“The La Combe Verte punches well above its price.” - Vinous

The Walter Scott ‘La Combe Verte’ Chardonnay 2022 is a stunning wine by any measure - well, not any measure, I mean a tape-measure would be useless, as would a speedometer, but can we move along please, I have a lot to say and I don’t have time for any more of your petty interruptions. All of the wines that it pays homage to with its flinty, matchstick aromas and its insanely complex palate (Coche-Dury, Le Moine, Colin-Morey, Leflaive, Arnaud Ente), are no longer affordable to mere mortals like us, so this is exactly the sort of discovery that you demand of us and rightly so! There may come a time when the name, Walter Scott, will appear between those brackets too, but for now it is an estate that has only just set foot on the travellator and begun gliding serenely past its peers. The Wine Advocate’s reviews for the new Walter Scott releases have just been published and all 15 wines sit within a bracket of 93 to 99 points, a notable rise on previous years, so it’s not just our view that this is a domaine going places fast.

The ‘La Combe Verte’ 2022 is a truly world-class Chardonnay, which you can confidently take to a dinner party in the safe knowledge that it will be the wine of the night, no matter what your friends bring along. And if it isn’t, then may we politely suggest that you don’t change your wine merchant, you change your friends!

I know that £39.50 is a bit of reach for a lot of people at the moment, but if you are going to splash out on the word of a wine merchant, I want to make sure you get what you pay for and I think this could sit in the company of any fine white Burgundy or new world Chardonnay at twice the price.

Organically farmed/ biodynamically farmed

Press review:

The Wine Advocate: “Fruit for the 2022 Chardonnay La Combe Verte comes from five premier vineyards in the Willamette Valley planted on both volcanic and marine sedimentary soils: Freedom Hill, Hyland, Koosah, Sojeau and Witness Tree. It was blended with 2% Aligoté and matured for eight months in 25% new French oak before finishing with two months in stainless steel. It offers integrated tones of matchstick and flint that complement a core of quince paste, peach preserves, meringue, beeswax and cashews. The light-bodied palate is seamless and shimmery, pairing concentrated, honeyed fruit with linear acidity that results in a weightless feel and an ethereal finish. Drink now-2035.“ 93 points

Decanter: “La Combe Verte Chardonnay offers a laser-focused minerality, smoky flint, grilled pineapple, and ocean breeze salinity. The palate is a melange of tangy citrus and concentrated fruits—flavours of grilled lemon peel, petrichor, zingy lime pith, and passionfruit. Drink now-2031.” 94 points

Vinous: “A burst of savoury reduction slowly blows off the 2022 Chardonnay La Combe Verte to reveal a deeply seductive blend of wildflowers and sage, giving way to nectarines and candied ginger. This is surprisingly weighty in feel, communicating a level of prominence balanced by a core of juicy acidity. Flinty minerality adds depth to its core of ripe pears and green melon. The 2022 leaves a pretty inner sweetness while cleaning up remarkably well with traces of candied lime that linger. The La Combe Verte punches well above its price. Drink now-2027.” 92 points

Customer comments:

“Very stylish and restrained!” - Mr A.W.