Throughout these two months of lockdown, many of you have had the time to try some new cuvées and revisit old favourites, perhaps enjoying them for an aperitif over skype or testing out new recipes for the perfect pairing. We asked the team which bottles they’ve been saving for the lifting of lockdown.
You might be in a place where lockdown is still in place, or maybe you don’t feel there’s much to celebrate right now. However, we hope you can take some inspiration from the bottles that our team has chosen – something to look forward to when better days arrive!
For Lionel, it has to be a rosé! “And not just any rosé…I’ve chosen a cuvée that’s full of sun and light after weeks of being hidden away. This is a bottle of Corail from Château de Roquefort in the Côtes de Provence, a gastronomic wine that pairs nicely with characterful dishes, grills, and mediterranean specialities. And we’re currently running a sale with rosé in the spotlight!
Angélique told us: “To be honest, I haven’t waited for the end of lockdown to continue my exploration of wines of the world! The turning of this new page means I’ll be able to rediscover the vintages waiting in the cellar. I’ll certainly be opening an old Rivesaltes in the near future, and I’ll undoubtedly savour it all the more, thinking of all the things we’ve been deprived of over the past months.”
As for Quentin, who works with us from Bordeaux, he is “opening a 2006 Château Canon with a duck parmentier and thyme sauce. I discovered this recipe randomly when looking around to see what we had in the kitchen. Having spent the lockdown with two young children, I’m actually looking forward to enjoying this on my own…but don’t tell anyone, wine is of course about sharing…”
How about Elsa from the marketing team? “I got a bit ahead of myself, opening a bottle of champagne for the final evening of lockdown, and this was the brut nature from Drappier! We enjoyed it alongside a steak tartare with lemon and it was delicious. Otherwise, for the little reunion I’ve got planned with some friends this weekend, I’ll be taking the Jeanne cuvée from Virginie Bergeronneau.”
Laure has spent the lockdown with her family in Meursault! “Nothing to complain about for me! The bottle I’d like to open is a white Palette from Château Simone. Writing an article about the domain got my mouth watering and now I’m really curious to try it!”
Laurent from the IT team has been with his wife and daughters for the last two months and admits “we have opened a few bottles recently. We marked the end of each lockdown week with a Drappier brut nature, this became our little ritual. For the end of the lockdown, we might go for something a bit different like a 2008 Grande Sendrée. We got one of these during our last visit to the domain!”
Alix, international development manager, has been confined in the Alps, so quite a way from her cellar! “I had the perfect excuse to buy a couple of bottles. To mark the end of lockdown, I’d put aside the SP68 cuvée from Domaine Occhipinti. When I heard about this domain, people said it was like having all of Sicily in a bottle, and I haven’t been disappointed! Tense, likely, and delicate with a gentle bitterness, this was the perfect wine to celebrate our newfound freedom.”
And how about Bastien, our marketing assistant? “What could be more festive than a bottle of bubbly? I’m in the Loire at the moment, a region just bursting with amazing appellations like Montlouis-sur-Loire and Vouvray. As per usual, the most difficult thing is choosing! This time, I opted for a Vouvray from the excellent Vincent Carême in the 2016 vintage. It almost made the 50 days of lockdown worth it in one go!”
