Wine of the week: a perfect sauvignon blanc

2017 Blanc Fum de Pouilly, Barre Mine, Michel Redde et Fils, Loire, France£37.50, Goedhuis & Co, 020-7793 7900, goedhuis.com

Since then, I have been playing a game trying to think of a finer wine made from this oft-derided grape. I cannot think of a single one that combines all of the epic sauvignon-blanc attributes in a single wine. Pavillon Blanc du Chteau Margaux; Haut-Brion Blanc (OK, this has semillon on board); Gembrook Hill; early Cloudy Bay; countless Chavignols from Cotat; Redde's own wines; Cantina Terlano; Colterenzio; Reverdy; Spottswoode; Casa Marn; Daguenea; Dog Point; Te Whare Ra; The Berrio; Iona; Via Leyda; Dry Creek Vineyard; Larry Cherubino's epic 2017; The Lane Vineyard's Gathering (again with semillon loitering with intent); Shaw & Smith; Cape Point Vineyards; Duckhorn; Greywacke; Boulay; Pell and on and on all these wines are fantastic sauvignon blancs, but none of them are as complete nor as enchanting as 2017 Barre Mine.

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The cosmic balance and inescapable magic made it a perfect 20/20 in my tasting notes. Barre Mine translates as Crowbar. Never has such a blunt instrument inspired such an exquisite flavour. It is finally in the UK and Goedhuis only has 25 cases, so hurry.

Matthew Jukes is a winner of the International Wine & Spirit Competition's Communicator of the Year (matthewjukes.com)

Matthew Jukes has been the MoneyWeek wine correspondent since 2006.

He has worked in the UK wine business for well over three decades and during this time has written 14 wine books. His four highly-acclaimed, annual wine reports – the Burgundy En Primeur Report, the Bordeaux En Primeur Report, the Piemonte Report and the 100 Best Australian Wines – are published on his website.

Matthew is a winner of the International Wine and Spirit Competition's Communicator of the Year Trophy. His thoughts, recommendations and tastings notes are followed very closely by the wine world at large.