Page de la Tour de Bessan, Margaux, 2020

Château la Tour de Bessan is one of the prestige properties owned and run bu Marie-Laure Lurton in the heart of the commune of Margaux.

This is their second wine, made when they have the quality and quantity of grapes to spare, with which we simply fell in love last spring. It is structured and svelte while remaining charming and rewarding, classy and classic: the perfect wine for a feast or for no food at all. Margaux seldom disappoints and this is a wine that shows that you don't have to scale the heights of the village to get a very special glass of wine.

It really does show that you can still find excellent value in Margaux and the other villages that are the traditional homes to Cru Classé wines, which is why we are so happy to have found this lovely chap and his lute...

When you open the bottle, you'll see a stunning colour with a perfume to match: this is pure, fragrant and layered from the moment you pour a glass. Notes of red and black fruit, cassis, tobacco and gingerbread spice, all decorated by gorgeous floral nuance. A medium to full bodied palate, it shows a satisfying, classic structure with ripe, fine tannins, supporting acidity, and a long finish. Now at seven years old it is beginning to show its full potential.

The 2020 vintage is blended with 61% Merlot, 33% Cabernet Sauvignon and 6% Petit Verdot and is predominantly made in stainless steel tanks, with 12 months of ageing in various vessels, in order to maintain and preserve the quality and freshness of the fruit, and about 30% new French oak. A very clever and well-designed outworking of this, delicious wine.

The winery was expanded, a little, in the 1930s, but when Marie-Laure took the reins in 1992 and in 1999 built a stunning modernist winery building - not at all in keeping with most of our visions on Bordeaux Châteaux - I think it's wonderful!

Margaux is a very special village and though critically and commercially dominated by one or two of the largest names, the produce of smaller properties has become something of a specialist topic for wine-lovers who cannot keep up with the crazy prices being charged by the dominant presence of Château Margaux itself. This leaves room for most of us to search for lesser-known Châteaux like d'Arsac. Though some properties will vary based on site specificity and wine-making philosophies, Margaux should be perfumed and expressive - they are referred to as the most elegant and instantly attractive wines from the Bordeaux communes that, if anything, should be a unifying target to which anyone of the village's Châteaux would be happy to aspire.

And this, for Margaux, is exquisite value for money.