We’d been meaning to go to Le Pot d’Etain for a couple of years now but circumstances, most recently a complete clean-out of our car by thieves in the south of France, always seemed to intervene. And we nearly didn’t make it this time, Burgundy being carpeted last week in several centimetres of snow. We checked with the restaurant who said the roads were ‘tricky’ but we should get through. Half way through sliding along the icy, rutted back roads of the Yonne we weren’t convinced but we made it and we were rewarded by one of the best and most affordable wine lists we’ve come across.

The list has been painstakingly put together by owner Alain Pichery who carries an absurd amount of stock for such a small restaurant. The highlight is Chablis but there is also plenty from elsewhere in Burgundy. His wife, Catherine, says he spends a good deal of time talking to vignerons and I’d imagine that’s an understatement.

The food is sensibly designed to allow you to enjoy the wine - simple, local and quite light. There is enough of a twist on Burgundian classics such as andouillette (served as a warm terrine with potato) to make them flatter, not fight the kind of wines you’re likely to be drinking though a comprehensive, locally sourced cheeseboard is a predictable minefield.

Dining with friends (I hasten to add in case you question our alcohol consumption!) we cracked open a bottle of 2002 F Raveneau Chablis Vaillons which was everything you want from a Chablis - a steely core, wrapped in cream. It matched well with the proffered nibbles - a warm salmon ‘cake’, a cross between a savoury cake and a quiche, and a pastry horn stuffed with herb flavoured soft cheese.

The opulent 1999 Lafon Meursault we ordered with our first courses paired best with my ultra-smooth terrine of foie gras with quince compote, slightly less well with the andouillette terrine and a dish of snails, which would have fared better with the Chablis.

I came off best again with the splendid J M Boillot Volnay 2000 we drank with our main course which was an outstanding match with the bittersweet flavours of my braised duck with chicory and Banyuls but also went well with a more delicate dish of rabbit stuffed with kidneys and mousserons (mushrooms). By sticking to three of the lighter cheeses on offer - a Delices de Bourgogne, a Valencay and a Brillat Savarin, I also steered it successfully through the cheese course though it came a predictable cropper with a well matured Soumaintrain and Epoisses.

The only downside to the restaurant is that unless you order half bottles, of which there are, admittedly, a fair selection, it’s hard to get to taste a good selection of the fantastic wines on offer if there are only the two of you. A selection of recommended wines by the glass would be welcome with the very reasonably priced ‘Formule Gourmande’ menu (39.90€ for two courses + cheese and dessert, 49.90€ for three)

The only solution would be to stay a few days to explore the deeper recesses of the list.  Which is not actually a bad idea. Just make sure that snow isn’t forecast.

The Pot d’Etain is at 89440 L'Isle sur Serein - Tél : 03 86 33 88 10. www.potdetain.com