Clarets for Drinking Now

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

Unoaked any-day red from a family-owned property producing good, honest well-priced claret, perfect with steak frites. Fermented in stainless-steel tanks and matured in concrete vats to preserve the fruit freshness this is a blend of 55% merlot and 45% cabernets sauvignon and franc.

The follow-on vintage to the hugely popular 2022, this is slightly lighter and more fruit-forward as is the style with 2023 but no less appealing. Plum, strawberry and dark cherry on the nose with a lightly structured, juicy palate with plenty of charm. A great-value, anyday claret that's also available in bag in box.

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.

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.

Deep in colour and full of sweet blackberry and plum notes this great-value merlot-based blend from a popular château always delivers. The 2024 is particularly appealing with juicy tannins and real purity to the fruit. Great on its own lightly chilled.