I keep pinching myself. After the misery of the last 18 months, things really do seem to be on the up. Everyone I know is double-jabbed, they’re all desperate to carouse and I’ve been out on the toot five nights (and three lunches) on the bounce. Spurs beat mighty Man City in their season opener (fnarr, fnarr), Joe Root got 180 at Lord’s (I was there), no. 2 son nailed his A-levels, I got a parking ticket overturned and — saving the best for last — Tanners of Shrewsbury are back in the warm embrace of the Spectator Wine Club. Landlord, drinks all round!
Family-owned and run since 1842, Tanners are one of the UK’s leading independent merchants and it has been too long since we joined forces. I’m thrilled they’re back. And with generations-long relationships with growers and producers, nothing shows what Tanners are about better than their formidable house range, highlights of which we offer here. It was certainly a brow-furrowing task narrowing the selection down.
The 2020 Tanners Gascony Dry White (1), made by the Béraut family of Domaine de Pellehaut (of Armagnac fame), is a real snip. Complex it ain’t, but charming it is, full of fresh lively, lemony, dry to off-dry exotic fruit. £8.50 down from £8.80.
It was certainly a brow-furrowing task narrowing the selection down
The 2020 Tanners Sauvignon Blanc (2) is made expressly for Tanners by Francois Lurton, no less, in the Languedoc. Crisp, clean and dry with hints of cut grass and gooseberries, it makes a wonderfully uncomplicated yet satisfying aperitif. £9.00 down from £9.50.
The 2020 Tanners White Burgundy (3) comes from the much-lauded, century-old Cave de Viré co-operative near Mâcon. You might know them for their stunning sparkling Crémant de Bourgogne and this is similarly tasty and well-crafted. The gentlest touch of oak enhances fresh, ripe Chardonnay lending a whisper of cream, butter and melon. £12.00 down from £12.50.
The 2018 Tanners Douro Red (4) comes from the heart of Portugal’s Douro Valley, Europe’s last great wilderness. It’s a glorious spot better known for its ports, of course, but increasingly for its rich, ripe, luscious reds such as this, blended from the major port varieties. It’s one for the last barbecue of summer or the first game of autumn. £8.50 down from £8.80.
The 2019 Tanners Rhône Valley Red (5) from Gonnet Père & Fils is ridiculously drinkable. Indeed, Mrs Ray and I polished off a bottle so quickly we couldn’t understand where it had gone. Down our blooming gullets, that’s where. A typical blend of Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault and Mourvèdre, it’s soft, smooth, juicy and spicy and I love it. £11.00 down from £11.50.
Made by the fabled Nicolas Potel in the depths of the Côte d’Or, the 2019 Tanners Red Burgundy (6) is full of juicy, red’n’ black cherries, plums and damsons with gentle tannins and a hint of savoury spice. You couldn’t ask for more. £16.00 down from £16.80.
The Tanners Extra Reserve Champagne NV Brut (7) is such a head-turning beauty and such a great price (half what you’d pay for most Grandes Marques) that I insisted we include it. Based on Pinot Meunier, it’s fresh, creamy, biscuity and toasty, and you’d struggle to find a better-value champers. £22.50 down from £25.50.
Finally, we’ve a bona fide bin-end in the form of the glorious 2018 Viré-Clessé, Les Héritiers du Comte Lafon (8). Again, I thought it unmissable, an exquisitely balanced, once-it’s-gone-it’s-gone biodynamic white burgundy from Domaine du Comte Lafon, a producer who surely needs no introduction to canny wine-loving Speccie readers. £25.00 down from £26.50
The mixed case has two bottles each of wines 1-6. Wine 7 is available by the six–bottle box if you buy a dozen of something else, and wine 8 is available on a first come, first served basis, irrespective of any other purchase. Delivery, as ever, is free.
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