£19.95/£17.95, Lea & Sandeman
Everyday supermarket Saint-Chinians can be good value, but this estate-produced, organic wine is in a different league: no less approachable, but more interesting, nuanced and polished, with fruits of the forest aromas framed by garrigue herbs, peppery spice and melting tannins. And it's wonderfully versatile with food.
It’s a blend of Grenache, Mourvèdre and Syrah and the Terres Blanches of the name refer to the bleached-looking, arid, argilo-calcaire (clay and limestone) vineyard soils, although Domaine Borie la Vitarèle’s 18 ha of vines also encompass the region’s distinctive schists. If you want to compare and contrast, Lea & Sandeman has the domaine’s Les Schistes wine too.
The estate is certified organic but has also been farmed biodynamically since 1998 by the Izarn family who established it in 1990. Camille, the daughter of the founders, has been the winemaker since 2017 and runs the show with her mother Cathy, à quatre mains, as they say.
Les Terres Blanches will be as happy with anchovy, rosemary and garlic-spiked pink roast lamb as it will be cutting through cassoulet or slow-roast pork belly, or paired with spanakopita, aubergine parmigiana or a mushroom and squash wellington. You can even drink it on its own – and if you’re lucky enough to have barbecue weather, this is your wine. 13.5%.
Domaine Borie la Vitarèle Les Terres Blanches Saint-Chinian 2022
£19.95, or £17.95 in any 12-bottle mix, Lea & Sandeman