Our Languedoc buyer, Mark Hoddy, was in Corbières's Fabrezan cellar, tasting through the vintage. One white stood way out, so good, he insisted on visiting the grower. The upshot is this glorious, rich oaked white with ripe peach freshness.
If you enjoy quality wine and appreciate value, southern France has a lot to offer. There is a myriad of appellations and producers to get to know. And fewer rules to follow, so winemakers can be creative. We have been wending our way around villages and vineyards there since the late 1960s so we know where to look and have many invaluable connections.
Yannick Pons of Domaine Saint André has a beautiful estate, skirted by the Canal du Midi and the Roman road Via Domitia. It's not far from the famous Oppidum (hilltop town) d’Ensérune, which dates back some 3,000 years. This is prime Chardonnay country, producing lovely, pure, creamy peach fruit in this modern style white. It’s perfect on its own or with salads, fish dishes or roast chicken.
only 34 left
The Guibert’s Mas de Daumas Gassac is one of the iconic estates of southern France. We’re very proud to have championed their wines since the earliest days, prior to the family’s fame. As a thank you, they make this charming white exclusively for our customers – and at a very affordable price.
Their wine story started in 1970 when Aimé and Véronique Guibert bought a chunk of the sleepy Gassac valley. Their friend and geology professor Henri Enjalbert noticed how the soils resembled those in Burgundy’s Côte d’Or and the estate now produces cuvées that cost well over £100. The Guiberts’ son Samuel created our exclusive Réserve using a rare blend of grapes and the same care that goes into his most expensive wines. Complex, weighty, fresh too.
One of Le Chai's most prized whites, La Voûte is the team work of winemaker Mark Hoddy and a meticulous grower in the Limoux, Bruno Bouché. Mark's aim with this wine is to make a rich, yet mineral-fresh Burgundy-style wine at an affordable price.
He knows exactly where to source the best grapes each vintage – Bruno Bouché's Astruc vineyard in Limoux Océanique, where the vines, planted at 300 metres, benefit from both the cooling Atlantic and the warmth of the Med. It results in intense ripe fruit with excellent freshness. After careful pressing the juice is put into new barrels to ferment slowly. A further year’s ageing in oak, with lees stirring, lends a creamy texture to the peachy lemon fruit. Serve cool with creamy sauced chicken.
only 35 left
