SPECTATOR WINE CLUB
A philosophy for the end of civilisation
Auberon Waugh
The last two offers of Pierre Andre wines from Longford — in January and September 1991 — were so successful that I have come to the conclusion these hefty, well-made reds have just about found the mark of what the average Spectator reader likes and can afford. They continue to sur- prise me by their excellence, although only one of the wines in this offer is a repeat: the Lirac Château Correnson 1990 (2) which I praised to the sky in September and which really is ideal winter drinking, although I feel it will open to new splen- dours in the spring.
First a really juicy young Beaujolais (1) for immediate drinking at £4.95 the bottle. The year 1990 was not a good one for Beaujolais; many village cru wines have been downgraded to the generic form by the more reputable growers — the Morgon (5) is Pierre Andre's only exception — but this one is as fruity and as bouncy as any- one could hope for. Pale colour for a light, clean, slurping wine. No tannin at all, but a taste of the summer countryside which everyone will love. To be finished before the spring.
My father had a slightly crazy theory that wine was connected by some mystic umbili- cal cord to the soil from which it came. When the earth sleeps in Burgundy, Bor- deaux or Provence, the wine sleeps in Som- erset. When the first buds break in the vineyards, the wine comes to life again in its bottle 500 miles away. A simpler expla- nation might be that the cellar in Somerset is too cold.
When I first tasted the Lirac (2) in September I reported it `still half-closed, but with a thick Provencal lip that promises deep, earthy delights, thyme-scented and resonant of cicadas'. Retasting it in Decem- ber, I have to report that the cicadas are still very quiet, but it is a black-coloured, dense, concentrated wine which will cer- tainly break out in song in April and which
drinks very handsomely now. At its price of
£5 a bottle it is a spectacular bargain.
Whenever I offer a young Syrah wine I have to warn that not everybody likes the taste. That said, the 1989 Crozes-Her- mitage from Vignolan (3) is an excellent example, with its truly high-class syrah smell, all sweet and jammy, and masses of concentration in the taste. It reminded one panel member of crows, I don't know why. Perhaps it was the earthy taste which is sometimes called 'farmyard', but on retast- ing next day, when the tannin seemed to have settled and the fruit predominated, one saw it as better than the high, rough syrah such as one finds in the farmyards of St Joseph and Comas. It is an elegant and sophisticated wine. All it needs is some food to go with it. The same wine which costs £5.70 from Crozes would cost a mini- mum of £9 or £10 from Hermitage proper and be a bargain at the price. Many ask over £7 for much less good Crozes.
Ever on the look-out for good, cheap Burgundy, I am proud to lay Pierre Andre's 1989 Reserve (4) on the doormat like a faithful mouser. Although 100 per cent pinot, it tastes of proper Burgundy rather than of the pinot fragrance cultivated by the new Burgundians, with a lovely toffee nose and good staying power. I think 1989 must have been a brilliant year for these minor Burgundies. Everybody loved it immediately, and on second tasting next day it scored highest marks of all the wines in the offer. At £5.90 the bottle, it obviously contains some declassified wine from rather grand vineyards, although I dare not guess which.
The Morgon 1990 (5) costs £1 more than the Domaine de Varennes (1) and is undoubtedly a more serious style of Beau- jolais, with greater solidity and more springiness. Both, however, are excellent in their different ways. It is only when you compare them that you see the point of paying the extra pound. This is something I have often noticed with vintage port. Per- haps we should never compare anything just go for anything we like which is cheap.
I have a feeling that such a philosophy would bring about the end of civilisation as we know it.
I think and hope Pierre Andre's village Chablis (6) will have opened out by the time it reaches punters. I found it faultless, with a good, quite rich chardonnay smell and good cold-climate chardonnay taste, but a trifle light for its price of £6.95. Of course there are those who prefer their Chablis light in reaction to the buttery colonial taste. They will adore it. As I say, it is faultless in its style, but I go for a touch of the honey and butter, myself.
The sample case (7) works out at £5.74 the bottle. A good cheap offer.
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