Chateau Maine-Martin Bordeaux Supérieur Vieilles Vignes 2005 (£8.55 Caves de Pyrene)
Graceful, cedary, mature claret, more on the berry (red and black) than blackcurrant side, supple and with a leafy vibrancy, still a touch of chewy tannin but not for further keeping. B+

Château Les Gravières de la Brandille Bordeaux Supérieur Cuvée Prestige 2005  (£12.50 Stone Vine & Sun)
Goes for power rather than elegance and doesn’t quite get it right. Decent enough plummy berry aromas, but the baked, raisinny edges and dry tannins speak of too much extraction on slightly overripe fruit. B

Château Lezongars Premières Côtes de Bordeaux 2005 (£12.10 Bibendum)
Back to gentleness, this has decent enough body and no shortage of plummy redcurrant flavour, but there’s also lots of soily minerality a savoury/saline edge and the remnants of some toasty oak. S(-)

Château Peyrat Côtes de Castillon 2005 (£6.67 Justerini & Brooks)
Warm and savoury, with berry and plum fruit, but the slightly horsey character and tart, dry finish speak of brettanomyces. C+

Château La Croix Taillefer Pomerol 2005 (£25.99 selected Waitrose)
Lovely succulent style, with dainty plum and blackcurrant flesh backed up by touches of gravely minerality and cedary tannins. Delicious now, but still plenty of life ahead of it. S(+)

Le Haut Médoc de Maucaillou 2005 (£16.20 Armit)
More brett, this has OK ripe red berry and plum character, plus some toasty oak, but the finish is dried out and slightly charmless. B

Pauillac de Pauillac 2005 (£19.99 Majestic)
Classic claret, still coming out of its shell, but already showing polished elegance and freshness alongside the cedary blackcurrant flesh and fine-grained tannins. Puts on weight as it opens up in the glass, will be better in another couple of years. S(+)