Domaine Alexis Pollier Mâcon-Villages, Mâconnais, Burgundy, France 2017 from £12.50, Elicite, Stannary Wine) In the rigid geographical class hierarchy in which French vignerons operate, villages wines are solidly middle-class: above Vin de France (where grapes can be sourced from all over the country) and regional appellations (such as Côtes du Rhône or Beaujolais), but below wines made exclusively from grapes grown in the posher smaller appellations (such as Hermitage in the Rhône, or Pouilly-Fuissé in Burgundy) or in aristocratic classified vineyards (premiers grand crus such as Richebourg or Montrachet). For all the emphasis on origins, the producer is just as important no matter what the appellation, and Domaine Alexis Pollier has quickly become a trusted name in Mâcon. His Mâcon-Villages is a genuine bargain; a classy, crystalline, fine-boned chardonnay with a flash of minerals and honeyed fruit, perfect with roast chicken.
De Bortoli Villages Chardonnay, Yarra Valley, Australia 2018 (£9.99, Aldi) Other French villages wines that offer something way above the average that I’ve enjoyed recently include: Domaine Gauby Vieilles Vignes Rouge Cotes du Roussillon Villages 2015 (£29.95, Berry Bros & Rudd), a swirl of liquorice spice, medicinal herbs and dried and fresh red fruit from the wilds of the south towards the border with Spain; and the amazing meadow-scented, stone fruit-succulent and stony-fresh dry white made by a Burgundian producer at work in the Rhône Valley, Rotem & Mounir Saouma Inopia Côtes du Rhône Villages Blanc 2016 (from £22.95, Hic; Vincognito; Jeroboams). For value, meanwhile, it’s hard to beat Aldi Côtes du Rhône Villages Signargues 2018 (£6.99, from 1 October), an authentically chewy, rustic, spicy number from the Southern Rhône. The same retailer also has an Australian take on the villages idea from Victorian family firm De Bortoli, a balanced chardonnay that wouldn’t be out of place in Mâcon.
Kumeu Village Pinot Noir, Auckland, New Zealand 2018 (from £9.95, The Wine Society; Noble Grape; Mr Wheeler; Field and Fawcett) Across the Tasman Sea, top Auckland estate Kumeu River, which makes some genuinely fine single-vineyard wines (Kiwi grand crus), has been using the more humble term for its consistently excellent range of cheaper wines for some vintages now. The 2018 pinot noir has all the charm of a good quality red Côte de Beaune Villages from Burgundy: light in colour, lithe in texture, bright in redcurrant and raspberry fruit; it’s a match for salmon or autumnal mushroom dishes. Kumeu Village Chardonnay 2017 (from £9.95, The Wine Society; Noble Grape; Mr Wheeler), meanwhile, is bright and fluent with ripe golden apple. And roughly equivalent to Kumeu in South Africa, family firm Paul Cluver produces the crunchy, sappy, damson-scented Paul Cluver Village Pinot Noir 2017 (from £13.45, Fintry Wines; Ministry of Drinks) in the cool-climate enclave of Elgin.
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