SPECTATOR WINE CLUB

For plutocrat and pauper

Auberon Waugh

This is a lovely offer, with three brilliant wines at affordable prices (Nos 1, 3 and 5), two exciting new discoveries, if rather less affordable (Nos 2 and 6), and one cheapie (No. 4) which is so cheap that by the time the Brett-Smith Indulgence is applied, the price has almost vanished.

Now for the wines. I first tasted the La Combe de Grinoum in its 1991 manifesta- tion and raved about it so excitedly that Brett-Smith feared he would not have suffi- cient stocks without a 1992 run-on. When the 1992 arrived, I realised it was infinitely the superior wine: less aggressively charac- teristic of the sauvignon grape, with no net- tle stalks, let alone tomcat, and the merest touch of a gooseberry leaf; the closest equivalent I can think of in the sauvignon range would be the marvellous Sancerre Clos du Nozay which we offered last June, also from Corney & Barrow, at £6.57 (down from a list price of £7.68). Sancerre purists turned up their noses, but I thought it utterly delicious. This Bergerac Sec at £4.99 (£4.49 when reduced) is exactly the same sort of wine, irresistible in its geniality and fruitiness, the sort of wine one could drink three bottles of at one sitting with no difficulty whatever.

The next wine") is an oddity. Made at Tursan, SW France, by Michel Guerard for his three-star restaurant and slimming establishment at Eugenie-les-Bains, it comes from strange grapes with names like petits and gros mansengs, and barroque, unique to Tursan and said to have been made holy by pilgrims to Compostella. If we cut the guff, we have a wine which tastes unlike any other I have tasted - subtle, delicate and delicious, but also bloody expensive at £8.44 the bottle - £7.94 even with the volume discount, and you will have to buy two half-cases to qualify for that. As I say, it is a good taste and an impeccably made wine: it is also a slight taste which nobody will recognise.

The Château de Sours Rosé 19920) will need no introduction to those who remem- ber it from last year and the year before. Every year its freshness and vitality emerge anew in a miraculous seasonal bounce. This year, there should be adequate stocks, despite my own advance order of five cases and the Academy's of ten. Made from mer- lot, the result of a happy experiment in the course of Esme Johnstone's attempts to make a grande rouge, it is definitely the best rosé in the world and the most refreshing, although its price is beginning to creep up, largely as a result of currency changes. At the new price of £6.21 (£5.71 discounted) it is still affordable, and seems to keep per- fectly well. I think I will put in a second order before it disappears.

Our first redo) is very cheap indeed. It is a sound, strong, blended wine, bottled in Libourne by Lebegue with many of the characteristics of right-bank claret. I will not be buying any myself because I am too rich and too spoiled and no longer have to entertain teenagers, but by the time the delivered price of £3.44 has reduced to £2.94 on the Brett-Smith Indulgence, this must be seen as a serious bargain.

It is not nearly as interesting, however, as our second red, the Domaine de Sours 19900), another result of Esme Johnstone's efforts to make a classic premier grand cm out of a bordeaux superieur. This second red of the Chateau de Sours is at present much better than its parent. It foams pur- ple when poured, with a gigantic taste as concentrated as any grand cm pomerol, if chunkier and less elegant. It has been one of my regular vins ordinaires ever since I tasted it at the end of last year, and really makes people sit up. At £5.38 (£4.88 dis- counted) in its smart blue capsule, heavy green bottle and handsome modern label, I absolutely love this wine. The Parker Estate Terra Rossao) might be characterised as a bit of a pooftah, with its strong, cedary undertones easy to mis- take for a touch of the eucalyptus leaves so beloved of the koalas in Southern Aus- tralia. Perhaps a koala fell into the barrel. But this new Australian challenger for world-class status is a beautiful wine, with a concentration of all the best tastes in caber- net sauvignon and a breeding which make the price of £8.99 (£8.49 discounted) laugh- ably cheap. Only 2,000 cases are made, and the Australians drink most of them.

So, we have two wines for plutocrats, one for paupers and three - all brilliant - for everyone else. The sample case of this mixed bag works out at £6.16 (£5.66 dis- counted), which I think helps make it one of the most exciting offers for a long time.

ORDER FORM SPECTATOR WINE CLUB

c/o Corney & Barrow Ltd, 12 Helmet Row, London EC1V 3QJ. Tel: (071) 251 4051 Fax: (071) 608 1373

Price No. Value

White La Combe de Grinou, Bergerac*

Château Grinou 1992 12 Bots. £59.95

Château de Bachen, *

Michel Gudrard 1990 NB 6 Bots £50.63 Rosé

Chateau de Sours Rosé

Bordeaux 1992 12 Bots. £74.61 Red

C & B House Red* 12 Bois. £41.29

Domaine de Sours 1990 12 Bois. £64.56

Parker Estate Terra Rossa s

Cabernet Sauvignon 1989 12 Bots. f107.91 Mixed

Sample case, two of each 12 Bois. £73.90

Subtotal LESS volume allowancet TOTAL (Cheque enclosed)

*Corney and Barrow exclusivities tOn London orders of two dozen bottles or more, and orders of three dozen bottles or more outside London, subtract £6 per dozen. Please note that No 2 (Château de Bachen) comes in six-bottle cases. It will be necessary to order two of these half cases to qualify for relief.

Please send wine to: Own name & address, if different: NAME NAME ADDRESS ADDRESS POSTCODE POSTCODE Access/Visa No Date of Expiry Prices include VAT and delivery anywhere on the British mainland. Cheques should be made payable to Spectator Wine Club. Payment with order please. Orders giving Visa or Access number may be faxed or telephoned. This offer, which is subject to availability, closes on 31 May 1993.