The wines from Albert Bichot are on a steep upward curve at the moment, nowhere more so than in Chablis. This is a classic, unoaked style with notes of oyster shell, steely acidity and enough creaminess on the tongue to bind the whole thing together. Fresh, zesty and utterly transparent. You can almost see the terroir in your glass.
Country: France
2009 Château de Campuget, Costières de Nîmes, Rhône
( £9.99, 13%, The Daily Drinker )Sourced from one of the best value appellations in the south of France, this varietal Syah is all about fruit purity and elegance, with notes of red cherry and blackberry and refreshing acidity.
NV Laithwaite Private Cuvée, Champagne
( £44, 12.5%, Laithwaites )This is a Chardonnay-dominated blend, but it’s the 33% Pinot Noir that really comes through on the nose and palate, giving the wine a malty, raspberry fruity richness. The Chardonnay really kicks in the finish, lifting the wine and giving it frehsness and zest. Classy stuff.
2010 Domaines Brocard Sélection, Chablis 1er Cru, Burgundy
( £14.99, 12.5%, Sainsbury's )One of a series of brilliant Chablis to emerge from this domaine (or domaines) in 2010, this is a textbook example of what Chardonnay can produce in a great year in the Yonne. It’s tangy and fresh with lovely chalky minerality and purity of fruit. Deliciously drinkable.
2011 Château Clément Perlé, Gaillac, South-West France
( £8.99, 12.5%, Marks & Spencer )It’s great to see a supermarket championing the undervalued wines of south-west France, so a round of applause for Marks & Spencer for listing this unusual blend of three local grape varieties. It’s quite a weighty wine for its 12.5% alcohol, with notes of honey and fresh earth, a soft, yet refreshing palate with a slight spritz and a tangy, refreshing finish. Try it as an aperitif or with fish or poultry.
NV Bertrand de Bessac, Cuvée du Marquis Brut, Champagne
( £29.99 down to £24.49, 12%, Waitrose )A blend of 60% Pinot Noir from the Aube and 40% Chardonnay from the Côte des Blancs, this has a hefty proportion of toasty reserve wine to add to the ripe fruit from the 2009 vintage. The result is a delicious fizz with real complexity, power and depth as well as the backbone to age.
2010 Domaine des Forges, Côteaux du Layon, Loire Valley
( £7.99 down to £5.99, 11.5%, Waitrose )You only get a half bottle of this for your money, but I wouldn’t complain. When they are this good, Loire sweet wines wipe the winery floor with similarly priced stickies from Sauternes. There’s some old oak used to age the wine, but it’s just there as a background note, supporting the stylish, minerally, honey and ripe pear flavours. This is liquid tarte tatin, a delicious Coteaux du Layon from the Premier Cru slopes of Chaume.
2011 Les Nivières, Saumur, Loire Valley
( £7.99 down to £5.99, 13%, Waitrose )Unoaked Loire Cabernet Franc remains one of the great bargains of the wine world: deliciously distinctive and refreshing. This one from the Cave de Saumur is consistently tasty, a supple, grassy, well balanced red with supple tannins, medium body and a refreshing cassis and green pepper finish. Even more impressive in a tricky vintage like 2011.
2010 Domaine du Grapillon d'Or, Gigondas, Rhône Valley
( £18.99 down to £14.24, 14.5%, Waitrose )This was one of the very best wines at the Waitrose tasting, a very smart southern Rhône red based on Grenache with 20% Syrah for added backbone. It’s a ripe wine, with 14.5% alcohol, but it’s subtle and elegant, too, reflecting the balance of the 2010 vintage. Supple and sweet, with notes of wild herbs, red fruits, medium tannins and a nuanced, finely crafted finish. This outclasses a lot of Châteauneuf-du-Papes.
2008 Domaine Courbis Champelrose, Cornas, Rhône Valley
( £19.99 down to £14.99, 13%, Waitrose )Cornas can make some of the chunkiest wines in the northern Rhône, but this is much more refined than many examples. It’s got lovely lifted crackedf pepper and clove spice on the nose, with subtle oak, hints of grilled meat and red fruits and a fine, refreshing finish. The wine will comfortably age for another eight years or more.
2011 Domaine de la Taille aux Loups, Les Dix Arpents, Montlouis, Loire
( £15.99 down to £11.99, 13%, Waitrose )The 2011 vintage was a tricky one in the Loire, but this wine is gloriously unaffected. It’s a pure, dry, oak-matured Chenin Blanc which combines notes of apples, honey and pears with some sweet vanilla and assertive, mouthwatering acidity. A delicious wine from the talented Jacky Blot.
2010 Château Lafleur de Haute-Serre, Cahors, Southwest France
( £10.49 down to £7.85, 13.5%, Waitrose )You may have to go into store to buy this, as it doesn’t seem to be available on line, but it’s worth it. It’s light and refreshing for a Cahors, with no oak, sweet bramble and blackberry fruit, good balance and a perky, refreshing finish. 10% Merlot adds a little plumpness to the blend, fleshing out the 90% Malbec.