SPECTATOR WINE CLUB
IN OUR LAST offer of the year, for which orders must be in by 18 December to ensure pre-Christmas delivery, we return to Longford's Pierre Andre range which has proved so popular with Spectator readers in the past, although the two clarets, which include one of the stars of the offer — the Château de la Meuliere 1989(s) — are out- side the range.
The Macon Villages(i) 1992 will certainly be popular. Although I thought I found some slightly improper apple pips in the finish at my first tasting, nobody else com- plained. They had disappeared by the sec- ond time round. Others found an agreeable mixture of old straw and honey; we all agreed there was good body and nobody argued about the price of £5.95. It gets bet- ter and better and will probably end as a Miracle of delight by Christmas. There is a restriction on the Château de L'Eperon(2) 1988. Because Peter Harris of Longford is making no profit at the, price of £3.75 which I demanded, and may make a loss on some orders, he will supply it only to those who also order a case of something else. It is made by Bill Bolter, a popular and respected figure among the English Wine brokers of Bordeaux. The purpose of the exercise is to make people aware of L'Eperon, but as I have promised not to push it too hard I shall merely say that it has plenty of fruit, a long life ahead of it and I do not think that those who buy this wine at £3.75 will be disappointed.
Although only £2.20 more expensive at £5.95, the Château de la Meuliere 1989(3) is magnificent. I know nothing about the Property or about Monsieur Foures, but in 1989 they produced a big, seriously proper claret, ready for drinking now: sweet farm- yard smell, plenty of fruit, extraordinary length and style. This is one of those wines, like the Château de Gaby (Fronsac) of 1982, which in a freak year will manage to leap over its appellation and produce a real winner. Perfect for drinking now and a bar- gain at the price. With the Julienas(4) we are back on familiar Pierre Andre territory. This wine belongs to the very thickest end of the Beaujolais spectrum, but it is unmistakably Beaujolais and gamay, not pinot burgundy. Delicious to drink now but a thick, concen- trated wine, and I would be interested to see how it developed. It might be a mis- take, as there seems to be little tannin, but
would keep one or two bottles back. It is the best beaujolais I have found from 1992.i
The year 1991 produced few joys, but the 1991 Gigondas Lescapelles 1991(5) is a stun- ner — extraordinarily forward and utterly ready for drinking; its rich fruity smell develops into a full, plummy, sweet taste in the mouth which had the panel breaking into spontaneous cheers. It might not make old bones, but it is lovely now, unquestion-
Count your blessings
Auberon Waugh
ably one of the stars of this offer at £6.75.
Finally a good village Savigny(6) from a decent vintage, which will get better and better for at least five or six years. This wine already has a proper, sweet, full bur- gundy smell, with no pips and no foliage in it. It drinks well now, but there is a good touch of acid in the finish which makes me think it would be a shame to gulp it down too soon. It can't go wrong. It is all set to make a surprisingly grand old burgundy for the label. You can pay much more for a grander sounding premier cru, but this vil- lage wine at £7.95 already has the structure and weight of the real stuff.
The mixed case works out at £6.05 the bottle. There might be time to re-order by Christmas, but everyone will bless me for the Meuliere and the Gigondas, and many will rave about the Julienas. I should advise people to throw caution to the winds on the first two, and on the third if they are confi- dent they like the concentrated raspberry taste of the gamay.
Previous page
