SPECTATOR WINE CLUB
Oomph and panache
Auberon Waugh
The price of the mixed case, which aver- ages out at the rather high figure of £5.89 the bottle, has been upset by the Sancerre Domaine du Nozayo) 1992 at £7.95. Many will remember the 1990 vintage of this splendid wine, which I offered in June 1992 at £6.57. I think the 1992 is even better, with more oomph and panache than the 1990, which drove half the members of the Academy into a state of infantile depen- dence. But improved quality is not the rea- son for the price rise, of course. Oh dear! I hope all those who cheered Mr Lamont's discomfiture at the time feel thoroughly ashamed of themselves now. But the dis- counted prices of £7.45 for the Sancerre and £5.39 for the sample case bring every- thing back into proportion. Let us all bless Adam Brett-Smith and his saving Indulgence.
The Aldridge Semillon-Chardonnayw is a good find by Corney & Barrow at a time when the market is being flooded with oily, blowsy, over-oaked chardonnays from Aus- tralia. This blend has masses of high-class taste with a beautiful, crisp, clear finish. The worst criticism would include a men- tion of biscuits, but a good acid level enables it to carry any vanilla tendency very well. It is not so much a question of the very best biscuits as a thoroughly good wine whose semillon element enables it to be at the same time rich, full and easy. A very good buy at £5, a serious bargain at £4.50.
The next wine needs taking with more care. Corney and Barrow's Bourgogne Chardonnay 'Les Roches'm comes from a single vineyard in Meursault. It has none of the big, buttery qualities we all expect from a chardonnay. On first tasting, it had an elegance and a subtlety of character which made it almost elusive, as if it had fallen off the end of the chardonnay spectrum leav- ing a faint fragrance of apples behind. On second tasting, a few months later, it had lengthened and deepened. It remains a wine whose charms may be too subtle for those accustomed to the chardonnays of California and the southern hemisphere. It is delicious now at £5.66 (£5.16 discounted) and will grow more positive every month.
At £7.95 the Sancerre Domaine du Nozayo) is already a pound under list price, and at £7.45, discounted, it is a joke. This is France's answer to those ultra-herbaceous New Zealand sauvignons. This one is plump and racy, almost sweet in the mid- dle; its first smell reminded us all of hot wax — pleasant, if odd, and certainly not what one expects from a sancerre. But it is a lovely and exceptional wine which should not be missed at any price.
Now for the reds. The first and cheapest, called Domaine de Plaisance,made me want to laugh. It is very agreeable to drink, and at £3.88, discounted, would be brilliant for young people's parties, but I wondered initially if it was not a bit too light and play- ful for people of my age. Pale — almost pink — it has no tannin, but a good rich smell of mulberries or plums, a hint of sweet tobacco . . . it comes from Thezard- Perricard in south-west France. What is remarkable about this ripe, inexpensive wine is its purity. With no hint of chemicals on the palate, it stood up for three full days after opening, slowly developing a Beaujo- lais style with rose-petal overtones. Older drinkers should treat it with respect — it is made chiefly from the cot, otherwise known as malbec grape — and every teenager in the country will go wild over it.
Next an old friend, the Château Richo- tey(5) from J.P. Moueix. Rich, dark black chocolate. I have been drinking and offer- ing this Fronsac for years, but I think the 1990 is the best yet. In fact 1990 seems to have been a wonderful year in Bordeaux altogether. Eheu fugacesi Excellent strong taste, no rats' tails, not too much tannin, young and lusty but clean. It will keep, which is just as well, if we reflect on the 1991s and 1992s. While it costs £5.83 and £5.33, it would be foolish not to snap it up.
Finally, the Simon Hackett Cabernet Sauvignono, from McLaren Vale, South Australia, had the whole panel cheering. Thick, rich and deep, no rough edges, no great complexity except that pervasive touch of cedar, it has the hint of residual sugar which I have come to appreciate in these Australian cousins of ours, as they begin to find their own feet, reject the monarchy, eat their own grandmothers etc.
I am not sure how Hackett's Cabernet will age, at any rate until it starts to dry out in about five years' time, but it is a seriously good, concentrated wine for the present.
The mixed caseo works out at £5.89 (£5.39 discounted) as I mentioned. A fogey wrote saying he was too old to try these New World wines. I thought of having a fogey's case of Nos 2, 3 and 5 (he was too old for 4), but decided against. These New World wines are seriously good, and it hurts no one to try them. If enough fogeys complain, I will brood further.
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