Château du Gazin Canon Fronsac 2007

Appearance: Hazy brick-red.
Aroma: Leather and Autumn leaves.
Flavour: This is a nice, big Bordeaux. Although the tannins are at first aggresive, it smooths out to nice round mellow oak and delicious, poached fruit characters.
Cooked fruit; figs and blackberries.

A great buy!

Wine Name: Canon-Fronsac

Producer: Château du Gazin

Grape/Blend: Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec

Vintage: 2007
Alcohol: 13%

Country: France

Bought at: Waitrose

Price: £7.79 was £10.49

Value for money: ♦♦♦♦ Very Good
Over all rating: ♦♦♦♦ Very Good

Good Ordinary Claret 2009

Bordeaux for under a fiver?

After a bit of research, I discovered that the catchy Good Ordinary Claret name has been used before. It looks like it has been borrowed from Berry Brothers, Britain's oldest wine merchant... I'll assume that the name is not proprietary and I won't be discussing the parallels between the two blends as I haven't had the pleasure of tasting the original. Let's get started:

Appearance: Purpley red and slightly murky.

Aroma: Damp wood, not much else.

Flavour: Quite thin, overtly acidic and lots of oak. Smooth tannins, however, a little fruit and a pleasant soft finish. Oak, must and redcurrant.

This isn't a bad wine and is excellent value for money. Good? Yes. Ordinary? Yes.
It is definitely drinkable and is more like a house wine; it would be a good bottle for a family roast dinner rather than a romantic evening between two lovers.

Wine Name: Good Ordinary Claret

Producer: Waitrose own-brand

Grape/Blend: Merlot Cabernet

Vintage: 2009
Alcohol: 13%

Country: France

Bought at: Waitrose

Price: £4.26

Value for money: ♦♦♦ Good

Over all rating: ♦♦ Average