Mick O'Connell | Domaine Ricardelle de Lautrec, Lionel Boutie, Pet Nat, 2024

Mick  O'Connel's  Wines of the Week

"It's that time of year when our vinous thoughts turn bubbly. From prosecco to pet-nat, cava to champagne, fizz spans an incredibly broad range of styles, offering something for every palate. Sparkling wine can be fun and fruity, bursting with youthful energy, or complex and toasty, shaped by long ageing and autolytic endeavour. Depending on your own rendition of Auld Lang Syne, the right bottle can set the tone for the countdown. Prosecco, in its frivolous, frolicking nature, is designed to be consumed by the boat/pint load When I was a lad, cava across the board was champagne-facing. Now, at the entry level end of the spectrum, it is very much prosecco-facing, while the top end stays pointing to the north of France. Pet-nat, with its colourful labels and beer-bottle cap closures, brings a wild, playful counterpoint to the more classic champagne, cremant and English fizz."

Domaine Ricardelle de Lautrec, Lionel Boutie, Pet Nat

"Sometimes scoring a wine out of 100 points really misses the point. This wine is all about fun and on that front, it's 100/100. A party wine with more subtle fizz than Champagne, this is made from chardonnay. If you want to find complex- ity and interest you can, but this is all about joie de vivre"

90pts