SPECTATOR WINE CLUB

Rare freaks of excellence

Auberon Waugh

Fleet Street's El Vino, long famous as the favourite haunt of Mr (now Sir) Lunchtime O'Booze, has always excelled in well-chosen, reasonably priced clarets. This was very nearly an all-bordeaux offer, until the extraordinary qualities of No.4 — the Domaine des Romarins, Cotes du Rhone, at its excellent price of £4.85 the bottle, demanded recognition. But the two stars of the offer, both from the miraculous year of 1990 — the Château La Combe des Dames at £5.90 and the Bourgeois Château Nodoz at £6.90 — are such beautiful wines at such an amazingly low price when compared to any other 1990s of comparable quality, that the serious wine-drinker should order 20 cases of each. He or she will never regret it. I would like to think that, long after I am dead, people will be rais- ing their glasses and toasting the Spectator Wine Club in these magnificent wines.

However, to start at the beginning, I sometimes receive letters from nice- sounding ladies asking why I practically never offer a sweet wine. The short answer is that the good ones are hideously expen- sive and the cheap ones are usually dis- gusting. This moellewc Premieres C6tes de Bordeaux(1) at £4.95 from someone called Pierre Dumontet has been dramatically reduced in price (from £5.75) because El Vino had accidentally duplicated its order. More importantly, the panel found real quality in it — not too heavy, uncloying, slight touch of marmalade, good as an aperitif or possibly with all the usual things — foie gras, fish in sweet sauce, roquefort cheese and mildly sugared puddings. I think I would keep it as an aperitif myself.

Next, a dry, white bordeaux. The Château La Nauze(2), despite its slightly Sartrean name, is a simple, fresh, clean blend of sauvignon and muscadelle, an old and rather rare cousin of muscatel, but in this case less strong-tasting than some of the excellent 1994 whites beginning to come out of Bergerac and northern Bor- deaux, but it is delicious in an unpreten- tious way. It will be particularly good if the weather gets hot. I have ordered a case against that eventuality, however remote it may seem.

El Vino's Communard(3) non-vintage bordeaux has always struck me as a better bet than Berry's Good Ordinary Claret, which one sees whenever people can't be bothered to make an effort. It is a high- class slurping wine at £4.20, light-coloured, no tannin, but good leafy, fruity taste. One member of the panel found eucalyptus, but I expect she was developing a cold. The Cotes du Rhone `Romarins' 1993(4), which weaselled its way into a bordeaux offer at £4.85, is an exceptionally good example of its genre — lively, fruity smell, taste of flowers in the mouth, very full middle which is more lavender than rose- mary. One can describe it as fancifully as one likes, but the truth remains that it is very good Cotes du Rhone at what is now an exceptionally cheap price.

Now for the two stars of the offer. The Château La Combe des Dames 1990(5) won colossal praise and high marks from the tasting panel at its extraordinarily low price of £5.90 (reduced from £6.15), with talk of leather and cedar, chocolate and fruit, but when I took it away to finish at dinner that evening the praise became less controlled. Scribbled in various hands on the label I see 'utterly delicious', 'Al', 'a lovely claret'. It is only an ordinary bor- deaux — not even a superieur — but it is one of those rare freaks of excellence which make the whole business of wine- tasting worthwhile.

Finally, the Château Nodoz(6) of the same glorious year is somewhat more expensive at £6.90 (reduced from £7.15). It is undoubtedly richer and stronger and might have a longer life ahead of it — both are brilliant for drinking now. Per- haps it is thought better to have a Cotes de Bourg label as well. Anybody who has been following bordeaux prices will know how cheap it is as soon as they have tasted it. Perhaps it is a slightly more complete wine than La Combe des Dames. I have bought the same amount of each, and can- not decide which I am the more pleased with.

The sample case works out at £5.34 the bottle. Don't ask me how. It is a little miracle.

ORDER FORM SPECTATOR WINE CLUB

cio El Vino Co. Ltd.

1 Hare Place, Fleet Street, EC4Y 1BJ Tel: (0171) 353 5384 Fax: (0171) 936 2367

Price No. Value White

Premieres Cotes de Bordeaux

Blanc 1993 12 Bots. £59.40

Chateau La Nauze 1994 12 Bots £63.00 Red

Communard (Bordeaux) 12 Bots. £50.40

Domaine des Romarins

(C6tes du Rhone) 1993 12 Bots. £58.20

Chateau La Combe des Dames

1990 12 Bots. 00.80

6 Chateau Nodoz, C6tes

de Bourg 1990 12 Bots. £82.80 Mixed 7. Sample case, two of each 12 Bots. £64.10

TOTAL (Cheque enclosed)

Please send wine to: Own name & address, if different: NAME NAME ADDRESS ADDRESS POSTCODE POSTCODE TELEPHONE TELEPHONE ACCESS/VISA NO EXPIRY DATE SIGNATURE Prices include VAT and delivery on the British mainland. Payment should be made either by cheque, with the order, payable to Spectator Wine Club, or by Access/Visa, details of which may be telephoned or faxed. This offer, which is subject to availability, closes on 1 May 1996.