Now they are in bottle 2012 Haut-Médoc’s look to be light to medium weight wines with some vigour and style. Overall the vintage feels rounder and more harmonious than both 2013 and 2011, though there is not the power here of 2010 or the extraordinary succulence of 2009. Still many are drinking nicely already and should prove sufficiently attractive and rewarding in the short to medium term. The standouts will come as no surprise – Château Cantemerle, Château Citran [a gutsy effort], Château La Lagune and Château La Tour Carnet were the most complete for me.

There are harmonious [if light] efforts from Château Beaumont, Château de Camensac and Château Coufran. Château Belgrave, which performed extremely well in 2009 and 2010, had made a decent enough wine, but on the day felt a little underwhelming by comparison, especially in terms of what was achieved by near neighbour La Tour Carnet in 2012.

The following eight wines were tasted at the UGCB event in Covent Garden last month. I’ve also included the one Médoc included at the event, the enjoyable Château La Tour de By.

HAUT-MEDOC

Château Beaumont

Light-ish colour; fresh and spicy characters on the nose; soft and light on the palate but no hard edges; sappy but also round and harmonious; easy and early drinking Beaumont. Drink 2015-2020. 85

Château Belgrave

Mid depth; cherry and plum tones on the nose; light spicy red quite elegant and soft. Decent enough but a little underwhelming for Belgrave. Drink 2015-2020. 85.

Château de Camensac

Deep and vibrant colour; some earth and blackcurrant; not hugely expressive; light bodied overall with some sap; easy and soft palate. Drink 2015-2022. 85

Château Cantemerle

Mid depth; attractively perfumed aromatics with violet and plum tones [Margaux like]; pretty; medium-bodied and not pushed; attractive fruit. Lacks the depth of the best vintages here but good enough. Drink 2015-2022. 88

Château Citran

Mid depth; some resin and red fruit; more structured and with greater density than Cantermerle but less polish; grippy and gutsy; quite full. Drink 2016-2022. 87

Château Coufran

Mid red; some bubblegum and spicy notes; grippy palate that has vigour and sap; not unattractive. Tails off a fraction on the end. Drink 2015-2020. 86

Château La Lagune

Mid depth; attractive plummy plushness; with life and style; soft but nice purity to the fruit; attractive with some grip on the palate; mid depth and easy style. Good-ish length. Fine La Lagune. Drink 2016-2028. 90

Château La Tour Carnet

Mid depth; quite seen and jammy with menthol and spice tones; quite full as usual; ripe and full palate; satisfying; some layers to the palate; attractive, full and spicy wine. Full. Drink 2015-2025. 90

MEDOC

Château La Tour de By

Mid depth; sappy blackcurrant tones; enticing; earthy blackcurrants on the palate; lightish but with attractive vigour. Fresh. Drink 2015-2022. 86