Is Essex the new Burgundy?

Plus a Crémant de Bourgogne offer for subscribers.

Before we get on with today’s post. I have a special offer for readers:

My old friend, former author and now falafel magnate Patrick Matthews has just got a load of Crémant de Bourgogne in and he's offering them to Drinking Culture readers at knockdown prices. These come from the Bailly-Lapierre co-op which was founded in 1972. There's a very good article on the winery on Jamie Goode's site. According to Goode, the growers used to supply base wine to be made into Sekt in Germany. When the rules changed, they lost the market so decided to make sparkling wines themselves using chardonnay and pinot noir

These wines offer unbeatable value. The more expensive wines definitely deserve the premium over the cheaper ones which I suspect could do with more time on the lees—but at these prices you cannot complain. The Brut Réserve is absolutely fine for party wines/knocking back in the garden and are brilliant in a kir royale. The top two premium wines are proper champagne rivals.

The best way to order is to email him on hoxtonhome@gmail.com and he will get back to you quickly. Here are the wines:

Bailly-Lapierre Brut Réserve £13.50
Light, appley, some creaminess on the finish. Highly enjoyable for the money. Tastes like champagne but at prosecco prices.

Bailly-Lapierre Blanc de Noirs £15.50
Ripe green apple on the nose, brisk and fresh on the palate, good ripeness, some texture. Bone dry. Large bubbles and only a little maturity but very hard to criticise this for under £16.

Bailly-Lapierre Ravizotte Extra Brut £16.50
Very lean and lemony but ripe enough to carry the style, green apple, some almond and just a touch of brioche on the finish. Very good for under £20. I'd drink this over Moët any day.

Bailly-Lapierre Vive-la-Joie 2019 £22.50
This is really excellent. Ripe green apple with just a touch of bruised apple, fresh and zingy but plenty of body and then opens up with the most beautiful hazelnut and croissant finish. The price is absolutely ridiculous. Buy all you can.

Right on with today’s main feature…. Essex Burgundy!

I've been jokingly referring to chardonnay and pinot noir from the Crouch Valley as 'Essex Burgundy' hoping it will catch on in the way 'yacht rosé' didn't quite—though I still have hopes. My latest column for The Critic looks at the rise of Burgundian varieties in Essex and specifically the arrival of Californian wine giant Jackson Family Vineyards and the release of its first wine Marbury Chardonnay.

Annoyingly, just as the online version hit the virtual newsstands, I had some huge Essex Burgundy news: two French producers will be collaborating with Essex vineyards. The Burgundians are coming!