SIMON HOGGARY
HERE we have an all-French offer from the celebrated Yapp Brothers of Mere,
Wiltshire. It's specially designed for Christmas, including wonderful bottles to drink with turkey, goose, ham and beef — or, come to that, soya steaks. You could offer any of these to grateful neighbours, friends and family, or to carollers who sing real arrangements while collecting for charity rather than just standing on your step in hoodies playing '0 Come. All Ye Faithful' on a boom box. In short, these are wines for people who deserve them.
They are also excellent value. Robin Yapp sells much expensive wine, but I felt you'd want to make your own choice for Christmas at that end of the market. On the other hand, you will need something rather special, in quantity, for entertaining. All these fill the bill at prices much lower than their equivalents in Burgundy or Bordeaux.
With the smoked salmon I would love the Lirac La Fermande 2001 from the Domaine Mabyffl. Lirac is a Rhone appellation near Avignon, usually overshadowed by Chateauneuf-du-Pape, and better known for its reds. But this is a lovely, crisp, fruity and mellow wine made from an intriguing blend of four different southern grapes. It is delicious now, and will improve over the next couple of years, if you can bear not to drink it. It's just £7,25.
Charles •Schleret's Pinot Blanc 20002) is fabulous. Pinot Blanc is sometimes thought of as the little brother of Gewilrztraminer. But this could hold its own with any other Alsace wine. It's rich, it's complex, it's fat and rounded: it's also soft and thy, and it has a faint hint of honey in the background. Yum. This would be the perfect wine for pre-dinner drinks, or else with cheese or a plate of fresh ripe fruit. Terrific value at £8.75.
For just 10p more, here is an appellation you have probably never heard of. Menetou-Salon is the next-door neighbour of the more famous Sancerre. As Sancerre has been hit by the huge success of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanes, Jean-Jacques Teiller has produced a truly superb rivalo) — luscious, velvety, sodden with fruit flavour, yet keeping that steely note in the background that marks a great Sauvignon. The Teillers make only about 4,000 cases a year, half of which are sold to canny passers-by at the cellar door, Snaffle your share of the portion that comes our way.
Our reds are based on three of the finest grape varieties. The Cotes du Rhone, Domaine Saint Gayan 2000(4), is from Gigondas, one of the greatest Rhone appellations. The Meffre family have been making wine on this site for — amazingly — more than 600 years, and you can be sure this is infinitely better than the stuff they drank at
Christmas 1403. Roger Meffre got the law changed to allow more than 65 per cent of Grenache to be included in the mix, and the result is a wine that is not only full-flavoured but also has that whiff of perfume that marks the best Rhone wines. A mere £6.45.
Now a Syrah: we offered this 2002 from the Domaine Georges Vernay(5) last year, and very successful it was too, being close
to the fabled Cote Rotie, but a heck of a lot cheaper at £8,25. This really is a wine to savour and to relish, to sip gently with cheese or a steak, to swirl round the glass and sniff in a pompous fashion. As Yapps' tasting notes say, 'Brambly fruit, good cedar and sandalwood aromas . . . plums, cassis, coffee and chocolate. . . . ' Who needs to eat when you can drink this? I would decant it at least two hours beforehand, and the flavours will really come out.
Finally, the majestic Domaine Richeaurne 'Tradition' 2001(6) from Provence, made by the German winemaker Henning Hoesch, with his Swiss wife. This is half Cabernet Sauvignon, half Shiraz, and it is just wonderful — well worth £10.75. Even Robert Parker raves about its power, its silkiness and its refinement, and so do I. We offered this at a wine lunch in Southwold last year, and it was sold out by the time coffee was served. Delivery is free, of course, and Robin Yapp has wisely discounted the sample case to exactly £99. Order early to make sure it helps make your Christmas.
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