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Telero Rosso, Cantele
Sancerre, Gerard Fiou
This small domaine was one of the first to modernise in the region of Sancerre. The vines are planted on the rocky
silex soils and the resultant wine takes a little time to show its true colours. But when it does, it is impressively pure
and expressive of the flint from which it was born. Give it time to open up in the glass.
Very pungent elderflower and gooseberry fruit, but there’s an edge of ripe pear and pear-drop, with a little suggestion
of a more tropical fruit character. Very crisp, clean and racy on the palate with a core of orchard fruits that is very
pure and focused through the mid-palate, with melon and a tangy apple acidity on the finish
A great example of Sancerre from a great organic producer.
A perfect partner for British goat's cheese such as Sinodun Hill and Driftwood. Also great with light fish dishes and smoked salmon.
Chateau Filhot 37.5cl
The quality of this second growth estate has improved markedly since the mid 1980s. The location is just to the north of the village of
Sauternes on gravelly hillside beds with a southwest orientation. Yields are low (about 15hl/ha) and the blend is
Sémillon (55%), Sauvignon (40%) and Muscadelle (5%). This high proportion of Sauvignon and the refusal to use any
new oak (the wine is aged in stainless steel and 5+yr old oak barrels for 24-36 months) gives Filhot a fruitier, more
aromatic quality than some of the bigger-boned Sauternes. That said, the bottle age here gives real depth of flavour and considerable complexity.
Delicious with classic French desserts such as Tarte Tatin, as well as the perfect match for Blue Sheep's milk cheeses such as Lanark Blue, Beenleigh Blue or Mrs Bell's Blue.
Louro de Bolo, Rafael Palacios
Since starting his own winery in 2004, Rafael Palacios has fast become one of Spain’s pre-eminent producers of white wine. His 32 parcels of Godello, which are spread over 19.5 hectares in the Val do Bibei in Valdeorras, Galicia, produce some of Spain’s most interesting white wines.
The hills are so steep that most of the vineyards are planted on terraces buttressed by stones. Rafa’s viticulture is sensitive to the fragile nature of these old terraces, and he has adapted his approach to ensure these magnificent structures are preserved. His viticulture is low intervention, with some of the older plots (or ‘sortes’ in Galician) being farmed biodynamically.
This really is one of my favourite white wines! It's made from small parcels of Godello with an average age of 25 years, grown at over 600 metres above sea level. The must is fermented in 35 hectolitre French oak foudres, after which the wine is aged on lees for four months before bottling. The wine has a lovely flinty character on the nose that gives way to a fresh note of wild mountain flowers. On the palate, it has a taut, saline fruit with a gorgeous textural complexity.
When pairing with food, think the same as with Premier Cru Chablis, classic fish dishes, shellfish with garlic butter, that sort of thing.
Reserve de Gassac Blanc, Mas de Daumas Gassac
This is a cracking organic wine! Made by the Guibert family at the iconic Mas de Daumas Gassac in the Languedoc, this is exceptional value for money. An unoaked, aromatic blend comprising of Viognier, Chardonnay, Terret and Muscat, this is creamy and peachy with a crisp, fresh finish. Perfect with seabass with fennel or other herby fish dishes. Organic.
Organic Macabeo, Castano, Yecla
This is a great value certified organic wine from the Castano family in South East Spain. This Macabeo (known as Viura further north in Spain and Macabeu in France) is a lovely light, fresh wine with good depth of citrus flavours. A versatile food wine with enough flavour to stand up to some spice but also delicious on it’s own!
