This is dark fruited with chocolate, crushed walnuts, black licorice and cedar wood. Medium-bodied with firm, chewy tannins. Tight and toned with a polished finish and notes of crushed stones and nut shell at the end. 80% merlot and 20% cabernet franc. Excellent for a second wine. Try after 2025. Score - 92. (jamessuckling.com, Dec. 1, 2022)

The 2017 Clos Haut-Peyraguey is fabulously rich and dense, not to mention every bit asimpressive as it was en primeur. Creamy, nuanced, powerful, sumptuous, the 2017 possesses tons of nuance and sheer depth. Lemon confit, baked pineapple, mint, honey, chamomile and apricot are some of the many aromas and flavors that develop in the glass. The balance of unctuousness and freshness is beguiling. Drinking window: 2025-2042. Score - 97. (Antonio Galloni, vinous.com, March 2020)

89% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Malbec. For the second year running, Blaye has come storming into our Best in Show selection, and on this occasion with a Value wine from the exciting 2018 vintage. It was a warm and generous year, and you can read that generosity in the deep colours and vivacious aromatic ripeness which lifts from the glass. The wine is deep, round, ample and approachable on the palate, the primary plum and damson fruits just beginning to soften into something a little more savoury and meaty. There are, though, firm shaping tannins behind those prominent fruits; while the acidity is supple and fruit-packed. This sturdy Value Best in Show will certainly continue to evolve for another half-decade yet, and would show convincingly among peers of loftier price. Best in Show. Score - 97. (Decanter World Wine Awards, 2022)

Succulent and so appealing, a really juicy core of red and black fruits. Tannins are well integrated and not as marked or as present as some. This does still have a serious core, there is concentration but it's really well framed, with the emphasis on bright red fruit and the mouthwatering acidity. Seriously good stuff. Chalky stone giving the terroir. Round and complete. One to wait for, but look out for! Drinking window: 2025-2036. Score - 92. (Georgina Hindle, decanter.com, March 16, 2023)

From vines on the slopes of its castle, a witness to the 1453 end of the Hundred Years' War, this solid, concentrated wine has everything in the right place. It has the power of the vintage, showing firm tannins, rich black fruits and acidity. The wine will develop slowly and surely and should be ready from 2023. Editors' Choice. Score - 93. (Roger Voss, Wine Enthusiast, Feb. 1, 2019)

With its bold structure and ripe tannic core, this is a wine for aging. Powerful black fruits dominate, giving the potential for a rounded, spicy wine as it ages. Drink from 2023 [or hold until 2030+]. Score - 91. (Roger Voss, Wine Enthusiast, March 1, 2022)

This blend of 70% Sauvignon and 30% Sémillon is sourced from vines averaging 20 years of age. It's highly aromatic and fruity, with peach and citrus notes. It has a broad, generous versatility with food and will work alongside brie, charcuterie dishes, sushi, tabbouleh salad or pork.