It’s uncanny, but if I gauge it right, I can summon my wife as if by magic. Mrs R’s hearing is at its most acute in that lull between her afternoon Earl Grey and evening G&T, at which point she can hear me pop a cork from two floors away. She’ll be down in a trice, equipped with an inquiring thirst. ‘Ooh, a tasting,’ she’ll declare, all fresh-faced innocence. ‘Can I help?’
And so it was that we hoovered through some fabulous wines from Corney & Barrow together and came up – unanimously – with this final selection.
The 2021 Pãsãri Chardonnay/Feteascã Regalã (1) is one of my wines of the year. Made at a British-owned Romanian estate by an Australian and a Spaniard, it’s deliciously undemanding. A blend of oaked Chardonnay and unoaked Feteascã Regalã, it’s soft, smooth and silky with honeyed ripe apples, peaches and zesty citrus. Who knew Romanian wines were so engaging? £8.96 down from £9.95.
Everything you’d hope for in a claret twice the price: scents of roses, cedarwood, cigar box
The 2020 Julien Braud, Moulin de la Justice, Muscadet Sèvre et Maine (2) is also a surprise, given how lacklustre Muscadet can be. 100 per cent Melon de Bourgogne from an organically farmed estate in the Pays Nantais, it’s watery white and, although initially reticent, opens up beautifully with fresh, creamy fruit and a long, dry, slightly salty finish. I’d rather this than most Picpouls. £13.73 down from £15.25.
Staying in the Loire, we’ve the 2020 Domaine la Croix Saint-Laurent Sancerre ‘Caillottes’ (3) from the tiny village of Bué. Made entirely from Sauvignon Blanc (of course), it enjoyed a long, cool fermentation – partly in stainless steel, partly in acacia barrels – before resting on the lees for eight months.
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