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CHAMPAGNE DIDIER-DUCOS

Nicolas and Clotilde Didier are the husband-and-wife team behind Champagne Didier-Ducos. They are building on the foundation laid by Nicolas’ father and grandfather – the label was born in the 1950s as a result of marriage between Didier and Ducos families. They make a range of wines from all three grapes – Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay – from their own vineyards located southeast of Epernay, and they also have Viticulture Durable Champagne (VDE) and Haute Valeur Environnementale (HVE) designations.

As the name suggests: 100% Pinot Meunier with an extended, five-year period on the lees. Light lemon yellow. Nicely articulated aromas of oatmeal, poached yellow plum and pear with floral and nutty tones. Medium acidity, extra dry with very subtle lazy mousse, soft texture and medium body with good length and intensity of yellow plum, a touch of sake, rye toast and lemon peel. Drink now.– ir

CASES OF 3 FOR YOUR DRINKING PLEASURE!

All Pinot Noir, with three years on the lees. A tad shy initially but with a little air-time the inviting and developed aromas come to fore: rye toast, hazelnuts, bone marrow and citrus. Noir Absolu has a medium acidity. It’s extra dry, with a nice lazy mousse action, medium texture and body. It is long-lasting on the palate with good fruit persistence, featuring preserved lemon, rye toast, nuts, savoury elements and lemon peel with medium-plus finish. High marks here : the best of a strong lot. 2023-2027.–ir

12%

Oatmeal, poached yellow plum and pear, floral, nutty

Yellow plum, hint of sake/autolytic, rye toast, lemon peel, [6.00]

Gougères

12%

Rye toast, nutty, bone marrow, citrus

Preserved lemon, rye toast, nutty, savoury, lemon peel, [6.00]

Sweetbreads with chestnut and parsnips

Meunier, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir

Meunier, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir

Pinot Meunier with 15% Chardonnay and 5% Pinot Noir. Four years on the lees. Light yellow hue. A bit quiet at first, then offering yellow fruit, oatmeal, rye toast, savoury notes and lemon oil. With a medium acidity and extra dry on the palate, it shows a lazy fine mousse, medium texture and body, medium to long length and medium-plus fruit intensity: minerally, lemon oil, rye toast, nuts and lemon peel onto medium-plus finish. Nicely put together. 2023-2026.– ir

60% Chardonnay, 30% Pinot Noir and 10% Pinot Meunier – with five years on the lees. A lovely medium-salmon rose in the glass. This sparkler opens with aromas of pink grapefruit, wilting roses, black plum preserve and rye toast. On the palate, it has medium acidity, is extra dry, with a nice lazy mousse, soft texture and medium to full body. There’s nice length and fruit that follows the nose – pink grapefruit here, too, with rye toast and floral element to a persistent finish. 2023-2027.– ir

Difficult to have too much “cooking” white Burgundy in an offer, and when the wines are all hitting the high notes it's time to stock up. This has a surprisingly broad range of flavours for a humble Bourgogne Blanc with a bouquet of red apple and Anjou pear while on the palate the orchard fruit is usurped by tropical flavours: guava and banana. A good dollop of smoky oak rounds out the finish.2022-2024.–mp

MOILLARD-GRIVOT

Moillard-Grivot, based in Nuits-Saint-Georges, has an illustrious 170-year history. The companymanages to produce Appellation wines from Chablis through to Santenay – a testament to a canny acquisition strategy through the generations. During a financial crisis in the 1930s, it was given the moniker “bank of Burgundy,” such was its ability to stay in the black. Maison François Martenot acquired Moillard-Grivot in 2016, safeguarding its status as a local institution. Over a broad selection of terroirs, the house style remains distinctly “Nuits” – powerful wines with bags of aging potential. Rather interestingly, œnologue Baptiste Corrot studied at the University of Bordeaux, which may account for his considerable skill in managing Pinot's occasionally rustic tannins.

Notes of lemon peel, green apple, wet stone, honeysuckle, tangerine, and grapefruit fill this moreish, quintessential Chablis. There’s a weight and a fruitforward character that village level doesn't always muster, while the finish gives a lick of lemony acidity and satisfying Granny Smith apple crunch. 2022-2027.– mp

12%

Lemon peel, green apple, wet stone, honeysuckle

Green apple, lemon, grape, wet stone

Spaghetti alla vongole

4027

MOILLARD-GRIVOT MÂCONVILLAGES, AOP MÂCON, 2021

Chardonnay

4026

MOILLARD-GRIVOT BOURGOGNE PINOT NOIR, AOC BOURGOGNE PINOT

NOIR, 2021

Pinot Noir

$ WEB

This is textbook Mâcon and has “summer's day” written all over it. The nose is pure and unadorned, with yummy lemon curd and tangerine. The palate reveals apricot, mandarin and green apples, allied to a charming, long finish. The crisp natural acidity keeps the fruit dancing on the tongue, and it makes for utterly delicious deck-chair hoovering. 2022-2026.– mp

13%

Lemon curd, tangerine, apricot, mandarin

Apricot, mandarin, green apple, tangerine

Sole meunière

$ WEB

This is a very convincing exampleof entrylevel Pinot, with spritely acidity and fine tannins supporting the bright red fruit flavours. Inviting nose combining smoky notes of clove and cedar with unescapable rhubarb, strawberry, beetroot, and cooked plum. Finishes strongly with a prudent balance of alcohol; this is thoroughly decent Bourgogne Rouge. 2022-2024.– mp

13%

Clove, cedar, beetroot, strawberry

Rhubarb, strawberry, cooked plum, clove

Char siu pork

4086

FOLIES PARISIENNES L'HÉRITAGE FRANÇAIS, LE ROSÉ DES HÉRITIERS LAMBLIN, VIN DE PAYS D'OC, 2022

Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault

$ WEB $ WEB

A pretty, pink wine with notes of strawberry, cherry, watermelon and citrus and a crisp, dry finish. Made from a blend of Grenache, Syrah and Cinsault this sunny sipper is perfect for the patio or a picnic. 2023-2024–lw

13%

Strawberry, cherry, watermelon

Strawberry, cherry, watermelon, citrus, [1.00]

Mustard-roasted pork loin with squash polenta