Château Rauzan Despagne Rouge (187ml) 2015

With 26 hectares of prime river bank vines, Château Rauzan Despagne prides itself on its heart-of-Bordeaux location, on fine sand, clay and limestone soils. Most of the vines lie in the Entre-Deux-Mers appellation – Bordeaux’s largest region, so named for being ‘between two seas’ but in fact sitting snugly between the rivers Garonne and Dordogne. Wine was made here by the Romans but only really came to fame as the pilgrimage tipple of Benedictine monks en route to Santiago de Compostela. The Despagne family (resident here for many of the intervening years) make both red and white wines. This classic red is Merlot based, with added structure from Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Here in handy quarter size – try with a mushroom risotto.