We’re just back from our stout-hearted Spectator assault on Porto and the Douro Valley, of which more in these pages anon. Suffice to say that it was mission accomplished and everyone in our highly motivated, well-drilled unit more than deserved their mentions in despatches.
Indeed, so gung-ho were the troops on the flight home that even the walking wounded were busy volunteering for our next campaigns. With raids planned next year on Alsace, Rioja, Tuscany and even the Napa Valley, there is much to look forward to. Top of everyone’s list, though, is Burgundy and we’ll be heading there in cahoots with Kirker Holidays on 19-23 October 2026.
It was a treat, then, to remind myself why we love the region by tasting a fine selection of white burgundies from Mr Wheeler. With Chardonnays as glorious as this, it was almost impossible to narrow the bottles down to just six, especially when Mrs Ray declared that we would taste them blind and then cheated and buggered off to Book Club with the two priciest bottles. She is a one.
The 2023 Domaine Talmard Mâcon-Lugny ‘Les Genièvres’ (1) is typically classy. Mallory Talmard (daughter of fabled Paul), husband Benjamin and son Marco make such tasty wines and at such breezy prices. The Genièvres vineyard of Lugny is one of the best in all the Mâconnais and this is a beauty, full of fresh stone fruit, honeyed apples and citrus. A lovely wine. £16.50 down from £17.95.
The 2024 Séguinot-Bordet Chablis (2) has pedigree, coming as it does from a domaine that has been making wine for almost 450 years. It also has style, being made by wunderkind winemaker Jean-Francois Bordet, who mixes traditional practices with the revolutionary, including the use of innovative cylindrical/horizontal fermentation tanks. The result here is a wine of real character, yellowy green in the glass, lightly flowery on the nose and soft, supple, slightly toasty and elegantly mineral on the finish. I love it. £20 down from £21.95.
We’ve offered family-owned Maison Jean Loron’s wines several times before and the 2023 Maison Jean Loron Saint-Véran ‘Les Ombrelles’ (3) is a reminder of just how well made they are. From the marly limestone of the southernmost vineyards of the Mâconnais, it’s aged for six months on the lees – partially in barrel – and is full of honeyed almonds, peaches and pears, with just a teasing hint of spice on the finish. £22.50 down from £23.95.
With Chardonnays as glorious as this, it was almost impossible to narrow the bottles down to just six
We’ve offered the wines of Maison Jaffelin, based in Beaune for more than 200 years – before too, and the 2023 Maison Jaffelin Rully (4) is as toothsome as ever. From plots right next door to the 1er Cru ‘Les Pucelles’ vineyard in the Côte Chalonnaise, it’s hand-harvested and aged for a year in new and old French oak. The result is silkily textured and lightly honeyed with touches of lime zest, peach and quince with a long, dreamy finish. £24.50 down from £25.95.
Yes, the 2022 Boisson Frère et Soeur Mâcon-Villages (5) does seem darn pricey for a humble Mâcon-Villages but, crikey, it’s good! It’s the Mâcon project of Pierre and Anne Boisson, formerly of Boisson Vadot in Meursault, and made in same way they made wines there, with hand-harvested fruit, 24 months on the lees in the finest French oak and so on. With swirls of honeysuckle and acacia on the nose, it’s dazzlingly focused in the mouth, with crisp, clean, concentrated apple, grapefruit and mandarin fruit and a perfectly judged finish. £33 down from £34.95.
Finally, the 2023 Famille Paquet Pouilly-Fuissé (6) from one of the most sought-after of domaines for which Mr Wheeler had to battle to get an allocation. Made from old vine organic fruit that spent lengthy periods on the lees in both oak and steel, it has just so much to say, with nuts, citrus and white stone fruit in the mix along with white pepper and spice. One sip is not enough but nor, though, are two or three. I say down the whole darn bottle. £37.50 down from £39.95.
The mixed case (7) contains two bottles of each wine and delivery, as ever, is free.
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To find out more about our Winemaker Lunches, Masterclasses and Wine Tours, visit www.spectator.co.uk/tastings
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