2022 Graves, Château Mouras

• Style: Savoury, classic Graves red — a small-estate Bordeaux blend with a mineral core
• Taste: Red berry, blackberry, spice, cedar wood, mineral edge
• Food: Roast beef, steak, venison, cured meats, hearty stews
• Occasion: Sunday lunch, weeknight treat
• Serve: 14.5% ABV; just below room temperature with the roast

In the Glass — Tasting Notes

Deep ruby with violet hues, and a nose that gives you the Graves signature straight away: red berry and blackberry fruit threaded with spice and a touch of cedar wood. The palate is supple, with the mineral character that defines this appellation running beneath dark fruit and spice, all carried on ripe, smooth tannins. The 2022 vintage was strikingly dry and hot — summer rainfall just a quarter of the average, with a few days above 40°C — yet the grapes ripened fully while holding their acidity. So, for you, this means a concentrated, savoury red that still finishes fresh: depth without heaviness.

The Winery — Château Mouras

Jean-Christophe Barbe is a Professor of Oenology at Bordeaux University, best known for Sauternes — his sweet wines took the Decanter 2013 Sweet Bordeaux Trophy over £10 — but we buy him for reds like this, made on a deliberately small scale. Château Mouras is a six-hectare property spread across the Graves communes of Portets, Illats and Landiras, its vines averaging 25 years old. The blend is 60% Merlot with 20% Cabernet Sauvignon for structure and body, and 20% Petit Verdot for extra tannin, vivid colour and vibrant acidity; the Cabernet is deliberately picked later for expressive berry fruit. Hand-picked grapes spend nearly four weeks on their skins at 28–30°C before malolactic fermentation and 12 months in oak barrels — patient winemaking you can feel in the texture.

At Your Table — Food Pairing & Serving

This is a Sunday-lunch red first and foremost: pour a glass with roast beef, a venison casserole or a slow-cooked stew, and it sits just as happily beside steak or a board of cured meats on a weeknight. At 14.5%, serve it just below room temperature and give the firm tannins something hearty to work against. Explore more of our Bordeaux shelf, browse the wider Red Wine range, or wander through our France collection.