Forget the blasted Advent calendars and the vile tat in the shops, it’s the time-honoured festive offer with Corney & Barrow which tells us that Christmas is really on its way. And hurrah for that! No, not Christmas, silly, we could all do without that, I mean hurrah for the offer, which is nigh on indispensable.
As always, we concentrate on C&B’s own-label wines because they’re so darn good and such remarkable value, produced to Corney’s exacting standards by some of the finest producers in the business. I love these wines.
The C&B Blanc de Blancs Extra Dry (1) is an old favourite and I don’t know how they do it for the price. A bonkers blend of Ugni Blanc, Colombard, Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc and Jacquère, drawn from vineyards across France, it’s produced using the champagne method by Varichon et Clerc — part of the Boisset family group. It’s aged on the lees for 12 months and although light, lively and refreshing, it’s also slightly creamy and toasty. You could buy a discount super-market’s bargain-basement champagne and wince with each sip or you could buy this and not stop grinning. Just saying. £12.56 down from £13.95.
The 2020 C&B Périgord (1) is a dry white bordeaux in all but name (and all but price), being a classic half-and-half blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon produced by the Cuisset family at Ch. Grinou in the Dordogne. Fresh, citrusy, herbal and honeyed, it’s both organic and biodynamic and makes a perfect light aperitif or crowd-pleasing party wine. £8.96 down from £9.95.
The 2019 C&B Burgundy Mâcon–Villages (3) is the latest vintage of a wine that’s been made for Corney’s for over 20 years by brothers Jean-Pierre and Michel Auvigue in the Mâconnais.
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