Domaine Féines Jourdan, Picpoul de Pinet

• Vintage: 2021
  
• Origin: Meze, South of France

• Taste guide: The wine has beautiful aromatic flavors of apple and pear, zesty lime and a hint of chamomile. The tree fruit tones and citrus tones are the more noticeable on the palate. It is a classy picpoul; dry, light, crisp and lively with a streak of minerality.
• Food match: As appealing an aperitif as with all types of white meats or seafoods.
• 75cl - 13% - Screwcap top Opening
  

Domaine Felines Jourdan was founded in 1983, when Marie-Helene Jourdan and her husband Michel switched up the Picpoul status quo, launching their own winery in a region dominated by co-operatives. Today the Jourdans' daughter Claude runs things at the estate, which has risen to become one of the most famous names in Picpoul. Although she retains much of her family's generational winemaking knowledge in her work, the team at Domaine Felines Jourdan are always ready to embrace change. Every harvest is adapted to what the vintage offers, and they only ever work with the most up-to-date technology available.

Many of the domaine's vineyards are planted right on the Mediterranean coast, at the edge of the picturesque Thau Lagoon, famed for being home to flamingos and spectacular marine life. Recognising the importance of these surroundings, the winery practices sustainable viticulture, and are committed to protecting the land they work on. This unique terroir translates to crisp, bright flavours and electric acidity that characterise the Felines Jourdan wines.

This local grape has the advantage of being slow-ripening: picked after the heat of summer has passed it retains freshness and flavour. In the old Occitan tongue, Picpoul means “lip-stinger”, due to the grape’s natural acidity, but this wine is a lot friendlier than that: look on it as the Muscadet of the Mediterranean, albeit with more heft and flavour. There (and in Parisian bistros) it's drunk with the local oysters and other shellfish from the Bassin de Thau, the large, shallow lagoon within sight of the vineyards.

£14.99 RRP reflected at several merchants the cheapest we found was £11.95 so our price is a bargain!