Cooee, we’re back! Come on, wine lovers, it’s time to get cracking! Whether you’re clinging desperately to the water wagon like me or enjoying a liquor-fuelled January like Mrs Ray (she didn’t feel very well this morning, bless her), we have work to do refilling those bare wine racks that were plundered during the festivities.
I was felled by dread Covid over Christmas but tried to lend a wan, sickly hand to the assembled lushes as they rampaged through an impressive number of bottles and magnums and goodness knows how many spirits, but I only held them back.
We have work to do refilling those bare wine racks that were plundered during the festivities
I retired to my sick bed early with a brace of hot toddies as the party carried on late into the night and by morning the cobwebbed cupboard under the stairs (aka the Cellar) was all but empty. Even the Crème de Menthe and the Tuaca (Brightonians will know what I mean) had disappeared. An immediate restock is required and the following wines from Mr Wheeler are chosen with exactly that in mind.
The 2022 Racine Picpoul de Pinet (1) is the successor to previous vintages we’ve offered and is as satisfying as ever. Fresh, lively and gently honeyed on the nose, it’s crisp, clean and fruity in the mouth, teasingly soft on the tongue and with just a hint of citrus sweetness before finishing perfectly dry. £13.45 per down from £14.95.
The 2022 Abadia Do Seixo Albariño (2) is a great example of this increasingly popular Galician grape and a reminder that I should seek it out more often. Fresh and lively on the nose, it’s both lemony and creamy on the palate and slightly saline too, and it makes a cracking aperitif. £13.95 per down from £15.45.
The 2021 Domaine de la Jasse Barrique Blanc Chardonnay (3) from the heart of the Languedoc, is absurdly good value with a full three quid lopped off the RRP. Made from old vine, oak-aged Chardonnay, it’s full, rich and honeyed with hints of pear, melon, vanilla and even a whisper of toasty caramel. The owner/winemaker, Bruno le Breton, terms it an ‘everyday Grand Cru’ with reason. £13.95 down from £16.95.
The 2020 Château Beaurivage Minervois (4) produced by Belgian winemaker Pierre Degroote at his Languedoc estate is bang on song. A blend of Syrah, Grenache and Carignan, it’s invitingly floral on the nose with roses and ripe cherries, and deliciously rewarding in the mouth with cherries, raspberries, plums and spice. It’s crazy value. £11.45 down from £12.95.
The 2020 Penedo Borges Cepas Cabernet Franc (5) shows how well Cab Franc thrives in the Malbec country of Mendoza, Argentina. With dense, rich red and dark fruit and a sweet-then-savoury finish, it’s disarmingly appealing and, well, it’s my favourite wine of the offer. It just packs in so much pleasure for such a paltry price. £12.95 down from £14.95.
The 2021 Maison Loron Château de Fleurie (6) is an old favourite that we offered last year to loud applause. Maison Jean Loron has been producing fine Beaujolais for over 300 years and this is an absolute peach, being fresh, juicy and full of vibrant, ripe, hedgerow fruit. One word to describe it is joyful. £16.75 down from £17.95.
Finally, to keep you occupied as you ponder and await your 2022 Burgundy en primeur purchases, we’ve three stunning, fully mature, silky smooth Pinots from three of the grape’s sweetest sweet spots: 2011 La Crema Pinot Noir from Anderson Valley, Mendocino, California; 2016 Sumaridge Estate Pinot Noir from Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, South Africa, and 2017 Jean-Marc Pillot ‘Les Champs Claude’ Santenay (7). I’ve tried them all and, far from being over the hill and knackered, they’re in cracking form and have life in them yet. Gosh they’re good! £165 for two bottles of each, down from £177.80, limited to 40 cases.
The mixed case has two bottles each of wine 1-6; the Pinot pack is six bottles. Delivery, as ever, is free.
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