Sarrat de Goundy, Le Planteur Blanc 2025

Get to know: Sarrat de Goundy, Le Planteur Blanc

Bourboulenc from La Clape, nine months in French oak - a white wine from the Languedoc coast with the weight to sit down at the table.

Tasting Note

A remarkable wine. Deep gold with a green edge in the glass. The palate is round and full with a line of freshness running straight down the middle of it, and the flavour keeps going - honey, beeswax, candied lemon, fresh walnuts, all arriving slowly. Nine months in older oak and time on the spent yeast lees give it real drive and tension, with pear and star anise pushing outward on a long finish. This has the weight to go with a variety of food - tacos, pizza, ramen, a chicken burger - it's not just a wine to sip alone. Though we wouldn't stop you.

Top food pairings:

• Lemon and herb roast chicken
• Charred leeks with hazelnuts and olive oil
• Pasta carbonara

Kate Says

"This wine is a noticeable step up from Sarat de Goundy's Le Marin. With 9 months in older oak and stirring of the fine lees it's more serious with intensity and power that make it a wine ideal for sharing with the right food. It is remarkable that Olivier makes this on a limestone highland massif that was an island until the Middle Ages - it has this ferocious climate. If you like white Rioja, Burgundy or simply wines with a story - give this a try."

Producer Info

Sarrat de Goundy farm in AOC La Clape, near Armissan, where there are only 778 hectares of vines in the entire appellation. Olivier Calix is the third generation - his father Claude bought the first vineyard in 1966, and the estate started bottling under its own label in 2000. Olivier spent eight years in Barcelona and Bilbao studying art history before coming home in 2003, and runs the place now with his mother Rosy. Their vineyards experience an unusually large amount of sunshine -  over 3,000 hours a year, and very little rainfall (under 600mm annually.) The strong winds bring sea salt carried in off the Gulf of Lion which give the wines a subtle, saline, savoury edge. Producing wine here is a single-minded pursuit of the good and the beautiful. We're very grateful that Olivier is committed to it.

How it's made:

• Hand-harvested, with no sulphites added at picking
• Traditional vinification at low temperature, with no added yeast
• Nine months in French oak barrels
• Stirred on the fine lees through ageing, for texture and length

Good to know:

• Region: AOC La Clape, Languedoc, France
• Grape: Bourboulenc 70%, Roussanne 20%, Grenache Blanc 5%, Macabeo 5%
• Style: White, still, medium- to full-bodied, oaked
• Closure: Cork
• Vegan: Not supplied
• ABV: 12.5%
• Vintage: 2025

Why we love it:

A serious Languedoc white wine from one of France's youngest appellations, and priced like a wine with far less work behind it. Pour it with a roast chicken and watch it hold its own against wines twice the money.