Private Cellar have winkled out some real wonders

I’m just back from a week in Alsace and I can’t stop grinning. It’s my favourite of all French wine regions, ridiculously pretty and warmly welcoming. The winemakers are just so genial and – unlike many other regions we can all think of – inherently collaborative, forever bigging up the wares of their rivals, who are invariably also their close friends.

I’m delighted, then, that one of the wines that Laura Taylor of Private Cellar put up for tasting for this offer was the 2021 Domaine Allimant-Laugner Pinot Blanc (1), a bottle of which I shared with the owner-winemaker Nicolas Laugner only the other day. A blend of Pinot Blanc and Pinot Auxerrois, it’s fresh and fruity with that inimitable creamy, peachy ‘Alsace-ness’ that I love so much. It’s also great with food as, indeed, all Alsace wines are. Choucroute garnie anyone? £14.95 down from £15.50.

Private Cellar are brilliant at winkling out wines like this

We’ve offered the 2017 Chanson Mâcon-Villages (2) before, and I couldn’t resist doing so again because it’s in cracking form – a great wine from a top vintage and a celebrated producer. We kicked off our notorious Spectator Clays, Claret and Cognac Cruise with it last year, and Laura tells me that there are just 20 dozen bottles left. You’d be mad to miss it. £16.95 down from £17.50.

The 2019 Rijk’s Private Cellar Chenin Blanc (3) is a barrel-fermented beauty from Tulbagh, South Africa. We offered the 2018 vintage here before and this is even better, with rich, rounded quince and pear fruit backed by a long toasty, buttery finish. This is Chenin Blanc at its tastiest best. £18.45 down from £19.