Château Franc-Pérat 2002, Premières Côtes de Bordeaux, €17.49, 12.5% This is the second wine of Château Mont-Pérat, a well-regarded property in this increasingly important part of Bordeaux.
A well-made, medium-bodied blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, it has a faint mushroom nose, soft chewy fruit in the mouth and a longish finish. From Redmonds, Ranelagh, Dublin; Thomas's, Foxrock, Dublin 18; Bin No 9, Dublin 14.
Château Cloitre Lescours 1998, St-Emilion, €24.99, 12.5%
This is a Moueix family wine (as in Château Pétrus) from a good year for the fleshy, Merlot-based wines of St-Emilion. Invitingly rich in colour, it has a plummy nose that paves the way for a dense array of autumn fruit in the mouth and a lingering finish. Delicious. From Redmonds, Ranelagh; Thomas's, Foxrock; Bin No 9, D14.
Château La Croix Canon 1998, Canon Fronsac, €25, 13% From another Moueix family property, this well-structured wine, again from a good vintage, is drinking really well, with its predominantly Merlot fruit delivering lots of complexity, flavour and the deep satisfaction that comes with a good Bordeaux. From Searsons, Monkstown; Cheers, Delgany; Donnybrook Fair; Gaffney's, Westport.