemakers who broke the rules in Tuscany, Guidalberto has great energy and length with an aroma of dark fruits and spices with nuances of violets, roses and a hint of tobacco. Smooth textures and deep plum fruits combine with a crunchy redcurrant character and a hint of dark chocolate to create a wonderfully balanced wine with excellent definition. Plenty enough going on to improve for another decade in bottle.