So, this is it, the final offer of the year. Mrs Ray says I can drink whatever I need in whatever quantity just as long as I stop banging on about how miserable a month December is. Thanks to these beauties from Swig Wines, I’ve been silence personified, if a little squiffy, and should just about make it through. I trust they’ll help you too.
The 2022 Sauvignon À Peu Près (1) with its jaunty label and immaculate winemaking looks and tastes far better than a lowly Val de Loire IGP should. Produced by David and Shirley Maudry in the heart of the Loire Valley from 100 per cent Sauvignon Blanc, it would be a far grander Pouilly Fumé if only its vineyards were mere yards in one direction or another. Balanced and rounded with typical gooseberry, cut grass and zingy citrus fruit, it’s an absolute delight and would fool many a PF or Sancerre lover. Mrs Ray said she would happily drink the whole bottle and, dear reader, jolly nearly did. £12.50 per down from £15.50.
It’s delicate and ethereal and the more you swirl the glass the more you get out of it
The 2022 Stéphane Ogier ‘Le Temps est Venu’ (2) is another crowd-pleaser, this time a white Côtes du Rhône from one of the great names of the region. A blend of Grenache Blanc, Roussanne, Marsanne, Viognier, Bourboulenc and Clairette, it’s wonderfully appealing, with fresh fruit on the nose, the faintest prickle on the tongue and plenty of creamy apricotty, almondy flavours on the finish. £15.35 per down from £18.35.
I love the 2022 AA Badenhorst Secateurs Chenin Blanc (3) from Swartland, South Africa. Adi Badenhorst is an eccentric genius whose fabulous Family White Blend is a bonkers mix of some 12 different grape varieties which would never be made anywhere else in the world. This, though, is made solely from old vine Chenin Blanc and is bang on song – soft, rounded and with delicate hints of apricots, pineapple, baked apples and cream and a long smile-inducing finish. £13.50 down from £16.50.
The 2020 Mas Brunet Cuvée du Mazet (4) from Terrasses du Larzac in the Languedoc is a blend of the region’s five grapes – Carignan, Cinsault, Grenache, Mourvèdre and Syrah – that delights in its complexity and intensity. With ripe dark fruit, herbs and spice, it hints at a mighty Châteauneuf-du-Pape (and accompanying price tag) and is deeply rewarding. £12.50 down from £15.50.
The 2020 Langhe Nebbiolo Garesio (5) comes from 100 per cent Barolo vineyards in Piedmont, north-west Italy and good ones too. As Swig’s Robin Davis says, it’s delicate and ethereal and the more you swirl the glass the more you get out of it – fruit, spice, herbs and the sense of it being a fine, five times as pricey, Barolo. £21 down from £24.
I thought that the 2022 Domaine Maratray-Dubreuil Chorey-les-Beaune ‘Les Bons Ores’ (6) from Ladoix, just north of Beaune, would be too young but my burgundy barometer (aka Mrs R) suggested otherwise, managing to down a whole glass while my back was turned opening the next bottle. It’s in great shape, being full of rich, concentrated ripe fruit and what Robin rightly describes as joy. £24 down from £27.
Finally, as a festive treat, we’ve the Champagne Moutardier Carte d’Or NV (7) a stunning grower champagne full of baked apples, toast, brioche, citrus and cream thanks to six years on the lees. This is how fine champagne should be and how chic and in-the-know to serve it rather than one of the ubiquitous Grandes Marques or dull supermarket fare. £27 down from £30.
The wines are offered in unmixed half-dozens with free delivery on orders over £120. The mixed case contains two bottles each of wines 1-6 and there’s a half bottle of 2013 Digby Reserve Brut (Wine GB Awards Supreme Champion 2023 and Sparkling Wine of the Year 2022 and 2023) for every mixed case and any order of £150 plus.
Comments