Château Bel-Air, Bergerac Rouge, Southwest France, 2020

This Bordeaux-style blend of half Cabernet Sauvignon with Merlot and Cabernet Franc is far more keenly priced, coming from Bergerac, than it would be at this quality level if it were made in Bordeaux. It's quite a structured wine, which has seen three weeks of skin maceration, and a fifth of the wine has been aged in oak. The alcohol is high, and it does have a warmth to it, but there's a lovely aromatic quality to the black brambly and salted plum fruit. Full-bodied, with subtle and well-integrated oak, this would be a great barbecue wine, as long as you don't serve it too warm.