Château Cap d'Or, Saint-Georges-Saint-Émilion, 2018

One of our top wines of the year, this is a stunning Bordeaux that exudes charm, style  and quality, coming from the hands of the hugely talented and all-round good guy, Jean-Philippe Janoueix.

Powerful but never heavy, rich yet balanced, this is a red wine to unite lovers of all wine styles - French and New World - as it possesses all that you want from really great wine: you have to try it.

It is Saint Émilion, but from outside the Grand Cru parts, in the subzone of Saint-Georges. This gives us, and you, a huge benefit when it comes to the price:quality ratio as the glass ceiling means the even the very best wines from Saint Georges (and Jean-Philippe makes them!) are limited to about forty quid or so. It's unfair on him but superb news for fans of really good wine. Situated at the north of Saint Émilion, to the east of Pomerol and just south of Lalande de Pomerol, Saint-Georges has really very smart neighbours and shares many of the local qualities. It is something of a secret, with only 190 hectares for the entire appellation, shared among only 20 producers.

Plus, the labelling on this wine is spectacular.

This is the second wine of the property, coming from Château Cap Saint George in the eponymous region.

However, rather than being secondary in quality, Jean-Philippe believes that this is the  feminine expression of the estate, profiling the elegant and perfumed characteristics that his property offers. The wine is still seductive, brooding and powerful, selte and complete, but it has gorgeous balance in its freshness and minerality. The delicious oak reinforces the fruit and supports finesse. The grapes for this wine are taken from the section of the vineyard area that has superb exposure to the sunlight, allowing for excellent maturation of the grapes. The site was called Cap Doro by the Romans who cleared it of trees in the early decades of the first century - bare of trees, the hills (the Cap) looked golden...

The vines are worked with ploughs and controlled cover crops are planted between the vines to encourage insect life; the soils are clayey, chalky, limestone in makeup and the vines have an average age of 33 years. 86% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Sauvignon and 6% Cabernet Franc, this wine is made with gravity-fed methods with a long maceration on skins until the spring following harvest, which ensures gentle extraction and maximum flavour aromatics. 12 months ageing, with 50% in 225-litre and 500-litre barrels, and 50% in concrete tank. 

This is wine to get to know; here for a long time, as well as a good time.

Gold Medal, Concours Mondial des Féminalise: the largest wine tasting comprising solely of women tasters. 

Jean-Philippe is the fourth generation of the Janoueix family to be in the wine business. The family originated from the region of Correze to the east of Bordeaux and Bergerac and just south of the oak forests of Limoges, famed for their barrel-making timber. 

Jean Janoueix established a wine business in Bordeaux in 1867 and his son, Joseph, was the instigator of the plan to buy their own grapes, which then became vineyards and then properties, with Château La Croix Saint Georges and Château la Croix in Pomerol and Saint Emilion respectively in the 1930s. His son Jean-François was to continue this growth with significant purchases during the 1960s, 70s and 80s. our man Jean-Philippe joined his father in 1994 with his first vintage, and his own plans, purchasing Chatea Chambrun in Lalande de Pomerol. he turned this property into the benchmark for quality in Lalande before selling it in 2007. This interestingly seems to be a very normal practice of trading, investing and re-investing in properties to renew and replenish ones portfolio. Not quite the world in which we live, but that's ok too...