Bordeaux and Burgundy Value Case

A pure, beautifully refined blend of 70% merlot, 25% cabernet sauvignon and 5% petit verdot from the highly respected Courselle family property in La Sauve. This red Bordeaux displays lovely balance. If David Attenborough had a vineyard, it would surely look like Château Thieuley. Sisters Sylvie and Marie Courselle took the estate over from their late father and are a powerhouse for the natural world. ‘Our grandfather had trees in the vineyard, our father took them out (as that was the wisdom of the time) and we are now putting them back in’. Support from the Climate and Nature Programme will help Sylvie and Marie in their life’s work to bring nature into their vineyard by planting more than a kilometre of hedgerows and 150 olive trees. Together this will create corridors between existing woods, ponds and orchards, ensuring continuous shelter and forage for wildlife, as well as helping the estate increase their production of olive oil, improving their financial resilience in tough times.

A fine, dry white Burgundy from the Mâconnais in southern Burgundy, the warmest part of the region. The wine is ripe and round, with flavours of apple and stone fruit, a hint of citrus and a lovely streak of minerality. The quality of the wine reflects the deep involvement in its selection by successive buyers and the skill of our ‘man on the ground`, Jean-Marc Darbon, who excels in sourcing the right blending options for us to work with. The zander (sandre in French) thrives in the rivers of Burgundy and is shown on this wine`s new label. It has a fine flavour because its carnivorous and so is much superior to that of weed-eating fish. It`s as good as wild brown trout to eat and appears frequently on menus in Burgundian restaurants. Don`t hesitate to try it.

With deep purple colour and a generous plum and dark chocolate bouquet, this is an affordable Bordeaux red that really hits the spot.

Perhaps best known for their whites this pretty Graves estate have offered us a great opportunity to purchase a large volume of the 2017 rouge at a great price. Whilst perhaps not the most prized of vintages, we were impressed by the generosity of fruit alongside the savoury supple palate, powdery tannins and freshness. An attractive, honest Bordeaux offering plenty of charm at a great price – just what our members are always wanting and we're only too happy to oblige.

2024 was a cooler year. This has an attractive melony flavoured palate with a fresh finish. The grapes are cool fermented in stainless-steel tanks and kept on their fine yeast lees for added complexity.

Incredible value Bourgogne chardonnay, this is ‘Baby Chablis’ in all but name, with a bright, taut, firm structure that complements fish and chips beautifully. Made by a great Chablis producer from vineyards just 2km outside the appellation.

Light appley aroma and flavour. A balanced wine that is ripe yet fresh, with some minerality, from the coolish 2024 vintage. This is made from vineyards near the village of Saint-Maurice-de-Satonnay and is supplied by the producer of our White Burgundy, Jean-Marc Aujoux. No capsule to save packaging.

Rich and plump unoaked wine with a generous palate, ample and lightly buttery. Viré-Clessé is situated in a warm micro-climate near the banks of the River Saône producing ripe wines even in the coolish 2024 vintage. This is sourced from Jean-Marc Aujoux, the suppliers of The Society's White Burgundy, who have a sharp eye for value-for-money wines. No capsule to save packaging.

Fresh and pretty Mâcon from a small perfectionist domaine. Apple and melon spectrum of flavours. Unoaked.

This friendly and fresh-tasting claret is one of The Wine Society`s most consistently popular wines. Supplied for over a quarter of a century by family-owned Maison Sichel, the bespoke blend varies from vintage to vintage, but merlot takes the lead role, and the wine is made without any oak to avoid masking its bright, red and black-fruit flavours. This is made to be drunk young, on its own or with a wide variety of dishes. The label for this perennial favourite shows three muses that can also be seen on the Grand Theatre opera house in Bordeaux itself.

A rich and savoury Castillon from the outstanding 2016 vintage that shows dark blackberry and dried plum notes alongside smoky, savoury spice and cigar notes from time in bottle. Located in the commune of Saint-Colombe in Castillon, the combination of clay and limestone is a continuation of the Saint-Emilion appellation and the wines similarly balance the regions power and mineral freshness.

From a member favourite estate from the full-bodied 2022 vintage this has a fragrant bouquet of plums, tar and vanilla, with a layered, juicy texture on the palate. A blend of 80% merlot and 20% cabernet sauvignon the wine was aged for 12 months in two and three-year-old barrels from one of Pauillac`s most famous châteaux. This is concentrated, but well balanced, with grainy, ripe tannins on the finish. A remarkable wine for the price, this is already drinking beautifully, but has ample capacity to age. As winners of our 2024 Climate & Nature fund, de la Grave will use our funds to help diversify and move away from a monoculture. One project involves planting fruit, olive and truffle trees, establishing pre-orchards which will combine fruiting trees with meadows for grazing and breeding their sheep and horses.