One of the best vintage from Chateau Chasse-Spleen. This leaps out of the glass, with a perfumed, aromatic, generous nose. Think violets and blackcurrants. The tannins are ripe. Well-balanced, it finishes light and ethereal with a long, saline note.

Château Chasse-Spleen is a winery in the Moulis-en-Médoc appellation to the west of Margaux. It has long been viewed as the leading estate in that appellation – alongside Château Poujeaux – and is widely regarded, if not of being at cru classé standard, then certainly as holding a place among the top wines just beneath the classification. It was selected as one of six Crus Exceptionnels in the Cru Bourgeois classification in 1932 and maintained that status until the annulment of the classification in 2007. The wines are prized for their well-balanced fruitiness across a range of vintages. A second wine, L’Heritage de Chasse-Spleen, was known as L’Ermitage before 2000. L’Oratoire de Chasse-Spleen is the third wine. A white wine is also made, featuring around two-thirds Semillon to one-third Sauvignon Blanc.