Soft.Charming.Fruity
This may not come from a fancy village, like Meursault or Puligny-Montrachet, it comes from the less auspicious Maconnais region, but having a fancy postcode doesn't guarantee a great wine and this wine shows what can be achieved from humble origins. The stone fruit and hazelnut flavours float on a creamy texture and the acidity is completely in tune with the fruit. There are £25 Burgundies that don’t come close to the quality on offer here, so we are suggesting you load up, because it’s a cut above anything you will find anywhere in Burgundy at this price. 12.5% alc. Cork closure. Drink now-2030.
‘How to Holiday like a Hero’ - by Vin Cognito
Chapter 19: ‘Returning from your Summer Holiday’
As you drive away from your rented villa in the Dordogne, having promised the owners that you will return the following year (under no circumstances must you), you should doff your panama hat to the gardener, who despises you, and, with the labrador leaning out of the window, you head in the wrong direction for Calais. You miss lunch, because, as you should know, all French restaurants are closed to English tourists, so you buy a tube of Pringles and head for Burgundy, where you console yourself by buying a case of Macon from the wine merchant in the town square, who pretends he remembers you from last year and explains that the case is covered in dust, because he’s been keeping it especially for you. You glance at your watch and do a hasty mental calculation and realise that you might miss your crossing, so you bundle the family back into the car and floor it to Calais, ignoring pleas for toilet breaks from your furious children, only to arrive bang on time for your cancelled ferry. As you pass through French border control, you slow down, wave your passports in the air and announce pompously “British! Enough of your nonsense!” to the great amusement of your family and the utter disdain of the border guard, who will usher you to a lay-by where his colleagues will perform a full cavity search.
But, in all seriousness, if you do buy a Macon, make sure it has the word ‘Uchizy’ appended to it, because that’s the name of the little village beside the Saone River, which seems to be surrounded by the best vineyards in the region. This one is silky and elegant and tastes of white nectarine and hazelnut meringue, sweet citrus and peaches cooled by single cream. It has a perky little dash of acidity and a more than a dollop of serious Burgundian aplomb. We have sold this wine in previous vintages, but this is a real step up, hence the rallying cry to fill your boots (your car boots).
Customer comments:
“Incredible value for money!” - Prof. T.W.
“I agree with your description ………. It is stingingly good.” - Mr G.S.
“Excellent value. I would like to order another 24 if possible?” - Mr P.R.
“The wine is delicious. I would like another 12 bottles. Is that possible?” - Mr. S. H.
“Just to say I am enjoying my first bottle of the Macon-Uchizy, what lovely wine! As usual, your description of it matches the experience of drinking it which is not the case with many of your competitors! “ - Mr. P. A.
“Thanks for your latest recommendation. I totally agree with you about Talmard Macon Uchizy.” - Mr. M.C-W.
“It's fab and worth at least twice the price“ - Mr D.O.
“Three bottles of lovely Macon-Uchizy already gone! Lovely stuff, absolutely my kind of thing.” - Mr R.D.
“So good for £12.00!” - Mr J.C.
” We loved the Macon, it's a great find (particularly at that price!).” - Mr. A.H.
”The case of wine arrived safely and, as promised, is stonking good. Thank you so much!” - Mr. M.H.
”Amazing-so many compliments from friends this week, and from me!” = Mr. W.G.
”I loved this wine!” Mrs. N.R.
”The Macon Uchizy is a big hit!” - Mr. P. R.
”I ordered more Macon within 30 seconds of opening the first bottle. Unbelievable for 12 quid! “ - Mr. D.O.
”It’s way better than any Majestic offer!” - Mr. J. H.
”We loved it, additionally the price point is amazing.” - Mr. S.R.
“It's hard to imagine how you could want more for the money.” - The Wine Advocate
Viognier is a varietal that rarely tastes of Viognier, because it’s notoriously difficult to work with, so I wasn’t expecting a great deal from this inexpensive example. It’s a grape which needs to be picked at exactly the right hour. If you pick too early, its flavour spectrum lies somewhere between zilch and nada, but if you pick too late, it tastes flabby and limp. It reminds me of Eddie Izzard’s sketch about pears “they’re ripe for half an hour, and you’re never there, they’re like a rock or they’re mush.”
Whoever made this wine knows how to work with Viognier and a closer inspection of the label leads you to the name, in unassumingly small font-size, Michel Chapoutier. Now there’s a chap who knows a thing or two about Rhone varieties, but you will have noticed that this wine comes from Australia not the Rhone Valley, specifically the Pyrenees Highlands in Victoria, where Chapoutier has established an Australian outpost, seeking to explore his passion for biodynamic Viognier and Syrah.
His ‘Mathilda’ Viognier 2024, named after his daughter, Mathilde, is redolent of fresh apricots, honeysuckle, ginger and white peach, with a lovely shimmer of green apple acidity that waltzes across the finish, keeping it lively. There’s a little dash of Marsanne to add a bit of pithy texture too, but the overall impression is a clean, dry, lightly-aromatic white for sipping in the sunshine with a Thai salad or some gochujang chicken wings. 13.5% alc. 82% Viognier, 18% Marsanne. Drink now-2028.
Press reviews:
The Wine Advocate (previous vintage): “I have high hopes for this Mathilda Viognier Marsanne - a very cheap, very aromatic little white wine here. The nose is outrageous: a fete of spring florals, rose petals, lychees and apricots. And the palate delivers all of this in a dry, cleansing, tight package. It's hard to imagine how you could want more for the money.” 90 points
Jancis Robinson MW (previous vintage): “Lots of character and an interesting, well-integrated blend from the Chapoutiers. Good Value.” 16 points
“Great evidence of the value to be found in Portugal.” - Jancis Robinson MW
They say that you should try everything once, except incest and Morris dancing. It’s probably fair to assume that you haven’t tried a blend of Arinto, Verdelho, Antão Vaz, Fernao Pires and Chardonnay before, but if this wine is anything to go by, then you shouldn't waste another moment. It's a blissful combination, bearing a striking resemblance to a Côtes du Rhone Blanc with its delicate and dainty aromas of honeysuckle, cream soda, jasmine and apricot. There’s a suggestion of Viognier both on the nose and palate, which shows a delicate ripeness of yellow- and orange-fleshed stone fruits, lemon meringue and a wisp of vanilla thanks to the 3 months spent in French and American oak. The packaging is as elegant as the wine itself and we strongly recommend buying this by the case. 13% alc. Now in a screwcap. Drink now-2028.
Press reviews:
Jamie Goode (previous vintage): “Attractive and well balanced this shows nice pear and citrus fruit with some white peach richness and a beautiful fresh lemony finish. There’s generosity here but also great balance, and it drinks beautifully.” 92 points
Jancis Robinson MW (previous vintage): “Mmm. Really rather creamy, interesting and appealing on the nose and full, mildly floral and satin-textured on the palate. It’s certainly easy to drink now – not unlike an especially light marmalade (do they still make Golden Shred?) – but it also seems constituted for a few more years’ development. Great evidence of the value to be found in Portugal. Very good value.” 16.5 points
"It is one of the best-value wines I have had this year." -Hamish Anderson, The Telegraph
Customer comments:
"It's really quite exceptional!" - Mr. J.H.
"Very much enjoying the Portuguese wine - a perfect summer drink." - Mr. D.D.
"A great addition to the cellar." - Mr. T.M.