Does your pulse quicken when you hear blackcurrant, cedarwood, cigar box and damp forest floor? Then your connoisseur’s palate is most likely tuned to Pauillac. Welcome to Cabernet Sauvignon paradise! British wine critic Hugh Johnson said: “If one had to single out one commune of Bordeaux to head the list, there would be no argument. It would be Pauillac.”

No fewer than three of the five world-famous Premiers Crus are to be found within this 1,200-hectare AC: Lafite, Latour and Mouton-Rothschild. Lafite and Mouton, incidentally, share vineyards on the highest plateau of Le Pouyalet, a full 30 metres high. But Pauillac is also the home of plenty of other interesting estates: 2ème crus Pichon-Comtesse, Pichon-Baron, 4ème cru Duhart-Milon, 5ème crus Pontet-Canet and Lynch-Bages, to name just a few.

Cabernet Sauvignon dominates the supremely elegant blends. Deep gravel allows water to drain perfectly across the almost imperceptibly undulating topography, and that lets the variety thrive into world-class wines.