Le Clos de Beaujeu is one of Boulay’s ‘blue-blood’ historic sites. Boulay farms two parcels in this terroir, including one within the original clos of this vineyard, established by the monks of Beaujeu in the Middle Ages. This parcel is historically known as Le Grand Clos. For this reason, Boulay names this wine Clos de Beaujeu rather than the more ubiquitous Cul de Beaujeu. In his book Le Vignoble de Chavignol, Thibaut Boulay notes that this vineyard first appears in documents dating to 1328 as the Clausus de Bellojoco, indicating this terroir’s age-old origins. Vines on this slope of Kimmeridgian limestone and clay (terre blanches) sit between 30 and (a remarkable) 110 years old. The soils here are particularly rocky—limestone-rich and strewn with fossils—making this parcel difficult to farm. A second, even steeper parcel at a 60% gradient lies closer to the village. These southeast-facing plots make the Clos de Beaujeu the source of some of the domaine’s most structured and nervy wines. This cuvée ferments spontaneously and rests in large, upright cask (60%) and three- and four-year-old 300-litre barrels (40%) for 10 months.

This rare bottling comes from just 0.40 hectares of 70-year-old vines in the Comtesse lieu-dit at the chalky epicentre of Les Monts-Damnés. For hundreds of years or more, this vineyard has been considered by locals to be the finest single terroir of Chavignol. In his Le Vignoble de Chavignol, Thibaut Boulay reminds us that at the Universal Exhibition in Paris in 1878, Comtesse was already considered a true star of the Sancerrois, its wines served on the most renowned tables of northern France. As another marker of its historical reverence, the Comtesse parcel was only grafted after 1945; before that, it remained the last ungrafted white vineyard in France, as La Romanée-Conti was for red grapes. The soil composition is pure Kimmeridgian limestone and consists of a miserly 30- to 40-centimetre layer of topsoil over solid limestone bedrock. This brings intense minerality and warmth as the rocky soil absorbs the sun’s heat and re-radiates it at night, yet it is also a cooler, less exposed place. It’s therefore a site that always produces fully ripe fruit and intense freshness while also something finer and more restrained than a typical Monts-Damnés—hence, the historical fame. This has the diamond-cut clarity allied to perfectly ripe fruit intensity that is a hallmark of this release—and there’s also something more elemental. Again, the sunny season has done nothing to blunt the razor-edge precision of this grower’s Sancerre. Marked by the soil rather than the sun, this wine often incorporates the best elements of all the vineyards above. It has a seductive texture and nectarine-like fruit, yet also thoroughbred restraint, great line, mineral clarity, and box-office chalky length. A Grand Cru in all but name, 20 years will not weary this astonishing young Sancerre.

The important Sauternes property Chateau Suduiraut lies alongside Chateau dYquem and was ranked 1er Cru in the Bordeaux classification of 1855. Suduiraut can boast a history going back to 1580 although in 1992 it joined a family of properties, including Chateau Pichon Baron in Pauillac and Chateau Petit Village in Pomerol, owned by the French insurance giant AXA. Suduiraut, noted for its finesse and subtle complexity, is one of a small group of Sauternes producers which have emerged as worthy rivals to their famous neighbour. The 200ha property has 92ha under vine, mostly on gravel, sand and clay soils.

Umamu Estate only releases their wines when theyve had time to develop in the bottle and this Sauvignon Blanc Semillon is drinking beautifully now. In the glass: Beautifully vibrant bright lemon with a still-youthful green tint. On the nose: Lifted mix of toast and honey development. On the palate: Rich and beautifully developed with a lovely warm core of buttered toast, preserved lemon and lemon curd in a terrifically textured, layered and complex wine. So remarkably fresh and complex.

A blend of 70% Sauvignon Blanc and 30% Semillon from Chateau Cos d''Estournel, the landmark producer from Medoc. Sourced from their vineyards in the south of St-Estephe, this detailed and gloriously textured white wine displays the complexities requisite of cellarable Bordeaux blanc wines. The wine is drinkable immediately, but will also reward those considering some mellowing and honeyed complexity that comes with cellaring.