Chateau Loudenne, Medoc, 2011

It's often said in Bordeaux that 'there is no great vineyard which does not overlook the river'.

There's truth to this. Rivers have a knack of regulating the temperature of the surrounding air, and reflecting the sunlight back into the vineyard. They're also often shouldered by steep banks which improves the sunlight hours of the vineyard.

Originally built in the 17th century, Château Loudenne is one of the oldest Cru Bourgeois properties. The humble pink chateau sits on the banks of the Gironde where it is one of the first Châteaux to greet visitors who enter the Médoc from the Atlantic via the Gironde.

The position of Loudenne’s vineyard is ideal. Its gravelly ridges slope gently down towards the Gironde estuary which acts like a mirror. Château Loudenne also benefits from sea breezes which are propitious for ripening the grapes.

It's always a shame when a Chateau wastes its god given terroir - but that's not the case with Loudenne. A Cru Bourgeois through-and-through, its critc ratings regulalrly outshine the cru classé Chateaus that sit round the corner.