SPECTATOR WINE CLUB
Simon Hoggart
We rejoin one of our favourite partners this month. Robin Yapp, the firm’s founder, has now retired, but his son Jason and stepson Tom continue to run Yapp Bros in Mere, Wiltshire, specialising in parcels of wine from small vineyards and dedicated growers. All these wines are French — two have great and famous names, but the other four are less well-known. Picture sleepy French villages, farm tracks leading past rows of neatly pruned vines, a curl of smoke from the cottage chimney as the vigneron’s wife prepares a tempting daube... Sorry, carried away there. To make these wines even more agreeable Jason has knocked off a further 5 per cent. Delivery is free — an increasing bonus as petrol and insurance prices rise. Delicious wines brought to your door by a liveried driver — so much nicer than raiding the supermarket shelves every time you need a bottle.
First up is a delicious young, crisp, lemony white from south-west France. The Dom. Millet from the Côtes de Gascogne 2007 (1) is made by the Dèche family who used to produce Armagnac, but went into table wine when the market for premium brandy fell. A perfect pick-me-up after work, or to drink with fish or white meat. It’s a zestful, cheery drop, and reduced to £6.41.
I loved the Viognier 2007 (2) from the Ardèche Co-op in the town of Ruoms. Viognier is one of the oldest grapes in the world, but it has recently been revived with huge success and is now fashionable with people who like to show off, such as me. I can say, ‘It’s a not a Condrieu, I’m afraid, but at roughly one fifth the price, I think you’ll be rather tickled.’ Melons, lychees, flowers — this is a wine with real perfume, but because it’s bone dry you can also enjoy it with food. Very good value at £7.36.
Our classic white is Pouilly Fumé Les Loges 2007 (3), a great blast of rich, sumptuous Sauvignon Blanc. Actually people rarely call Sauvignons ‘sumptuous’ — they’re more often slate, grass and gooseberries — but this is deliciously rounded and full. Juicier than the neighbouring Sancerre, and one of the nicest Loire wines I’ve had in a long time. It’s reduced to £11.16.
Now the reds. They are all from southern France, and all give you some idea of the tremendous improvements they’ve made in that part of the world. The Petit Caboche 2007 (4) from the Vaucluse, just north of Avignon, is made by the Boisson family. They used to combine wine-making with work as blacksmiths — Caboche is their family nickname, and is an old Provençal word for horseshoe nails, a fact you can ponder as you happily sip at this lovely soft, velvety, spicy wine. It manages to be both powerful and gentle at the same time. I liked it very much. Reduced to £6.51.
Given that 60 per cent of the Ch. Valcombe 2004 is also made from the Grenache grape, it’s intriguing how different this is. It comes from the Côtes de Ventoux, just east of the Rhone valley. It is slightly lighter than the Caboche, but nevertheless has a complex and even elegant character. Liquorice is there, along with sour cherries, vanilla, wild flowers and raspberries. Tremendous value at £8.31.
I call the Vacqueyras a classic, though the appellation wasn’t set up until 1990. Until then the wines were just among the very finest of the Côtes du Rhone Villages, close in style and quality to Châteauneuf-du-Pape. I’ve always been a huge fan. The flavours, which include red fruit, leather, pepper and even smoke, seem to leap out of the glass. This example, the Cuvée Spéciale 1999 from Pascal Frères, is particularly good, and of course the nine years it’s been maturing have given it a wonderful depth. A gorgeous wine, down in price to £10.40.
You can buy each wine by the case, or try the mixed sample case. Delivery is still free, thank goodness. D
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