SPECTATOR WINE CLUB
A sensuous virgin, but earthy
Auberon Waugh
No fancy New World stuff this time. El Vino, as its writing paper proudly proc- laims, is an all-British firm, despite its foreign name, and from its amazingly full list, scarcely explored by the hacks in the days when Fleet Street and El Vino were synonymous, I have chosen wines only from the classic English drinking areas of France.
First a very respectable, very light white Burgundy(I), fresh as a daisy and firmly on the appley end of the chardonnay spec- trum. One panel member found it a bit lacking in particular character, but I do not think it could be mistaken for anything else, and I do not know what she was expecting in the way of white burgundy at under £4.50. It is a thoroughly pleasant but, as I say, distinctly light example.
El Vino's own claret, alarmingly called `Communard'(2) strikes me as a great deal better than the 'good ordinary claret' available from some of the most illustrious wine merchants in London and Bristol. At £3.10 it carries the Bordeaux appelation control& without any of the ratty young merlot tastes you often get from Fronsac where most wine merchants go for their g.o.c. Rather I found the taste of crushed herbs which is usually much more expen- sive. Good value for a tasty wine and sound claret.
A bit of a price jump to £5.90 for an anonymous 1982 Chateauneuf(3), bottled by G. Meffre in Beaune, but this wine drew cries of approval from the panel. To my taste it was surprisingly northern, with a good rich syrah element on top, like a mature Cote R6tie or Hermitage. One panellist described it as a 'sensuous virgin' which was meant to be high praise, I think. She certainly repayed further attention, getting better and better with each visit. My own first tasting note 'earthy but very best earth' was overtaken by less legible comments, but all laudatory — 'strong, clean, high and handsome' etc. An excel- lent, forward wine for drinking now or keeping almost indefinitely.
Next what is, for me, the star of the offer — a 1983 Cote de Beaune(4) (not C6te de Beaune Villages, please observe) which is strong, heavy and old-fashioned with a knock-out smell and completely proper Burgundy taste. I will be buying three or four cases and probably leaving them for three or four years, but one could perfectly well drink them now. Most wine drinkers have more or less given up on Burgundy since the merest village wine from a negociant's blending vat now costs £11 or £12. This is a splendid example of good, heavy Burgundy and the price of £6.67 a bottle makes it a gift.
I had mixed feelings about the 1978 Santenay(5). The price of £9.75 is very reasonable indeed for a mature Burgundy from a three-star year. The nose is grand and sewery and thick, and some of the panel went overboard for the taste, but I thought it did not quite live up to the nose, finding it a trifle thinner and more acid than the smell had led me to expect. By any standards it is still a tremendous bargain. I just wish I could sing and dance and announce the greatest find since Av- ery's 1969 Nuits Saint Georges Roncieres. I don't think this wine will improve; It definitely is a bargain, but expect solid pleasure rather than a taste of heaven.
Finally, a classic Chateauneuf from a classic year(6). Some may remember the Chateauneuf Les Cadres 1967 of which a large parcel turned up about eight years ago, and which caused immense pleasure all over the country. Well, 1978 is generally thought an even better year than 1967, and this is plainly a superb, mature wine with many years of improvement left in it. I found it a tiny bit dryer on the palate than I had been expecting — possibly my memory of the 1967 was faulty, or perhaps Jaboulet changed his style in the intervening years. But there is no mistaking this powerful wine which should probably be decanted five hours before drinking. The price of £13 may seem tough for the Southern Rh6ne, but then there are not many wines from anywhere with this sort of class.
The mixed case works out at £7.15 the bottle — a fairly high average, but I am afraid there are more expensive offers coming between now and Christmas. Num- bers three and four in this offer — the anonymous 1982 Chateauneuf and the 1983 Cote de Beaune — should keep serious wine lovers on middle incomes very happy over the Christmas season.
Previous page
