2009 Chablis, Laroche, Burgundy, France (£13.99, The Secret Cellar tel. 01892 537 981, www.vinoteca.co.uk, Noel Young tel. 01223 566744). I thought that I would recommend a useful ‘session’ white this week to keep you satiated for the remainder of 2010. This is a wine to keep in the fridge at all times for emergency use and it’s also one which has enough class to keep the amateurs and snobs equally happy. It occurred to me that Michel Laroche’s new range of releases is about as good as it gets and so my failsafe candidate for flagrant swigging this season is this terrific little ’09 model. Nervy, tight acidity and a slender, captivating form, which hints at the reason why we all fell in love with this region in the first place, are but a few of the reasons why you should dive into a glass. What you might feel, when a few of these have been ‘knocked over’, is the need to research this esteemed operation more. 2008 Chablis, St Martin (£15.99, www.vinoteca.co.uk, Noel Young, Philglas & Swiggot tel. 020 7924 4494), for just a few quid more, shows even more class and distinction. Beyond this I am nuts about the ’07 Vieilles Vignes 1er Cru Vaillons, the ’07 Grand Crus Blanchots and Clos and if you ever get a chance to taste ‘07 Réserve de l’Obedience (a tiny parcel in Grand Cru Blanchots) you will surely go into orbit, as I did.
