2011 Château Lascombes, Margaux, Bordeaux

The most widely planted grape in Bordeaux and a grape that has been on a relentless expansion drive throughout the world in the last decade. Merlot is adaptable to most soils and is relatively simple to cultivate. It is a vigorous naturally high yielding grape that requires savage pruning - over-cropped Merlot-based wines are dilute and bland. It is also vital to pick at optimum ripeness as Merlot can quickly lose its varietal characteristics if harvested overripe.

Château Lascombes, a 2emé Cru Classé property is one of the largest estates in the Médoc and probably the most fragmented, with around 40 or so different parcels of vines spread throughout the Margaux appellation. It was owned between 1951 and 1971 by Alexis Lichine and was owned by Bass until the 2001. Bass Charrington sold Chateau Lascombes to the American company Colony Capital in 2001. Colony Capital have invested heavily in the property and in particular have installed a state-of-the-art, stainless steel cuvier. The blend at Lascombes is made up of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot, and the wine is aged in oak barriques (60% new) for 18 months. Lascombes produces elegant, well-balanced clarets, rich in succulent creamy blackcurrant fruits, which gain further complexity and depth with ageing.