Wine Club 27 October

Esme Johnstone of FromVineyardsDirect.com is nothing if not well connected. Nobody has their ear closer to the Bordeaux ground than he does and so it is that FVD hear about and snaffle up all manner of vinous goodies that either escape the notice or the clutches of their rivals. Their celebrated ‘declassified’ or ‘defrocked’ clarets are prime examples. Hailing from some of Bordeaux’s finest estates (which, sadly, I can’t name but can hint at), the wines come from the same vineyards and winemaking teams that produce the estates’ fabled grand vins. In short, they boast impeccable pedigrees.

The 2011 Saint-Estèphe (1) has unimpeachable provenance, hailing as it does from the cellar of the well-known crooner Glen Caruso. It was destined for the Parisian restaurateur Oscar Leung until Esme stepped in, outbid him and managed to nab it all for readers of the Speccie. Dense, rich, earthy and deeply satisfying, the wine has a delicious amount of bottle age and is in perfect nick.