I don’t know about you but I’m now comfortably back in the saddle after a serious but ultimately doomed attempt at dry January. My corkscrew and I are inseparable friends once more and it’s as if I’d never been away. Wet February here I come!
I ache for uncorking time — which Mrs Ray and I have currently set to 7 p.m., with an option to bring it forward an hour if either of us is struggling. I have a daily mantra as I ready myself for yet another night stuck chez nous. Wine is made to be drunk… it’s good for us (I know, I know, in moderation)… we need our pleasures… no need to go crazy… break yourself in gently… drink less but better… such God-given delights are there to be enjoyed… and so on.
The 2019 Famille Tiollier Jacquère (1) is ideal for setting the ball rolling. The Tiolliers have made wine at Domaine de l’Idylle in the mountain vineyards of Savoie in the far east of France for almost 200 years. Their speciality is Jacquère, a highly prized local grape, and this example is enticingly crisp, lively and invigorating. With hints of spring blossom and green apples, it’s fresh as a mountain daisy and, at just 11.5% vol, perfect aperitif fare. £11.50 down from £12.50.
A delectable all-French selection from Yapp Bros ideal for wet February
The biodynamically produced 2019 Domaine l’Ancienne Cure ‘Jour de Fruit’ (2) from Bergerac in the Dordogne is similarly alluring. I’m always in two minds about dry Sauvignon Blanc/Sémillon blends, but when I sampled this I wondered why. Aromatic, herbal and citrusy, with a refreshing, slightly creamy finish, it firmly commits one to a second glass. £12.25 down from £13.25.
The 2019 Domaine André Vatan ‘Les Perriers’ Sancerre (3) is spot-on, absolute blue chip and a cornerstone of the Yapps’ list since they discovered it in 1972. It’s juicy, zesty, nettly, grassy, minerally, rounded (entirely Sauvignon Blanc, of course) and just so drinkable. £17.50 down from £18.50.
We offered a previous vintage of the 2015 Ch. Milhau-Lacugue ‘Cuvée Magali’ (4) several months ago and this incarnation is as fine as ever, proving what corking value there is to be found in the Languedoc. A blend of Cinsault, Grenache and Syrah from near Béziers in the AOC of St-Chinian, it’s fresh, juicy and concentrated, with a dusting of heady herbs and peppery spice plus decent bottle age. £11.75 down from £12.75.
The 2016 Ch. La Brande (5) from Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux, east of St–Emilion, is equally on song. A blend of old-vine Merlot, Cab Franc, Cab Sauv and a whisper of Petit Verdot, it’s full of lavish, succulent dark berry fruit with a long, savoury finish. It’s really great-value claret. £15.50 down from £16.50.
The 2019 Domaine Jasmin ‘La Chevalière’ (6) from Collines Rhodaniennes in the northern Rhône is glorious. Patrick Jasmin makes exemplary Côte Rôtie — the current vintage sells for £49 a bottle; and this early-drinking, almost identical blend of rich, ripe Syrah, plus splash of aromatic Viognier, is a comparative steal. With plum/cherry fruit and plenty of spice, it’s soft and approach-able and — from a first-rate vintage — deeply satisfying. £16.50 down from £17.50.
Finally, Yapp Bros being the 2019 International Wine Challenge Rhône Specialist of the Year, a peach of a Châteauneuf-du-Pape offer limited to just 50 three-bottle wooden boxes containing one bottle each of 2014 Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Le Vieux Donjon, 2017 Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Le Vieux Donjon and 2019 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc, Père Caboche. Le Vieux Donjon doesn’t faff around with different cuvées but concentrates on making one wine: benchmark Châteauneuf. As for white CNdP, it comprises just 5 per cent of production; and that of Père Caboche is the rarest, tastiest of gems. £99 per box, including delivery.
The mixed case has two bottles each of wine 1-6 and delivery, as ever, is free.
Order today.
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