SPECTATOR WINE CLUB

A touch of class

Auberon Waugh

Now for the wines. I have never offered a Gascony wine from the Gers before, largely on class grounds. One can never tell what grapes have gone into it, and they usually end up smelling and tasting of pear-drops — nice taste, but pas tout a fait de notre milieu, if you understand me. Since Black Wednesday, however, we Brits must be a little more adventurous. This vin de pays(u from the Domaine Meste Duran in the Cotes de Gascogne does not taste or smell of pear-drops, but has an abundant fruit don't ask me what fruit — and a touch of dry honey to give it respectability. If we can forget our snobbery, we will find this a tasty and unusual aperitif at £3.95.

The Alsatian Pinot Blanc(2), vastly more expensive at £6.95, is in another class alto- gether. M. Kientzler was nominated French Winemaker of the Year by Gault Millau in 1992, and on the strength of this one exam- ple I can understand why. Of all the pinots blancs I have ever drunk — from Alsace, Italy and the former colonies — this one from a small estate near Ribeauville is quite outstandingly the best. I never knew the grape was capable of such richness or depth. Ideal as an aperitif, it has enough acid to make it suitable for most forms of food as well. Still delicious from the fridge three days after being opened. A truly splendid wine.

New Zealand sauvignons — as I say, the best in the world — seem to be settling around £6.95 retail, which is a pity. Roth- bury, under Len Evans, makes splendid chardonnay in New South Wales. If it has decided to move its sauvignon blanc opera- tion to Marlborough, New Zealand, one can only hail the move as a stroke of genius. Like most sauvignons, this exam- ple should be drunk fresh and strongly chilled — after a few days, the torn cat and bruised nettles come across too strong for pleasure — but in those circumstances it is a taste of heaven. At the drier end of the sauvignon spectrum, but massive, opulent, sensational gooseberry-leaf fruit, as usual.

Now for the reds. I am not, generally speaking, a fan of young merlot, but this example") from Monbel in the Ardeche, central France, struck me as quite a bar- gain at £3.85, providing a rich mouthful of sustenance — no subtlety or complexity, but a mysterious, definitely pleasant smell of golden syrup, and a good mouthful, as I say, of expensive-tasting fruit. No improper tastes unless you fight shy of a touch of iron in the finish.

The next two, in their different ways, are both winners. Cuvee Rouge Gorge"), sold as a vin de table at £4.75, comes from a famous wine area in southern Rhone, and is, in fact, the excess production of a very highly regarded estate. The panel tasted it at a higher price and judged it a bargain. At £4.75 it is nearly a gift — a fine, thick, toasted example of a classic Rhone wine.

Finally, people may be upset by the temerity of asking £7.95 for what can only describe itself as Bourgogne Rouge, Pinot Noir"). I do not know what combination of tragedies has led to this lowly description. Jean-Marc Morey, who made this wine in the classic year of 1990, is a noted wine- maker at Chassagne Montrachet. I can only say of this wine that it reminds me of a 1978 Bourgogne Rouge from Leroy which I once discovered in Ann Arbor, Michigan — a superb wine with every property of an extremely expensive grand au. Leroy's wine, if I remember, was made in Auxey Duresses. It all goes to prove my point that in Burgundy labels mean very little. You can pay a fortune for rubbish or, as here, pay £7.95 for something which, I am per- suaded, will turn into the equivalent of Avery's Nuits St Georges Les Roncieres 1969 or Berry Brothers' Beaune Clos du Roi 1961 from Doudet Naudin. It needs at least three years, preferably five to ten. Then scratch out the label and say you think it is probably a Richebourg. By the next century, we will mostly have forgotten what Richebourg tasted like. The mixed case" works out at £5.67 the bottle. I fear this will prove average-to-cheap since devaluation. No point in waiting for the franc to tumble. We will tumble again immediately after it.

ORDER FORM SPECTATOR WINE CLUB

c/o La Reserve 56 Walton Street, London SW3. Tel: (071) 589 2020 Fax: (071) 581 0250

Price No. Value

White

Meste Duran

(Cotes de Gascogne) 1991 12 Bots. £47.40

Pinot d'Alsace (Kientzler) 1991 12 Bots £83.40

Rothbury New Zealand

Sauvignon Blanc 1992 12 Bots. £83.40 Red

Merlot (COteaux de

L'Ardeche) 1991 12 Bots. £46.20

Cuvee Rouge Gorge

(Ferraud & Fille) 12 Bots. f57.00

Bourgogne Pinot Noir

(J.M. Morey) 1990 12 Bots. £95.40

Mixed case, two bottles of each 12 Bats. £68.00

TOTAL (Cheque enclosed)

Please send wine to: Own name & address, if different: NAME NAME ADDRESS ADDRESS POSTCODE POSTCODE DELIVERY TEL NO and SPECIAL DELIVERY INSTRUCTIONS Prices include VAT and delivery on British mainland. Payment should be made either by accompanying cheque made out to the Spectator Wine Club or by Access/Visa order, which may be telephoned or faxed. This offer, which is subject to availability, closes on 20 March 1993.