Wine of the week: an absolute stunner at Aldi

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2015 Château Laforge, Grand Cru Saint-Émilion, Bordeaux, France

£18.99, available nationwide in Aldi

It is probably bad form to quote one’s own previously published work in this column, but here we go. To set the scene, back in April 2016 I tasted this wine out of barrel in preparation for my annual Bordeaux En Primeur Report.

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This is what I wrote: “There are a few more members of the Laforge orchestra, in terms of flavour complexity, this year, and there is also more tannin here than I have seen before. This means it is a slightly bigger wine than expected and one that needs a few years before one can drink it. With a dark tone and a lovely luxurious nose, this is a black fruit compote of a wine, and there are even touches of mint here to freshen it up. This is a treat for wine lovers. 17/20.”

Made from 92% merlot and 8% cabernet franc and weighing in at around a hearty 14.7% alcohol, it is clear that six years down the track 2015 Laforge is an absolute stunner. Imagine my surprise when I found it in the Christmas line-up at Aldi.

I’ve searched the internet and can only find it overseas and at double this price! While it might seem a little strange to buy super-fine Right Bank claret in Aldi, I can assure you that this is one of the knockout clarets of the year and at just shy of 20 quid I would back up the estate car in the Aldi carpark and load up with as much as your suspension allows. Hurry, though, and get ahead of the stampede of SUVs starting any minute now.

Matthew Jukes is a winner of the International Wine & Spirit Competition’s Communicator of the Year (matthewjukes.com)

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Matthew Jukes has been the MoneyWeek wine correspondent since 2006.

He has worked in the UK wine business for well over three decades and during this time has written 14 wine books. His four highly-acclaimed, annual wine reports – the Burgundy En Primeur Report, the Bordeaux En Primeur Report, the Piemonte Report and the 100 Best Australian Wines – are published on his website.

Matthew is a winner of the International Wine and Spirit Competition's Communicator of the Year Trophy. His thoughts, recommendations and tastings notes are followed very closely by the wine world at large.