2020 Monbazillac, Domaine L’Ancienne Cure, France

"The wines from this part of Bergerac are similar in style to Sauternes, the blend of Sémillon and Muscadelle ideal for making wines with this richness and sweetness. The nose has ripe fruit the palate honeyed with yellow peaches, candied peel and apricots. The mid richness is underpinned by the freshness of scraped tangerine skin an excellent balance with crystallized orange peel enriching the long finish." Derek Smedley MW

Traditionally, Monbazillac wine is served chilled before a main meal, often as an accompaniment to foie gras, but it makes an equally harmonious partner for fruit-based desserts or cheese, particularly blue cheese.

Both the town and appellation of Bergerac lie in the centre of the Dordogne department with its beautiful landscape of rolling hills. It is also home to some of France's oldest vineyards producing inexpensive dry, white wines predominantly for local consumption, and to the south of the town of Bergerac itself lies the smaller and more specialized sweet wine producing appellation of Monbazillac. It is in the Monbazillac area of production that Christian Roche’s Domaine de L'Ancienne Cure is to be found. Christian is first and foremost a Monbazillac producer. His vine holdings total 40 hectares, which is large for an independent producer, and 15 hectares of this land lie within the hallowed perimeter of Monbazillac.