Alo Vert Imperial 2024

A fifty-fifty blend of Picpoul and Roussanne from the Languedoc near Pézenas, made by Maison Boutinot under winemaker Guillaume Létang. The Picpoul brings zippy green fruit and citrus, the Roussanne delicate herbal notes and texture; white flowers on the nose lift into bright, lively acidity that makes it almost thirst-quenching. Fermented cool in stainless steel, then aged six months on fine lees — three quarters in tank, the rest in older French oak barrels — for a wine of intensity and freshness.

The vines grow on a mix of garrigue and limestone near Pézenas, a short way from the Thau lagoon. That stretch of water matters. Maritime air off the lagoon holds the acidity and freshness that the blend depends on. It is a small pocket of white grapes in country otherwise given over to red.

The label carries the formula Al2O3 and a sapphire. Both point to aluminium oxide in the local ground, the mineral that forms sapphires under heat and pressure. Guillaume Létang found these parcels while scouting vineyards most of the trade had never heard of.

Pour it cold with oysters, prawns, crab or scallops. Grilled or poached white fish, sea bass in particular, is the other natural match.