“Sophisticated wine for the price.” - Julia Harding MW

“Vinum always delivers a lot of flavour at the price.” - Tim Atkin MW

I will freely admit, it wasn’t the most edifying sight, Lucia and I engaged in a tug-of-war over a bottle of wine, but we had tasted this Chenin Blanc after slipping it ‘incognito’ into a line-up of £30-£40 Cape Chenin Blancs and, after everything had been packed away, it was the wine we both wanted to take home. Suffice it to say that Lucia has alarming upper-body strength, so she enjoyed it later that night with some roast partridge, while I nursed a sprained elbow, a bruised ego and a bottle of diddlysquat.

We are in the realms of outstanding value here, a wine which, although it’s made from the Loire grape, Chenin Blanc, could easily pass itself off as a pretty serious white Burgundy or a modern, lean Californian Chardonnay. The fact that the wine isn’t just barrel-aged, but barrel-fermented too (in Burgundian oak, no less, talk about attention to detail), means that the oak is more harmoniously integrated than would otherwise be the case, so you feel a softness and a creaminess to the texture, which envelops the stone fruit centre, while the acidity performs the hard yards of keeping it lively. As it opens up in the glass, you start to find layers that reminded us of a ‘continental breakfast’, with warm pastry, lime marmalade, apricot preserve, toasted seeds and lemon curd, finishing crisp and tangy. It’s a wine that completely outshines its price tag of £16.95. 12.5% alc. 40% barrel-fermented and 10 months in old Burgundian oak. Drink now-2025.

Press reviews:

JancisRobinson.com (Julia Harding): “Pure, slightly salty citrus aroma with a touch of green apple that is subtly influenced by the oak, showing in spice and creaminess more on the palate than on the nose, and a savoury-fresh aftertaste. Really salty on the finish giving a nicely sour-fresh aftertaste More oomph than you might expect at such a modest alcohol level, thanks, I am guessing, to the brief skin contact as well as the oak, which add presence in the mouth as well as a slightly firmer texture – but not at all tannic. Sophisticated wine for the price. Drink now-2026.” 16 points

 Jamie Goode: “A lovely balance here between the rich pear and peach fruit, with some bright tapering citrus fruit. Nice tangerine finish. Fresh and expressive with good precision.” 92 points

Tim Atkin MW: “One 52-year-old parcel on decomposed granite soils supplies the fruit for this ever-reliable, well-priced Chenin Blanc. Picked in January to retain acidity, it's a lightly oaked, foudre and older barrel-aged white with citrus and yellow apple flavours and a leesy mid-palate. Drink now-2028.” 92 points