Looking at the weather forecast for the first official weekend of spring, I’ve reluctantly returned my first-choice wine – a robust BBQ red – to the rack for at least another seven days.

However, the grill’s loss is the classic roast’s gain, and instead I will be opening this classy Claret, a 2009 Marquis de Calon. Coming from the prestigious Ch. Calon-Ségur, this has everything I look for in a Bordeaux red. It has intense black fruits on the nose, it’s soft and silky on the palate and has a lingering finish… All of which means it usually has my family reaching for the second bottle.