Château Plaisance-Branne Montagne-Saint-Emilion 2016

'Plaisance' means 'pleasure' in English, and boy, is that a fitting name for this Bordeaux beauty. Smooth as silk, with a plump, red fruit character that makes you think you just stumbled head-first into a fruit crumble, this is Pleasure with a capital P.

Naturally, this red wine complements other pleasurable things such as cosying up in a warm armchair, succeeding at the crossword, and awesome cheese, to name but a few.

Even bad cheeses, failing at crosswords and a hard stool can be made unwaveringly pleasurable with the addition of Château Plaisance-Branne. Quite a talent, we think you'll agree.

In 1994 the Château was taken over by the Ducourt family, who, valuing terroir, have been making wine in Bordeaux for generations whilst embracing environmentally-conscious methods. Eric Fuzeau was given the trust of managing the sustainable estate, and he set out with an ambition to modernise the Château’s practices in order to produce elegant and harmonious wines that showcase the true terroir of Montagne-Saint-Emilion.

As with most other wines in the region, Merlot makes up 80% of the blend in Château Plaisance-Branne. The remaining 20% is Cabernet Franc, which is a grape that thrives in this area due to ideal sand, flint and clay soils.

Eric Fuzeau is passionate about creating unique and balanced wines, and he is known for producing some of the best Montage-Saint-Emilion vintages. When he first became winemaker at Château Plaisance-Branne he restructured the vineyards to maximise potential to produce the highest-quality wines possible.

During growing season, regular pruning takes place to ensure good-quality grapes, which are later harvested by both hand and machine. They undergo a cold pre-fermentation maceration, then stainless steel tanks with temperature-control are used for fermentation. Gelatine is used in the fining process and it is then aged in 20% French oak to give toasty notes and integrate tannins before bottling.

Château Plaisance-Branne 2011 is a smooth red which balances French oak aging with the attractive fruit profiles from both varieties in the blend. The bouquet offers elegant red fruits and toasty oaky notes. The initial experience on the palate is fruity and full, while the round texture and great flavour concentration is revealed shortly afterwards. Silky fine tannins are detected throughout, giving a firm structure ideal for matching with fillet steaks, hearty stews or extra mature cheese. This Bordeaux can be kept for up to five years.