Jean Marc Barthez, Bordeaux Rouge 2020

This “alternative” Bordeaux is populated by the small independent estates that line the banks of the Garonne and the Dordogne rivers, where conscientious growers craft honest bottles for everyday enjoyment rather than 1oo-point scores. This is the Bordeaux to which winemaker Jean Marc Barthez belongs: the archetypal “dirt-under-the-fingernails” winemaker. Neither glitzy nor flashy, but embodying the region’s rural soul and makes for the perfect Sunday roast red. A signature blend of 50% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc and 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, it possesses much of the dark-fruited complexity that made Bordeaux famous in the first place – but rendered in a brighter, more refreshing frame.