L'Hêtre· Côtes de Castillon

The Thienpont name carries weight on the right bank, and Guillaume Thienpont's L'Hêtre is a chance to taste that lineage at the unglamorous end of the map. Three hectares in Castillon, planted in 1980, sitting high, 70 to 85 metres, on clay-limestone over calcaire à astéries, the same starfish limestone that runs beneath the best of Saint-Émilion.

Merlot and Cabernet Franc, raised in a restrained 40 percent new oak, yields at 30 hl/ha. The altitude and the limestone give it a lift and a chalky edge you do not always find this far east.

For me this is one of the genuine value plays in my book, a serious name and a serious terroir, without the Saint-Émilion price tag. I import it for the drinkers, not the speculators.