SIMON HOGGART
1 of the greatest of all iv ../iBordeaux châteaux, was 150 years old last year. So belatedly the mini-bar is celebrating Rothschild wines, which are now grown in family properties all over the world. I am not personally a fan of Mouton Cadet, the Baron's generic blended Bordeaux, and [fear . it is regarded throughout the wine trade as exceedingly naff. However, this harsh judgment does not apply to any of the wines in this offer, all French, all superb, all discounted. They are stored at the magnificent Waddesdon Manor in Buckinghamshire, built in 1874 by Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild and now tended by the present Lord Rothschild, Jacob. They all have terrific, sexy labels. This is important. When you are dishing up the best to your guests, you want them to know it.
The two whites are both Chardonnays, but very different in style. The Toques & Clochers 2000(1) from Limoux, near Carcassonne, is almost a New World wine — creamy, soft, rich, oaky with a hint of vanilla. I loved it; it's less in-your-face than Australian wines, but it combines that full, fat flavour with real style and finesse. Quite gorgeous, and reduced to £7.85.
I have written before about Chablis rage: the discovery that the bottle you have • paid 125 for in a restaurant tastes • like acidulated chalk dust. Not
this. The Waddesdon Chablis 2000(2) is lovely, with a buttery texture that blends happily with the stern, flinty backbone you find in any topclass wine from this neck " of the woods. I rarely offer Chablis, an appellation which too often rides lazily on its reputation, but I heartily recommend this one, at £8.50.
Now the reds. At £4.99, the Baron Philippe Syrah from the Pays d'Oc 2001(s) is quite sensational value. At an informal tasting everyone raved about it: soft, velvety, elegant, smoky, packed with forest fruits and even liquorice, it was acclaimed as incredible value. Wonderful for parties where you want to give your guests a memorable drink at a price you can easily forget.
Finally a real treat, the Pauillac 2001(a), Not the greatest year in Bordeaux, but this wine starts with all the advantages, being made from young vines from the first growth Lafite-Rothschild and the fourth growth Duhart-Milon-Rothschild. This is a teenage wine, a wine approaching its full maturity, and though you might want to leave it for a year or so, it's also delicious and cedary now. £11.35 a bottle.
Delivery as ever is free, and there is a sample ease with three of each wine.
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