I fear Jason Yapp is slowing up a bit. The co-proprietor (with step-brother Tom Ashworth) of Yapp Bros is notorious for his love of long lunches so I felt more than a little short-changed when, last week, he dashed for the early train before the digestif trolley had even slipped its moorings and steamed into view.
Last time, lunch went on until midnight and so impressed were the restaurant’s staff that we received a guard of honour on departure and a free umbrella. No such luck on this occasion. Still, the Yapps’ wines remain resolutely on song and we dipped our beaks into some crackers, six of which I present to you here with hearty commendation.
A fine French medley from Yapp Bros
I adore the white wines of the Rhône Valley and not just for their rarity (they comprise just 6 per cent of the region’s production). I love them because they’re so darn tasty and the 2017 Domaine Saint Gayan, Côtes du Rhône Villages Sablet, ‘l’Oratory’ (1) is a perfect example. A blend of Viognier, Bourboulenc, Clairette, Roussanne and Grenache Blanc grown on vineyards just north of Gigondas, it’s fresh and lively with hints of honeysuckle and a fine underlying acidity. It’s everything I want from a wine this price. £13.50 down from £14.50.
If white Rhônes are rare then the whites of Chinon in the Loire Valley are even rarer, comprising just 2 per cent of production. Made from Chenin Blanc, the 2018 Domaine Raffault Chinon (2) is fresh, vibrant and uncomplicated. It sees no oak and is marked by great purity of lightly honeyed fruit and a zesty acidity. It makes an ideal aperitif and scores highly on my patented Drinkability Scale. £13.95 down from £14.95.
And as for the 2017 Alain Graillot Crozes-Hermitage Blanc (3), well, it’s one of my desert island wines. Indeed, I included a previous vintage when updating the late, great Simon Hoggart’s book, Life’s Too Short to Drink Bad Wine. A blend of Marsanne (mainly) and Roussanne, it’s peachy, apricotty and delightfully creamy with the sweet fruit that floods the mouth finishing perfectly dry. It’s a staple at my favourite West End watering hole — Bellamy’s in Bruton Place — and supports the view of le patron, Gavin Rankin, that wines — as with dogs and their owners — resemble their producers. Given that both Alain Graillot and his C-H Blanc are elegant, sophisticated and ever so slightly reserved, I can’t help but agree. £22.25 down from £24.75.
The 2018 Domaine de Roquemale ‘Meli Melo’ (4) is what JY terms a vin de soif, a succulent red that screams ‘Drink me!’ Soft, fruity and easy-going, it’s an organic Vin de Pays d’Herault made from old vine Alicante Bouschet, Syrah and Cinsault which never fails to delight. £12.25 down from £13.25.
The 2018 Domaine Filliatreau Ch. Fouquet (5), a 100 per cent Cabernet Franc from Saumur, is similarly beguiling. It’s more a lunchtime than a dinnertime wine and none the worse for that. Indeed, I knocked back a bottle during lunch only last Sunday. I had a little bit of unsolicited help, it’s true — Mrs Ray is annoying like that — but I like to think I could have managed all on my own thanks, so fresh, fruity and full of ripe and sour cherry flavours is it. £13.95 down from £14.95.
Finally, the 2017 Domaine Richeaume Tradition (6), a weightier and more complex proposition altogether. A blend of Syrah, Merlot, Cab Sauv, Grenache and Tempranillo, it’s produced in Provence by Sylvain Hoesch who trained under the fabled Paul Draper at Ridge Vineyards in California. It’s big, bold, brooding and intense, and still needs bottle age. If you enjoy cult wines such as Trévallon, Mas de Daumas Gassac and Grange des Pères, you’ll lap it up. It’s spicy, rich and warming and well worth stashing away. £17.00 down from £19.50.
The mixed case has two bottles of each wine and delivery, as ever, is free.
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