Wine of the Week

(by susie)

Louis Latour Marsannay Blanc 2007, 13% – £9.99 (down from £12.99, when you buy 2 bottles or more), Majestic: offer valid until 26th April 2010

We tried this elegant lemony, nutty white with fish and chips, watching the sun set over the calm seas of the English channel. It all made perfect sense. So much so that, when we came to check the bottle the next morning, we noticed (unusually for us) that it had all gone. Which says it all, really.

This is yet another example of a decent Burgundian negociant house making a very good value wine from a lesser-known appellation. Marsannay may not be the most familiar name, but that’s what guarantees you good value in this case.

Marsannay is at the northern extremity of the Côte d’Or and makes refreshing, fruity styles of red and white. We preferred this white to Louis Latour’s red Marsannay of the same vintage because it just delivered more bang for the buck (though both were very drinkable and quite elegant).

This shows ripe lemon and toasted nut notes, with hints of herbs. On the palate it has good refreshing citric acidity, with an elegant mouth-coating richness and gentle texture. Good minerality and generally very pleasant. Not the most complex or ambitious white Burgundy, but great value at under £10. Delicious with fish and chips…7.5/10