Château Maillet· Pomerol

Three generations of the Maillet family have held these four and a half hectares of Pomerol since 1952, and the wine has the unforced warmth of a property with nothing to prove. It sits on sandy gravel over clay, on the lower-lying western side of the appellation around 30 metres.

That sand matters: it gives Maillet a softer, more fragrant texture than the clay-heavy plots that make Pomerol's monuments. Merlot with a little Cabernet Franc, gently handled in 25 to 30 percent new oak, a wine made to be poured, not stored.

I like having an approachable, family-made Pomerol on the list, one that does not ask you to wait a decade. It is honest and it is fairly priced, which is reason enough for me.