SIMON HOGGART
Iwent to a tasting of Napa Valley wines the other day. Many of them were excellent. They were also very expensive. This type of con versation could be heard at various tables.
Wine writer or buyer: Your Cabernet Sauvignon is delicious.
How much will it retail for here?
Winemaker: Now, let me see. Around £70. A bottle, that is.
Writer: What?
So it was with some relief that I went the next day to my old friends at Stone, Vine & Sun, a small Winchester-based company that’s winning lots of well-deserved awards. Oz Clarke claims, and I have no reason to doubt it, that he is always coming across their buyers in obscure regions of France, nosing out new, unknown delights. That’s why this Mini-bar has a theme: the hidden treasures of France.
Touraine isn’t strictly speaking hidden, though I doubt if you have heard of this Domaine de l’Aumonier 20041, a lovely Sauvignon Blanc with all the celebrated grass and gooseberries, plus a rich, almost creamy fruitiness. At only £5.75 a bottle it is far cheaper than its more famous neighbour, Sancerre, though it would take a finicky palate to tell the difference.
Now to the south, and the Costières de Nîmes, an appellation just by the Camargue. This Château Saint Cyrgues 20042 is a lovely wine, made of 75 per cent Roussanne and 25 per cent Grenache Blanc. It’s crisp yet almost buttery (is that possible? — it is here). We found traces of cinnamon and acacia honey. Quite delicious, and only £6.25.
I’ve been very enthusiastic for a long time about StChinian, another small appellation in the deep south. The peculiar schistous rock (not as horrid as it sounds) creates red wines packed with perfumed fruit flavours, and we detected in this Domaine de la Maurerie 20023 damsons, plums, cherries and raspberries, without even trying too hard at all. A lovely, luxurious drop at just £6.25.
The second red is superb, and another stunning example of what is being done these days with the Grenache grape. The Pesquiés 20034 made by Manuel Franck Jorel has a wonderful nose, fruity without sweetness, with powerful aromas of leather, cedar and morel cherries. At £7.95 it is pricier than the others, but worth every penny. I loved it, and so will you. Forget the overpriced Napa Valley.
If you order two cases or more, there’s £5 off per case, and delivery, as always, is free (except northern Highlands and Islands call Stone, Vine & Sun for a quote). „
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