Château Le Virou Carmel d'Aiguevives Côtes de Bordeaux Blaye 2015

We say the following with the utmost affection for Château le Virou, as they are clearly very capable winemakers and have certainly charmed us with this silky, blackcurrant and dark chocolate-fruited cracker... but it nearly broke us trying to work out what they were talking about when describing the Château's history.

In their words (via that most devious of translators, Google), they say: "On the road which curves of Blaye with Saint Savin, halfway between these two cities, a severe wall does not fail to intrigue the walker, seeming to dissimulate some mysterious residence to him." Exactly.

Located in stunning scenery on the rolling hills between towns of Blaye and Saint Savin, Château le Virou is a spectacular and nowadays truly modern Château producing some fantastic wines. It was one of the first estates to make Blaye a serious competitor to other areas of Bordeaux. It has a long and very interesting history. The plot was originally a monastery of the mysterious Carmelite order, surrounded by a three-metre high wall in order to protect the order’s controversial practices. However strong this wall was, the monastery was essentially destroyed during the French revolution and the property was sold in a public auction to Jean Delbos in 1791. It wasn’t until 1859, when Delbos’ grandchildren turned this spectacular property into a winery which continued to be run by Delbos family until 1919. It had several owners since then and the current owner – the Tari family – from Château Giscour, purchased this estate in 1984 and completely refurbished it, modernised the winery and introduced the latest winemaking techniques. Since 1991 it has been under the control of the Château en Bordeaux body, which ensures the highest standards are maintained.

The harvest was done by machine and the fermentation was done in externally-regulated tanks before being aged in stainless steel tanks.

A beautiful garnet red robe, the wine has a nose of red fruits. On the palate it is well-balanced and delicate with silky tannins. A good match for some young cheddar.