... with cheese please! We're not sure there's a better cheese match than Viognier, especially mature hard cheeses like Comté, Guyère and Beaufort, but equally soft, creamy cheeses like Brie or Délice de Bourgogne. Many of us invest in cheese platters over the festive season, but often find that we're left with the cheese because we're too full from a big meal! Why not make the cheese the star and have an easy day with a cold meal in front of the TV and fire. You can bulk it out easily by adding lots of crusty bread, a selection of dried meats, saucisson and charcuterie, some good chutney, dried fruits like figs or apricot, maybe quince paste and some fresh fruit. Paired with a bottle of Côte 128 Pech Sévignac Viognier, or go all out and treat yourself with La Vérité Viognier and you'll be feeling very festive indeed!
La Vérité Viognier is made in limited quantities and is produced from the best plots of our old vine Viognier in the Cazal Viel estate. Laurent has mastered this complex and difficult variety - it can tend to be flabby and overly-luscious if not handled correctly. As with all of our vineyards, we harvest by night, but it's particularly important with a variety like Viognier, which can lean towards lower acidity. Harvesting by the cooler temeratures of night ensures we retain optimum acidity and we press the grapes very gently, only using the first pressing. This gives a very pure, aromatic must which we ferment slowly and then we part-age the wine in new French oak barrels, which adds texture and complexity. Contrary to popular belief, Viognier can age very well, as a recent vertical with some clients proved - la Vérité got more complex and nuttier with time, retaining that gorgeous exotic, apricot fruit characteristic.
Lieu-dit La Vérité Viognier is a critics' favourite with top marks from JancisRobinson.com, Decanter and Tim Atkin MW in recent months.
What the critics say:
🌟 "Miquel has achieved, in this wine, the holy grail of Viognier."
🌟 "An outstanding Viognier, and delivering way above its price point."
(jancisrobinson.com 17/20)
🌟 "Every bit as good as the much more vaunted (and expensive) wines of Condrieu in the northern Rhône, this is an appealingly rich, scented, heady Viognier from the Languedoc"
🌟 "Laurent Miquel is one of only a handful of people outside the northern Rhône Valley who consistently gets the variety spot on"
(Tim Atkin MW 93/100)
🌟 "A flowing torrent of golden fruit with the call of the Languedoc sunshine."
(Decanter 94/100)
Read the full reviews here ⬇
À bientôt,
Neasa
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