Domaine Ratte, L'Aristocratte Macvin CULT Place: Châteauneuf-du-Pape

Place: Châteauneuf-du-Pape

A serious contender for picnic wine of the year

Who would've thought that a Cali winemaker would be pumping out some squeaky clean zero-zero bottlings from Burgundy's best sites

This is Vermentino with a bit of flesh on the bones

Domaine Ratte, L'Aristocratte Macvin CULT Place: Châteauneuf-du-PapePlace: Jura, France Grape: Savagnin + Chardonnay Vibe: Finesse If it looks like a Macvin from the Jura, if its made like a Macvin from the Jura, if it tastes as good as a Macvin from the Jura its a Vin de Liqueur. Macvin in all but name, thanks to appellation bureaucracy. Classic in style, its all prunes and praline, with the sweetness nicely tempered by a vein of acidity. In the Jura, Macvin is drunk as an apritif Something I really wish would catch