Domaine Fournier Longchamps
Very pale green-gold colour. Daffodil and apple skin, very Chenin nose in its most floral guise. Light-bodied, pretty cutting acidity. Focused, gently saline. Not terribly long, lacks a little weight of fruit, but true to type.
Olivier et Lafond
Five-year-old négociant business, a partnership between two winemaking consultants. Victoria plum with some darker, brambly fruit. Medium-bodied, pretty powerful acidity and tight tannins - a structured Côtes-du-Rhône with warming alcohol on the finish. Good breadth of juicy, ripe fruit on the mid-palate. Good concentration.
Olivier et Lafond
Five-year-old negociant business, a partnership between two winemaking consultants. Pale in colour. Very much pear in aroma, touch of pear drop, fairly straightforward nose. Fairly full-bodied, broad and flowing, with adequate acidity and a phenolic aspect. Dry, voluptuous on the mid-palate, really came into its own with food. Nicely done - good concentration, slightly warming alcohol. Fairly long, quite textural style - soft and silky.
Domaine des Anges
Raspberry, raspberry leaf and a touch of cherry, some savoury elements among the fruit. Light- to medium-bodied, lively, with good acidity and brisk, snappy tannins. Not terribly long or complex, but it’s refreshing and drinkable. Balanced, dry finish – good mid-week drinking. They’ve been easy on the extraction, which was a wise move.
La Roche Buissière
Organic since 1980, 300 to 450m altitude. No sulphur except at bottling, and even then, very low. So unsurprisingly it’s lightly reductive, but not so much to detract from the wine. Juicy blackberry and loganberry, with juicy acidity and blackberry-hide tannins. A vibrant blast of juicy, authentic berry fruits, and plenty of structure. Not the most refined, but deliciously drinkable. Just super-fresh, lively and grippy berry fruits, really satisfying.