Chateau Cissac, Haut-Médoc (2018) 2018

Chateau Cissac sits at the northern edge of the Haut-Médoc, on a gravel plateau high enough to share its outlook with Saint-Estèphe and Pauillac next door. The Vialard family have run it for five generations, and the style has barely wavered: classic, unforced Médoc claret made to age, the kind Hugh Johnson once called the pillar of the Cru Bourgeois. The wine is Cabernet Sauvignon-led, filled out with Merlot and a little Petit Verdot, fermented in a mix of wood and stainless steel and matured in French oak. The gravel soils give it the firm tannic spine of the Médoc; the winemaking polishes it without smoothing the character away. This is wine built on structure rather than flash. Expect a traditional, medium-bodied claret - blackcurrant and dark plum, cedar and a savoury, earthy edge, carried by fine, gripping tannins and real freshness. Serve at 16-18°C, decanted an hour ahead if you're opening it young.