Chateau Croix Mouton 2014

We always think this wine is well-made, but the Supermarket promotes them badly. In our views, if you are looking into daily drinking red with the bold and generous palate, this is the one. In particular, if you are to settle with this ready to drink, medium-bodied 2014.

This wine offers uncomplicated and straightforward drinking with the creme de cassis, boysenberry jam and a hint of bell pepper on the nose(90% Merlot and 10% Cab Franc)—some signs of the severe Right Bank stuff. Some bottle age, hence some slight complexities. ABV is 13.5%; 90% Merlot and 10% Cab Franc; 50% of the wine aged in barrels for nine months; the grapes are from 40+-year-old vines from Fronsac. Score is high for this humble wine: RP88.

Neal Martin, with WA at that time, says it is upfront and quite bold for the vintage, typical for the estate. The palate is medium-bodied with ripe tannin, full of blackberry and cassis fruit, a pleasant fleshiness towards the glossy finish. For sure, this is, as always, unapologetically modern in style, but this is balanced and powerful. (NM). We agree. Drumming on a different beat, Vinous says,' The 2014 Croix-Mouton is powerful, dark and fleshy, with pretty notes of tobacco, underbrush, cedar and smoke. Drink this hearty, bold Bordeaux Supérieur over the next handful of years. Wine Spectator articulates the development palate finish. It writes: this wine is a lightly toasted juniper thread weaves around a direct core of crushed plum and cherry fruit. It offers a slightly taut, sanguine-edged finish.

The consultant is Michel Rolland; the maker Jean-Phillipe Janioux. There is great economy of scale in making this little wine-influence Janioux teams from La Confession, La Criox St Georges, Cap St George etc.