Wine of the week: a palate-primping chardonnay
2010 Saint-Romain, Maison du Tastelune, Burgundy, France (£11.99, Marks & Spencer).
I will be bringing you a report on the 2010 Burgundy releases next week, and telling you which merchants to badger for the very limited stock that this incredible vintage has given us.
In the meantime, here is a delightful chardonnay, which is in much wider distribution. It encapsulates, succinctly and at an affordable price, the class and distinction of the 2010s. Made by the talented Sylvain Debord, under the guidance of Nicolas Potel, for M&S, this was one of the most useful wines at ‘Jukesy Towers’ over the holiday period. It is not too dear and it’s a stunning all-rounder with food.
Light and dry, you could use it as a cunning, palate-primping aperitif wine, too. It looks the part and also tastes so pinpoint accurate and cut-glass pure that it took my breath away on my very first sip. Tight, mineral-imbued chardonnay is a joy, but when it has momentum and ethereal notes in equal measure it dances on your tongue and inspires your taste buds to work in a most detailed and responsive way. The result is a wine that lifts the mood, encourages appetite and spoils your senses with its sheer unadulterated beauty.
• Matthew Jukes is a winner of the International Wine & Spirit Competition’s Communicator of the Year (www.matthewjukes.com).