Les Fees' Saint Veran

Saint-Véran sits at the southern end of the Mâconnais, and it's long been Burgundy's insider tip — Chardonnay with much of the class of a Pouilly-Fuissé next door, for rather less money. Clos Sauvage farm organically here, and Les Fées comes from one of the appellation's best sites: Mont Saint-Pierre, a clay-limestone slope above the village of Chasselas that gives the wine both flesh and a fine mineral spine.

This is Chardonnay made with a light, confident hand. It's fermented cool in large old barrels — 400 and 500-litre, well used, so there's no obvious oak flavour — then aged twelve months in the same wood. The point is texture, not toast.

The result is a nervy, precise white with real energy. Expect aromatic Chardonnay fruit — orchard and citrus — over a distinctly mineral, stony core, and a palate that's lean, taut and full of life. There's genuine length here, a long, persistent finish that keeps going after you'd expect it to stop. This is the kind of white Burgundy that reminds you why the region's Chardonnay is the benchmark the whole world chases. Lovely now, and it'll gain depth over the next three or four years.

How to Serve

Serve at 11–13°C in a full white Burgundy glass — not too cold, or you'll flatten the aromatics and mask the minerality. A young bottle opens beautifully with twenty minutes of air.

Where to Drink It

Noble Rot Soho, for serious Burgundy by the glass. The River Cafe, whose cooking loves a mineral Chardonnay. Wiltons on Jermyn Street, for fine fish and a proper cellar.

Food Pairings

Roast chicken is the natural match. It's also lovely with grilled Dover sole, a plate of scallops, or a young Comté.