Moving up a gear in terms of price and, hopefully quality, MacQuitty selects her top 100 wines under £12, both reds and whites.
The star red is 2005 Domaine Boudau Le Clos, Côtes du Roussillon, France, Available from Berry Bros & Rudd £8.75 and Lay & Wheeler, £8.95.
Remarkably, this powerful, 50 to 60-year-old grenache-based red, topped up with a dash of syrah and carignan, is one of the lesser wines Domaine Boudau produces. No matter, its magnificent, sweet, ripe, plum, prune and mulberry fruit is terrific value for money, and comes complete with a rich, creamy palate. Get cracking, though, as there is not much to go round.
The star white is a Chenin Blanc from Château Rives-Blanques Dédicace, 2004, Limoux Chenin Blanc, listed Great Western Wine £8.95.
If you can get past the back-label guff, you’ll find that this gorgeous, dry, full, waxy, peachy, smoky chenin blanc, made from mature, low-yielding, 18-year-old vines grown on some of Limoux’s best soils and rounded off with a dash of new oak by eco-aware winemakers, is an absolute delight. A wonderful festive bottle for those who are sick and tired of the usual merry-go-round of winter whites.
