Jonathan Ray
Wine Club: a platinum selection from Yapp Bros – plus a trio of fine English fizz
We got away with it! I wasn’t actually there, of course (and if I was, I didn’t realise) but I can report that our inaugural Spectator Wine Club BYOB/Wine Time Friday lunch passed off without a hitch. There was no excessive boozing, no fighting, no vomiting, no karaoke and definitely no poor treatment of security and cleaning staff. There was just plenty of fun. (So much so that we’ve another lined up for Friday 9 September, if you’re interested.)
Of course, the past masters at vinous fun are those naughty Yapp Bros, Jason and Tom (step-bros to be exact). They rootle out wonderful, well-priced wines that others overlook and some of my favourite bottles have been enjoyed in their company. Their choice of venue is sometimes suspect but their choice of wine is invariably impeccable, as this selection shows.
The 2019 Aubert Vouvray Blanc Sec (1) makes a welcome return having not featured here since the 2014 vintage. Father and son Jean-Claude and Didier Aubert celebrate their family’s 200th anniversary of Loire Valley winemaking next year, and their Vouvrays have a devoted following. I particularly enjoy this dry, unoaked version for its apple freshness, its faint honeyed notes and its lively finish. It’s the perfect pre-lunch pick-me-up, especially after a long night in nearby Tours and a best-forgotten stop at Le Triangle d’Or. Or so Tom tells me. £13.95 down from £14.95. (Stocks of the 2019 are limited, and we’ll move on to the equally tasty 2020 in due course.)
The 2020 Klumpp Auxerrois (2) from Baden, Germany, might seem rather removed from the Yapps’ usual hunting grounds but I see exactly why they snapped it up. A French grape from vineyards just over the Rhine from Alsace, it has that seductive Alsacien approachability and drinkability and is fresh and crisp yet rounded and supple, too, in a delightful honeyed white stone fruit Pinot Blanc/Pinot Gris kind of way. £18.50 down from £19.50.
The 2020 Domaine Maby ‘La Fermade’ Lirac Rosé (3) serves as a delectable reminder that there are fine rosés to be found beyond Provence. A Cinsault/Grenache blend from vineyards near Avignon, it’s made by Richard Maby (one of Guide Hachette des Vins’ 2021 Winemakers of the Year) and has weighty red-berry fruit, a touch of spice and a long refreshing finish. £14.50 down from £15.50.
The 2021 Domaine Girard Pinot Noir (4), from fifth-generation winemakers in the windswept western Languedoc, might not have masses of character but, goodness, the bottle didn’t last long. Pinots from low-lying areas here can be hideously overcooked but this, from vineyards high in the Pyrenean foothills, is light, fresh and engaging and utterly charming when chilled. £13.25 down from £14.25.
The 2020 Domaine l’Ancienne Cure ‘Jour de Fruit’ Bergerac Rouge (5) is a Merlot/Cab Franc blend (organic) with mouth-filling ripeness and succulence. Dordogne reds used to be notoriously dull and insipid whereas now they’re bang on song and cracking value – especially compared to equivalent quality Bordeaux. £13.75 down from £14.75.
The 2019 Domaine de Durban Beaumes de Venise Rouge (6) might surprise devotees of sweet Muscat de Beaumes de Venise because, yes, they make dry reds too. And this old-vine Grenache/Syrah/Mourvèdre blend is a fabulous example, crammed with rich, dark, concentrated bramble fruit, liquorice and spice. £14.50 down from £15.50.
Finally, an exquisite trio of fine English fizz (7) comprising one bottle each of the 2018 Busi Jacobsohn Cuvée, the 2018 Busi Jacobsohn Rosé Extra Brut and the 2018 Busi Jacobsohn Blanc de Noirs. Despite the name (owners Douglas and Susanna Busi Jacobsohn are Swedish/Italian), these wines are English through and through, grown and made in the perfect conditions of the High Weald near Tunbridge Wells. Completely delicious, they’re ideal for toasting the Platinum Jubilee. £125.
The mixed case has two bottles each of wines 1-6 and delivery, as ever, is free.