Château Branas Grand Poujeaux, Les Eclats de Branas, Moulis, Bordeaux 2007

Tim Sykes, Bordeaux buyer for The Wine Society, likes to get his hands on parcels of older vintages when he can, and he's secured a winner here, drinking beautifully, and at under £20 a bottle. Moulis is famous for offering value, a narrow vineyard area south of Margaux, and with Pauillac and St-Julien to the north. The various soil types of the Médoc are found in Moulis, but this wine comes from great gravelly terroir on the Grand Poujeaux plateau to the east of the appellation. The château's 17ha estate, which lies between Châteaux Poujeaux and Chasse-Spleen, is divided into 12 plots, contributing to the complexity of this old-school, traditional claret. Fully mature, it's a toothsome wine, with an evolved colour in the glass, and attractive aromas of leather, coffee, cigar box, and toasty black fruit. Just what you'd hope for from a claret at this price level of this age.