Roquegrave Médoc Cru Bourgeois 22

Roquegrave is located in Valeyrac, fully an hour and a half north of Bordeaux, near the top of the Médoc peninsula and along the banks of the Gironde estuary. They produce humble, unfussy, extremely well-priced red Bordeaux, more at home in a Parisian bistro than a Michelin restaurant.

Château Roquegrave 2022 has been a Cru Bourgeous since its founding in 1932, this is still a bargain and a great candidate for an everyday house Bordeaux. Roquegrave is more serious and intense than Haut-Valeyrac, but still would be at home on a bistro table alongside a plate of steak-frites. The nose is dark and pretty, with beautiful deep plum notes alongside cocoa and violets. The mouth is juicier and fuller, with younger fruit and younger tannin – give this a half hour open in a carafe and pair it with lamb chops or shish kabobs.