It was Mrs Ray’s birthday the other day. Or rather it was what she now terms her birthday week – seven days during which flags fly, trumpets sound, corks pop and she can do no wrong.
I find it all quite exhausting. It’s not just the running up and down with cups of tea and gins and tonic, nor the plumping up of the sofa in preparation for another of her box sets, nor the cooking, it’s the firm ‘We have to/we can’t: it’s my birthday week’ that begins to pall.
Happily one of Mrs R’s demands is no chore: fine champagne, of which we drank gallons during the 168-hour celebrations.
Just when you think it’s all about ripe tropical fruit, a hint of citrus, herbs or even briny salt hits you
One of the very finest was Champagne Geoffroy ‘Expression’ Brut NV (1), a staple of Armit Wines, our partners this week. The Geoffroy family have grown grapes in the Marne Valley since the 17th century and made fine fizz since the 1950s. This, a Pinot Meunier/Pinot Noir-rich blend based largely on the 2018 vintage, is a complete joy – full, rounded, honeyed and toasty, backed with a crisp freshness. £32.20 down from £40.20.
The Champagne Gimonnet Cuis 1er Cru NV (2) makes a beautiful counterpoint, being 100 per cent Côtes des Blancs Chardonnay, drawn from six different vintages. Citrusy, apple-y and fresh with the finest of mousses, it’s tiptop champers and no mistake. £37.80 down from £47.20.
As you know, the Spectator Wine Club is heading to Budapest and Tokaj in June, and we’ll make a beeline for the charming 2021 Ch. Dereszla Dry Tokaji (3). Made from 100 per cent Furmint, vinified completely dry, it’s light, elegant, succulent and a very cheering price. £11.40 down from £14.
I can’t remember when I last drank a straight Semillon, and the 2021 Mendel Semillon (4) made me wonder why. Best known as part of the dry and sweet whites of Bordeaux, here in the high-altitude, melt-water-fed vineyards of Argentina’s Mendoza, Semillon has produced a gorgeously moreish wine full of ripe, juicy pears, guava, lemons and honey. A tiny touch of new oak just adds to the complexity. £16 down from £19.80.
I love Kiwi Sauvignon Blanc and was a pushover for the 2022 Astrolabe Kekerengu Coastal Sauvignon Blanc (5), from Marl-borough. Part barrel-, part steel-fermented, it’s wonderfully multilayered, and just when you think it’s all about ripe tropical fruit, a hint of citrus, herbs or even briny salt hits you and you dive in for another gulp. £18.24 down from £22.80.
The 2020 Domaine de la Pousterle Lub-eron Rouge (6) from Arnaud and Isabelle Strasser – owners of the Michelin-starred La Mère Germaine in Châteauneuf-du-Pape – is an exuberantly enjoyable (and organic) Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre blend. Full of juicy dark fruit, wild roses and spice, it’s cracking value at this knockdown price. £15.20 down from £19.
The 2020 Bodega Alegre Valgañon Rioja Tinto (7) harks back to Rioja’s past, being a traditionally made blend of old vine Tempranillo and Garnacha aged in old oak vats for 16 months (but outside the usual Crianza/Reserva/Gran Reserva system). With herbal hedgerow fruit, a touch of spice and a long, satisfying finish, it’s bang on. Only 1,800 hand-bottled cases made. £16.20 down from £20.20.
Finally, something of a curiosity and a bit of a punt, the 2021 Terroir Sense Fronteres Negre (8). Not everyone will like it, but I did and so did the birthday girl, who lapped it up. Made from old-vine Garnacha grown in the foothills of the Serra de Montsant, north-east Spain, it’s so pale as to be almost a rosé, and so silky smooth as to be almost a Pinot. With fresh red berry fruit, hints of wildflowers and herbs, I found it completely charming. £17.50 down from £21.80.
Wines 1 and 2 are offered in unmixed boxes of six and the mixed case has two bottles each of wines 3-8. Delivery is free.
Order online or download an order form.
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