The Rives-Blanques “simply heart-breaking”  Chardonnay, Odyssée, was put at the head of the class of white wines from the Languedoc with 18 points, and it “gets better every year”, says Tamlyn Currin, Jancis Robinson’s talented taster in charge of this massive three-part region-wide tasting.

“It has become more and more sculpted every year, but never sacrificing structure for purity, or purity for fruit. I tasted this, the first time, in a line-up of Languedoc whites commanding double or more in price. It soared above them, effortlessly”, she said.

“When it comes to fizz in the south of France, Limoux is undisputed queen, producing three quite different styles” she explained.  “I’m watching Rives-Blanques with great interest here because their  new sparkling cuvée, Saphir is a stunning wine,” she said.  “Still wines have always been their métier; are they going to start being known for their fizz?”

Her tasting notes  are a delight to read,  “A wine that, for me, symbolises 2021 – the light at the end of a long, dark tunnel”, she said of Saphir, perfectly encapsulating the surge of optimism carried by fine, fresh  bubbles