SAVENNIÈRES

Wine of the Week Savennières from a favoured vintage and good producer is an absolute treasure – dry and mineral, yet honeyed, especially after a couple of years' age, and always carried by pivotal acidity. The appellation is just west of Angers on schist hills on the north bank of the Loire and 2016 was a year in which frost wreaked havoc, but for the vineyards that were spared it closed on a high with a sunny, warm late summer. The result is intensity of flavour, silky texture, laser-precise acidity (although lower than in some vintages) and signature Loire Chenin Blanc notes of apricot, sweet apple, hay and minerals. It's a riveting aperitif, but the combination of rich fruit and good acidity makes it a match for creamy fish dishes such as fish pie, shellfish such as scallops with, say, lardons or a purée of sweetcorn or petit pois, or roast pork belly, including with apple. It also handles some trickier dishes notably well. Wine of the Week Savennières from a favoured vintage and good producer is an absolute treasure – dry and mineral, yet honeyed, especially after a couple of years' age, and always carried by pivotal acidity. The appellation is just west of Angers on schist hills on the north bank of the Loire and 2016 was a year in which frost wreaked havoc, but for the vineyards that were spared it closed on a high with a sunny, warm late summer. The result is intensity of flavour, silky texture, laser-precise acidity (although lower than in some vintages) and signature Loire Chenin Blanc notes of apricot, sweet apple, hay and minerals. It's a riveting aperitif, but the combination of rich fruit and good acidity makes it a match for creamy fish dishes such as fish pie, shellfish such as scallops with, say, lardons or a purée of sweetcorn or petit pois, or roast pork belly, including with apple. It also handles some trickier dishes notably well. ">Joanna Simon, www.joannasimon.com (Apr 2019)