Porquerolles, Côtes de Provence Blanc, Domaine de l'Ile Porquerolles 2023

Rolle is France's name for Vermentino, the variety used exclusively for this wine. A pale lemon-straw in the glass, the nose is bursting with the perfume of white flowers, greengage and green mango. There are fresh, leafy herbal tones too. The palate is tangy and intense, acids and fruit meeting perfectly in the middle in a juicy and explosive fruit core. This is an absolute joy to drink now, full of character yet precise. You can feel the sunshine in this wine, but most impressive is the balancing acidity and overriding freshness that drives through to the finish. Delicious.

100% Rolle; 13.5% alc.; Harvest dates: 20th & 23rd August 2023
This is sheer heaven. It is one of my favourite white wines in the whole of France, not just in the South and the islands. Rolle (Vermentino) thrives in the finest Mediterranean climates, and the ratio of heavenly fruit to epic acidity and salinity is ravishing. Luxuriously perfumed, with hints of jasmine, and stone fruit, it promises opulence and exoticism, but it is so nipped in and controlled on the palate that it takes the breath away. With more solids employed in this vintage than in the delicious 2022, there is even more raspingly delicious traction here, too. While this wine will need a little explanation to coax a punter into trading up from a bulky Chardonnay to this catwalk-ready beauty, it is worth the effort. Every self-respecting sommelier in the UK ought to be championing this wine and passionate wine lovers ought to be straining every sinew to own stock. I will keep banging the drum until everyone who cares about serious fine wine hears about this wine because one sip is all it needs to convert you into a lifelong fan. 18.5/20 (Drink now – 2026)