Maucamps Haut-Médoc 2016

We love classic claret at Rotter Towers. There will always be a place in our cellar for mature, restrained Bordeaux from a time before the trend for ballsy and high-alcohol styles took over.

Founded in the 18th century and later acquired by the Tessandier family, Château Maucamps lies at the southern end of the Médoc – just south of the Margaux appellation and neighbouring Château Cantemerle on the banks of the Garonne.

Since taking over in the 1950s, the Tessandiers have introduced sustainable farming and state-of-the-art winemaking facilities to the estate. Fruit from 35-year-old Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Petit Verdot vines is hand-harvested before fermentation and ageing for 16 months in barrels (with new oak kept to a minimum). The result is high-quality, old-fashioned Haut-Médoc worthy of its Cru Bourgeois classification.

With its combination of brambly black fruit, tobacco leaf aromatics, and subtle oak spice, Maucamps is textbook Left Bank claret.