Wine Club: a super September septet from Honest Grapes

We live in sad, uncertain times and without for a minute suggesting that we should take solace in alcohol, I’ve, erm, taken solace in alcohol. I simply couldn’t help it thanks to the tastiest of bottles from Honest Grapes. I drained each and every one as I narrowed them down to a super September septet, crowned by a fabulous English fizz, ideal for marking the passing of our Queen and the succession of our King. Vivat rex!

The 2020 Nadine Ferrand Mâcon Blanc (1) is an exemplary white Burgundy produced by Nadine Ferrand and her daughter Marine at their 11-hectare Pouilly Fuissé domaine. Herbal, honeyed and apple-fresh, it’s as easy-going and approachable as they come and the perfect example of what the Ferrands themselves refer to as Chardonnay with a feminine touch. £16.20 down from £18.

Also in Burgundy, the 2019 Edouard Delaunay Bourgogne Aligoté (2) was a complete surprise. I had no idea that Aligoté could be so damn tasty. Burgundy’s unsung grape was once notorious for making wines so acidic and unpalatable that the only way to drink them was as a so-called Kir, with the addition of a liberal slurp of cassis. But here, in the hands of this venerable but recently revamped estate, Aligoté positively sings. Fermented in old oak, with time on the lees, it’s soft and creamy with white stone fruit and fine acidity and is completely delicious. £18.90 down from £21.

The 2021 Antinori Bramìto della Sala Chardonnay (3) has impeccable provenance, the Antinori family having made wine for more than 600 years. A part oak-fermented, part steel-fermented Chardonnay from Castello della Sala in Umbria, not far from Orvieto, it’s fresh, clean, lively and full of lemony apple notes.