Drinks of the Month

Domaine Gueguen Sacy Cepage Confidentiel Coteaux Bourguignons 2018

Domaine Gueguen Sacy Cepage Confidentiel Coteaux Bourguignons 2018

It’s always a thrill to come across a grape variety you don’t know, especially from an area with which you’re fairly familiar and when it adds another dimension to the wines already on offer there.

Céline and Frederic Gueguen are Chablis producers (Celine's father is Jean Marc Brocard and Frederic was winemaker at Durup and then at Brocard) and they set up on their own in 2013.

This is just a small sideline but what a fascinating one! Sacy is a largely disregarded Burgundian grape about which locals have historically been quite dismissive (there’s a fascinating entry in Jancis Robinson, Julia Harding and José Vouillamoz’ Wine Grapes) but the Gueguens have teased out the most extraordinary flavours from it.

It was definitely fruity in a way that Chablis and aligoté are not but such interesting fruit - I picked up greengage, melon, starfruit. Asian pear and it had a luscious fleshiness without being in the slightest bit cloying. Like biting into a very ripe fruit.

What would I pair with it? Actually it’s very nice on its own as an aperitif but I think a chicken salad, maybe with an Asian influence, would be good or some griddled courgettes with mint and goats cheese. Basically anything light and summery. (It's a modest 12.5%)

You can buy it from Davis Bell McCraith for £14.99 which is more than fair for one of the loveliest whites I've tasted this year.

I was given the wine as a press sample.

Joseph Drouhin Rully rouge 2012

Joseph Drouhin Rully rouge 2012

The dilemma for us wine writers is when to recommend a wine we're really excited about. Do we save it up for a round-up of the best wines we’ve tasted in that category or tell you about it straight away on the basis that every other journo will be pushing it too?

Well I’m going for the latter course of action because delicious affordable red burgundies are few and far between. It was shown at the Waitrose tasting this week and comes from one of the region’s most reliable growers and negociants Joseph Drouhin and from one of the lesser known and therefore better value Burgundy appellations, Rully.

There’s a white and a red - both good - though the red, a lovely delicate ethereal pinot, is only available in 18 branches while you can find the white, a premier cru, in 231. The red, which is also organic, is made by head winemaker Veronique Drouhin using natural yeasts (no, it isn't remotely scary!)

If you feel £15.49 is still a fair bit to pay my guess is that Waitrose will almost certainly have one of its 25% off deals over the next few weeks so you could hold on. But if you spot some on the shelf of your local branch I’d grab a bottle to try or include a couple of bottles if you're ordering online. It’s also stocked by winedirect.co.uk for £16.50 (or £15.83 if you buy an unsplit case) or £125 in bond from Justerini & Brooks.

The red should easily keep 2-3 years.but would be lovely right now with game like simply roast partridge or pheasant, with calves liver, rack of lamb or with seared tuna

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