Morning all,

Wine of the Week is a little later than usual as it’s been an unusually busy start to the week.

Simon’s Wine of the Week is Vire Clesse Domaine Chanson Pere

After last week’s slightly pricier Barolo I decided I need to redress the red/white balance and showcase something a little more top end for a white wine. It also gave me an excuse to open this White Burgundy I’ve had my eye on for a while (drunk with a rather delicious smoked fish stew I made on Saturday night)

If you know anything about me then you will know I l love White Burgundy. If I was marooned on a desert island, then it would most definitely be my wine of choice (as long as there was a working fridge). The only trouble is that it’s suddenly become very expensive. Don’t get me wrong, good White Burgundy has never been cheap, but recently the prices have gone crazy. The great triumvirate of Puligny, Chassagne and Meursault, arguably the greatest dry white wines in the world, are now reaching the sort of prices that us mere mortals can only dream of. Which is a real shame; they may be the finest examples of wine made from Chardonnay in the world, but what good are they if you can’t afford to drink them?

Occasionally though I strike it lucky, and I come across a wine that delivers some of that sublime Meursault flavour, without the ludicrous Meursault price. Which is where this little beauty comes in.

Vire-Clesse is from the south of Burgundy in a region called The Maconnais. The Maconnais is mainly known for great value whites like Macon-Villages but on its Southernmost borders is the great wine of Pouilly-Fuisse, another wine whose prices are steadily rising. The appellation of Vire-Clesse is in the East of the region and has always made wines that were significantly better than the generic wine of the area. It was only in 1999 that it was elevated to full appellation status though and because of this it is still not well known so you can find some real bargains.

The wine itself is sublime. A beautiful golden colour in the glass, with aromas of vanilla, butter, spice over a bed of fresh peach, red apple and lemon zest. The palate is medium-bodied, nice and textured, but with enough acidity that it is still lovely and fresh. Lots of beautiful flavours fill the mouth and there’s more of that peach, lemon, vanilla, and butter plus a rather scrummy vein of creaminess on the finish. I cannot recommend this wine enough.

When it comes to food then, as I said before, it went perfectly with a smoked fish stew, but decent White Burgundy will pair amazingly with roast chicken, seared scallops, mushroom risotto, and pretty much any salmon dish.

On a wine list then this is up towards the top. Perhaps it’s not as well known as Puligny-Montrachet or Meursault but if you have customers who want great White Burgundy but don’t want to pay the price then this is for you.

Have a great week,

Simon