Last June, having completed his studies in commence in Lyon, he worked for ten days in the restaurant Nicolas le Bec. He was hooked...and he was lucky. Just a few weeks later he was sommelier of this fashionable, one star Michelin restaurant which is very much in its ascendancy. The skill of the chef Nicolas Le Bec has drawn much attention to the restaurant, but the wine list is equally appealing. Delorme adopted a 300 strong list of great names complied by the former sommelier Jean-Marc Lamour, the chef and businessman Monsieur Philippe Maire.

The calibre of the list is not surprising. On the last reckoning in December 2004 there was 150,000 Euros worth of wine in the cellar. This is large capital investment for a small and newish venture. (Nicolas Le Bec was established in December 2003). Delorme is conscious that everything he buys must sell and he was careful not want to fall into the trap of exclusively buying wine he liked, which might be too expensive for his customers. Hence he has created a catholic list to appeal to different palates, levels of knowledge and wallets. It is a concise list, heavy with names, but not a ponderous tome.

At lunchtime Nicolas le Bec bustles with young professionals who order a quick lunch and wine by the glass. In the evening, when the mood is more relaxed and indulgent, the restaurant attracts a knowledgeable group of regulars who are prepared to push the boat out, but also one-off customers celebrating a special occasion. While Nicolas Le Bec is undeniably smart, it is not a pretentious swags and silver kind of place which makes French dining out a bit of a performance. It is streamlined and contemporary, but comfortable. There is a separate room designated for smoking.

White

"Burgundy", says Delorme "is my first love, because it is easy to drink, particularly when it is young." By this, he explains. "It is not that Burgundy is simple, but it is always accessible, being lighter and fruitier, than young Bordeaux". This is a great virtue, in his opinion, not least for selling wine in a restaurant context.

Delorme recalls his first tasting Comte de Lafon's Santenots 1991. He was young at the time, and it made a great impression on him, shaping his taste in wine. Volnay is now a favourite village, because they seem " light, easy at first, but are very complex." He is fascinated by this complexity and by the diversity of terroir wine.

In the summer months Delorme frequently recommends Burgundy to clients. The finesse of Burgundy, he argues, is particularly well suited to summer ingredients, and the focus at Nicolas Le Bec is very seasonal. The lunchtime menu changes every day depending on what the chef finds in the market and the dinner menu changes monthly. Delorme likes to offer two white and two red Burgundies by the glass, together with four wines from the Rhone. He trials potential new wines this way such as the 2002 Pouilly Vinzelles, Domaine Souffrandière, which met with an enthusiastic response. The 2003 will soon appear on the list and will continue to be available by the glass this summer.

Delorme is fascinated by the different cultural identities of French wine regions and has wasted no time in getting under the skin of Burgundy. He has a story to tell about the domaines and particularly the people behind many of the wines on his list.