Château de Bidalet Cuvée Valentin 2018

The 2018 vintage will go down as one of the truly great years for Bordeaux. Critic James Suckling says on his website: “After two weeks in Bordeaux tasting more than 1,100 wines from the 2018 vintage, visiting 67 chateaux and talking to hundreds of vintners and winemakers, I can tell you that 2018 is an exceptional year for Bordeaux wines.” The best news is that you don’t have to spend a fortune to enjoy its bounties. Château de Bidalet is one of Bordeaux’s unsung hero estates. Its 15ha of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot vines lie on classic clay-limestone soils and produced exceptionally ripe grapes – and a claret of great poise, balance and class. This is just as good on its own as it is with finest roast beef and all the trimmings.