Château Puy Guilhem

Château Puy Guilhem sits on the plateau above Fronsac, one of Bordeaux's oldest and least fashionable appellations, and one of its better-value corners.

Fronsac lies on the right bank of the Dordogne, just west of Pomerol, and it was considered the finest wine of Bordeaux in the eighteenth century, before Medoc drainage and the Left Bank classification of 1855 changed where prestige lay. The soils are clay over limestone with a distinctive iron-rich molasse, and the wines are Merlot-led with Cabernet Franc in support.

What that gives is a Bordeaux of real structure and savour at a fraction of Pomerol prices, and one that ages considerably longer than its reputation suggests. Fronsac remains one of the few places in Bordeaux where a serious wine can still be bought without a serious price.