Running away

Clos d’Yvigne is an interesting wine. It’s maker, Patricia Atkinson, had moved to France without planning on being a winemaker, knowing anything about it, or speaking French, but a series of unfortunate events, documented in her books, The Ripening Sun and La Belle Saison, meant that winemaking seemed like a sensible way forward.

I had a bottle of Clos d’Yvigne ‘Princesse de Cleves’ 2005 Bergerac Blanc Sec 2005. It’s made from a happy blend of sauvignon blanc, sémillon and muscadelle. It’s a pale lemon colour with good legs.

It smells fresh and fruity with a quite intense hit of florality. It’s dry, with a mineral acidity. It feels surprisingly full in the mouth with lots of lemons and grapefruits and some slightly bitter grassiness.

13.5% alcohol adds to the fullness, but is well balanced into the wine. It’s good with food as it stands up well. We had it with grilled tuna.

It costs around £6-7, which probably includes about a quid for the added romanticism of planning your own escape to run your own vineyard in the sun. It’s worth it.