2018 Loire
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Domaine Bellevue,
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This Touraine Sauvignon from our friend Raphaël Midoir combines crunchy acidity with peachy and tropical notes indicative of the warm, sunny 2018 vintage. The vines here are on limestone with pockets of flint – soils not dissimilar to nearby Pouilly-Fumé. The wine is raised exclusively in stainless steel to lock in its bright and breezy primary fruit character. Raphaël suggests pairing it with goat’s cheese or grilled fish in beurre blanc sauce. Drink now to 2021.
Will Heslop, Burgundy Buying Assistant (autumn 2019)
Will Heslop, Burgundy Buying Assistant (autumn 2019)
Jean-Christophe Mandard, Touraine,
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A must-try for all devotees of Sauvignon Blanc, this is an exceptional wine at £11.95 – in fact, it’s an exceptional wine full stop. The nose is complex, its smoky and grassy notes intermingling with aromas of green apple and gooseberry. The 2018 vintage was warm, and potentially troublesome here, but you wouldn’t know it from the palate’s shimmering acidity and long, mineral finish. Try it tonight as an apéritif, or an accompaniment to vegetarian or spicy fish dishes. Drink now to 2020.
Will Heslop, Burgundy Buying Assistant (autumn 2019)
Will Heslop, Burgundy Buying Assistant (autumn 2019)
Domaine Bellevue,
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Fifth-generation winemaker Raphaël oversees 27 hectares, planted primarily with Sauvignon Blanc. His holdings include a parcel in the littleknown appellation of Touraine Oisly, but Touraine Sauvignon is his bread and butter. The domaine is located in Chémery, some 65 kilometres east of the historic city of Tours.
Raphaël adds no sulphur to this fabulously fruity, aromatic Gamay – a wine that blew us away on a recent visit to the domaine. Its bouquet of red berries and violets is one to savour. The palate is exceptionally supple, pointing to 2018’s warm, dry growing season. It is named after Raphaël’s grandfather, Jean, who was a Gamay devotee. Drink now to 2020.
Raphaël adds no sulphur to this fabulously fruity, aromatic Gamay – a wine that blew us away on a recent visit to the domaine. Its bouquet of red berries and violets is one to savour. The palate is exceptionally supple, pointing to 2018’s warm, dry growing season. It is named after Raphaël’s grandfather, Jean, who was a Gamay devotee. Drink now to 2020.
Vincent Careme, Vouvray,
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Spring is the perfect name for this exceptionally fresh, limpid cuvée made from grapes grown by friends of Vincent and Tania – many of them former pupils of Vincent at the viticultural college in Amboise. It’s characterised by green apple and citrus aromas, with a steely mineral character on the palate. Bottled with very little sulphur, it’s a wine to enjoy over the next couple of years as an apéritif or, better still, with an assortment of shellfish. Drink now to 2021.
Will Heslop, Burgundy Buying Assistant (summer 2019)
Will Heslop, Burgundy Buying Assistant (summer 2019)
Denis Jamain, Reuilly,
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This fabulous rosé is made exclusively from Pinot Gris, grown in the Chatillons vineyard, which Denis harvests first to deliver a wine with great freshness, as well as texture and complexity. On the nose, expect aromas of rose petal, red fruit and an intriguing hint of orange peel. Four months on its fine lees adds a touch more weight to the palate. A versatile food wine, it works particularly well with poached salmon. Drink now to 2020.
Will Heslop, Burgundy Buying Assistant (spring 2019)
Will Heslop, Burgundy Buying Assistant (spring 2019)
Denis Jamain, Reuilly,
Ready, but will keep,
Denis Jamain is something of a standard-bearer for Reuilly and is responsible for the majority of exports from the appellation. Half of his 21-hectare domaine is now organic as he converts the estate gradually parcel by parcel while battling esca, frost and mildew on a regular basis. Alongside Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Gris, he has five hectares of Pinot Noir.
Taking its name from the flat pebbles that decorate the vineyard, this superb Pinot Noir is pale in colour with a gorgeous floral perfume, charming red-berry flavours and gentle, silky tannins. It is more than a match for most Bourgogne Rouges, let alone reds from neighbouring Sancerre. Drink now to 2022.
Taking its name from the flat pebbles that decorate the vineyard, this superb Pinot Noir is pale in colour with a gorgeous floral perfume, charming red-berry flavours and gentle, silky tannins. It is more than a match for most Bourgogne Rouges, let alone reds from neighbouring Sancerre. Drink now to 2022.
Denis Jamain, Reuilly,
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From a south-facing, three-hectare parcel, this superb Reuilly Blanc is more than a match for most Sancerres. Kimmeridgian clay-limestone lies beneath the surface of the vineyard, which is strafed with the eponymous pierres plates. Even in a warm vintage like 2018, this is an intensely mineral wine, with an enticing but relatively discrete bouquet, chalky texture and long, gently saline finish. Drink now to 2021.
Will Heslop, Burgundy Buying Assistant (summer 2019)
Will Heslop, Burgundy Buying Assistant (summer 2019)
Domaine de la Rossignole,
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This wine’s subtle peachy aroma hints at 2018’s warm growing season, but brothers François and Jean-Marie upped the proportion of fruit from flinty soils to ensure this blend remains fresh and mineral on the palate. A versatile food wine, it works well with anything from asparagus risotto to Thai fish cakes. Drink now to 2022.
Will Heslop, Buying Assistant (summer 2019)
Will Heslop, Buying Assistant (summer 2019)
Domaine Seguin,
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Despite 2018’s warm growing season, this is an exceptionally elegant, mineral rendering of Sauvignon Blanc from the highly talented Philippe Seguin. It’s a blend of fruit from various parcels across the three soil types emblematic of the appellation: Kimmeridgian marl, limestone and flint. Expect a complex bouquet including grapefruit, grassy and tropical fruit aromas. The palate is taut and precise, with shimmering acidity and a long, saline finish. Not for nothing is Pouilly-Fumé regarded as a classic accompaniment to goats’ cheese, but this is equally rewarding with fruits de mer or even a Thai curry. Drink now to 2023.
Will Heslop, Burgundy Buying Assistant (summer 2019)
Will Heslop, Burgundy Buying Assistant (summer 2019)
Andre Dezat,
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The Dezat family have long been standard-bearers for Sancerre, and this wine illustrates precisely why. Ebullient yet terroir-driven, its complex bouquet combines tropical fruit with classic citrus and herbaceous aromas. The 2018 was blended from parcels on three different soil types – primarily the pebbly limestone known here as caillottes – then spent two months on its lees (in stainless steel tanks) gaining complexity and texture prior to bottling in spring 2019. Drink now to 2022.
Will Heslop, Burgundy Buying Assistant (summer 2019)
Will Heslop, Burgundy Buying Assistant (summer 2019)
Simon & Daniel Chotard,
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Their delicious rosé is the one wine from Domaine Chotard that’s raised exclusively in stainless steel. The aim is to capture the floral lift and red-berry crunch inherent in Pinot Noir grown on the pebbly limestone soil known here as griottes. Expect aromas of rose petals and tinned strawberries, while the palate – for all its lively acidity – is a touch weightier than expected, with ripe red fruit flavours indicative of 2018’s warm growing season. A versatile food wine, this works particularly well with grilled salmon. Drink now to 2020.
Will Heslop, Burgundy Buying Assistant (summer 2019)
Will Heslop, Burgundy Buying Assistant (summer 2019)
Vincent Careme, Vouvray,
Ready, but will keep,
This fabulous, bone-dry Vouvray is from one of the appellation’s brightest stars. On the nose, expect aromas of orchard fruit, lanolin and a seductive hint of peach (indicative of the warm 2018 vintage). The palate is textured and generous, in part thanks to the time this cuvée spent in oak. At the same time, there’s no mistaking the shimmering acidity and mineral core that are hallmarks of Vincent’s wines, and which make this age-worthy, yet hugely enjoyable now with shellfish or as an apéritif. Drink now to 2023.
Will Heslop, Burgundy Buying Assistant (autumn 2019)
Will Heslop, Burgundy Buying Assistant (autumn 2019)
Simon & Daniel Chotard,
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Grapes from three parcels on three different soil types are vinified separately, then blended to create this exemplary Sancerre. It’s characterised by an herbaceous edge and shimmering acidity, even in a warm vintage like 2018. A small proportion of the blend is raised in acacia barrels, another in large oak foudres and the remainder (over 80%) in stainless steel tanks. The resulting wine delivers a rounded, stone-fruit character on the mid-palate, followed by a refreshing wave of citrus, which crashes then slowly retreats across the palate, giving way to a long, saline finish. Drink now to 2024.
Will Heslop, Burgundy Buying Assistant (autumn 2019)
Will Heslop, Burgundy Buying Assistant (autumn 2019)
Domaine Riffault,
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Expressive and voluptuous, with aromas of orchard fruit and lemon confit, Les Boucauds is raised in a judicious combination of oak (70% of the blend) and concrete. Open and up-front it may be, but this cuvée shows remarkable persistence on the palate, culminating in the mineral “wet stone” finish characteristic of the best wines of Sancerre. Already certified organic, Stéphane began farming Les Boucauds biodynamically in 2018. Drink now to 2023.
Will Heslop, Burgundy Buying Assistant (summer 2019)
Will Heslop, Burgundy Buying Assistant (summer 2019)
Domaine Riffault,
Ready, but will keep,
Chasseignes is a cooler, more (lime)stoney site than Boucauds, giving a more focused, mineral wine which Stéphane chooses to age in large oak foudres and 350-litre barrels. The nose is complex, with aromas of spice, white flowers and lemon, while the palate is pithy, almost tannic, and segues into a long, refreshing finish redolent of lemon and quinine. What a match for oysters this would be! Drink now to 2023.
Will Heslop, Burgundy Buying Assistant (summer 2019)
Will Heslop, Burgundy Buying Assistant (summer 2019)
Domaine de la Semellerie,
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This is such a moreish, refreshing wine from our friends at Domaine de la Semellerie. Half the blend is from Cabernet Franc grapes that are pressed (as though making a white), while the other half is juice drawn off from the domaine’s excellent red. Expect enticing aromas of strawberry laces and just a touch of peppery spice. The palate is light-bodied, with the lively acidity that’s among the hallmarks of Chinon. This a fabulous ap’eritif and versatile food wine – try it with lamb koftas or barbecued chicken wings. Drink now to 2020.
Will Heslop, Burgundy Buying Assistant (summer 2019)
Will Heslop, Burgundy Buying Assistant (summer 2019)
Showing 1-24 out of 24 items
Will Heslop, Burgundy Buying Assistant (spring 2019)