Antoine Frachon's Wine List

Autumn & Winter Wine Selections

As the days grow shorter and the air turns crisp, autumn and winter are an invitation to reach for wines with depth, structure, and character like the 2023 Bourgogne Blanc Jean-Marc Boillot. A rich style, buttery with a subtle minerality, it strikes a perfect balance between brightness and texture. It’s ideal alongside mushroom risotto, a creamy squash soup or just a glass next to the fire.

If you feel a bit more adventurous and want to discover something new, 2023 Lirac Cuvée de la Reine des Bois Blanc Domaine de la Mordorée is an opulent blend of Rhône valley white grapes. A nose of stone fruits with hints of pineapple and spice — and an invitation for scallops or creamy poultry.

Since these are the seasons of long meals and wool blankets, I know I will be drinking a few bottles of 2022 Rasteau Les Coteaux Domaine des Escaravailles during the next few months. This Grenache-driven red from the Southern Rhône is rich and warming, with black fruit, garrigue, and spice. Perfect for slow-cooked meats, lamb stew, or roasted root vegetables. Rasteau’s natural power and rustic charm make it a comforting companion on chilly nights.

Now, it can be winter or summer, this doesn’t change my love for Sangiovese. Charming, robust and gracious at the same time, the 2021 Chianti Classico Riserva Bugialla Poggerino has still a few years ahead but already starts to show all its expressions. Structured and soulful, this shows the elegance of Chianti Classico with dark cherry, leather, and herbs. A Riserva with finesse and ageability, it shines with pasta al ragù, wild boar, or roast duck.

And to remember the warm days of summer, the 2019 Les Terrasses Domaine Richeaume from Provence offers depth and intensity with dark berries, tobacco, and subtle spices. The 2019 is drinking beautifully now, with supple tannins and a long finish. Pair it with braised beef, lentil stew, aged cheeses or sip it while winning a Trivial Pursuit game with the family.

No winter wine list is complete without Champagne — and also because I have one rule: there is always a cold bottle of champagne in my house. Never for long though, but the Marc Hébrart Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut 1er Cru is the lucky one currently living in my fridge. This is tense, precise, with citrus, almond, brioche notes and dangerously easy drinking.

With these wines at your side, autumn and winter are not to be endured — they are to be savoured!

David Porter in the vines
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