Go-to Bordeaux: 12 picks from the Decanter team

Made for Berrys by Château Villa Bel-Air in the southern Graves, the EOC is always a dependable buy and great value. The 2022 is 53% Cabernet Sauvignon with 44% Merlot and a splash of Cabernet Franc, showing inviting, perfumed aromas of purple fruit and red cherry laced with floral notes. The palate is fresh and supple; rounded tannins support ripe plum and blueberry fruit, with a touch of gravelly minerality plus lingering spice and fresh red fruit on the finish.

A charming, ripe and juicy red from one of the largest independent producers in the Entre-deux-Mers. A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot on clay-limestone soils, it bursts with blackcurrant and red cherries and savoury spice notes of mint and cedar. Concentrated but vibrant with an easy-drinking appeal.

A joyful, juicy red Bordeaux from this organic-certified estate – Damien Lorteau having convinced his parents to start conversion when he joined the family property in 2010. It has all of the plum, cassis and blackcurrant leaf goodness, but what I especially love is the zing and zap of the fresh acidity; an energising tonic to a humdrum week.

Located in the north of the Entre-deux- Mers, with highly reputed owner Pierre Lurton, Marjosse produces some of the best-value wines in Bordeaux. The 2022 is a Merlot-based blend with support from Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec. Blue fruit, bell pepper and a touch of spice on the nose. A generous palate with well-managed tannins and darker, more brooding black fruit and violets appearing on the finish.

A value Bordeaux for immediate drinking and made without the use of sulphites, L’Equilibriste is a Cabernet Franc-based blend from the estate, moving towards organic farming and located exactly on Bordeaux’s eatern border with Dordogne. Aromas of dark plums, liquorice and turned earth lead to a palate that boasts robust black fruits, notes of tobacco leaf and a touch of sweet soil. Great length and an ample structure.

A classic, unfussy claret. A lovely whiff of wood spice, a slightly savoury edge and then fruits of the forest coulis glides onto the palate with a silky caress. More red fruits than black, enough ripeness to hold the tartness in check. Not hugely complex but delivers in what was a so-so vintage. Picque-Caillou is exactly what I love in non-flashy Bordeaux. It’s a consistent performer year after year, you can keep it for years and it’s a bargain.

Second wines can occasionally be rather hit and miss, especially at 11 years of age, but this bottle by the Duboscq family from the highly regarded Château Peyrabon delivers more than you might expect. A Cabernet-Merlot blend, it offers notes of blackcurrant, cedar, graphite and a touch of leather, along with grippy tannins. Enjoyed recently with a roast rib of beef, it’s still delightfully fresh and holding beautifully. All in all, a great-value claret.