SPECTATOR WINE JONATHAN RAY
W
e’re not due a Wine Club offering
in the magazine until next week,
but so good were the wines that
I tasted recently with FromVineyardsDirect
.com that we just had to include them so that
readers might join in the fun. It’s an entire-
ly French line-up, ideal for autumn. And
despite the plunging pound and the fact that
the wines were very decently priced in the
first place, we even squeezed a bit of a dis-
count out of Esme Johnstone and his gang,
for which we’re very grateful.
The 2014 Clotilde Davenne Sauvignon
de Saint Bris (1) is a delightful curiosity, a
Sauvignon Blanc from Burgundy in what is
really Chardonnay country. Clotilde Dav-
enne does indeed make a delicious white
Burgundy but this, produced in the tiny
Appellation Contrôlée area of Saint Bris
on the very edges of Chablis, is 100 per cent
Sauvignon Blanc, cold-fermented and with
no hint of oak. It’s crisp, clean and refresh-
ing, with a strong herbal character, a touch
of gooseberry and a keen acidity. £11.95
down from £12.95.
If true Loire Valley Sauvignon Blanc is
your thing, though, then the 2015 Domaine
de l’Ermitage Menetou-Salon (2) will be
right up your cup of tea. Again, it’s 100 per
cent Sauvignon Blanc and very well priced
compared to Sancerre or Pouilly Fumé of
similar quality. Indeed, I’ve never under-
stood why Menetou-Salon doesn’t get the
same acclaim as those two. This example is a
peach and where the Sauvignon Saint Bris is
perhaps a little restrained and reserved, this
is more expressive and expansive, with entic-
ing hints of tropical fruit and a deeply sat-
isfying underlying freshness. They’ve been
making wine on this estate for almost 500
years and I think it’s fair to say that they’ve
pretty much cracked it by now. They must
have, for this very wine won gold at the
recent Decanter World Wine Awards. £13.45
down from £13.95.
The wines of Beaujolais are having a wel-
come renaissance and are as good as they’ve
ever been. Certainly, the 2014 Domaine
Hospices de Beaujeu Morgon (3), is spot
on, as full of juicy, bramble fruit on the pal-
ate as it is on the nose. All too often in the
past I’ve been disappointed with wines from
the region that promise much at first sniff
but let you down at first sip. They’re like
freshly ground coffee, which never tastes as
to drink. It would certainly keep until next
Christmas but I’d suggest getting stuck
straight in. A blend of Cabernet Sauvi-
gnon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc aged in
French oak for 12 months, it’s quintessen-
tial claret — soft, smooth and sophisticated.
Bung it in a decanter or carafe and let it real-
ly show off. £13.25 down from £13.95.
Finally, the 2008 L’Autre de Sociando-
Mallet (6), made from grapes grown in the
vineyards of mighty Château Sociando-
Mallet, the cult Cru Bourgeois of the Haut-
Médoc. The estate’s official second wine is
La Demoiselle de Sociando-Mallet but this
is certainly of equal quality, a wine first cre-
ated in 2003 and reserved ever since for the
top restaurants of France. I’ve no idea how
FVD got their mitts on it but full marks for
doing so — it’s a belter. Don’t keep it, just
drink it. £16.45 down from £16.95.
The mixed case costs £155 and has two
bottles of each wine, and delivery as ever
is free.good as it smells. This, though, is gloriously
fruity and succulent. It’s dry, of course, but
with a touch of sweetness on the edge and an
almost thirst-quenchingly fine finish. £12.45
down from £12.95.
And so to three perfectly mature clarets.
The 2010 Château Jos Grande Cuvée (4) isan equal blend of organically farmed Cab-
ernet Sauvignon and Merlot from a ten-out-
of-ten vintage and ridiculously underpriced.
It’s plump, generous and giving, with plen-
ty of soft, ripe fruit and a classy Bordeaux
finish. If sub-£10 French wines were always
like this, I wouldn’t buy wine from anywhere
else. It’s really cracking value. £9.95 down
from £10.95.
The 2010 Château Sénilhac (5) is a Haut-
Médoc of great style and absolutely readyPlease send wine to
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your details are not passed to such organisations, please tick this boxR.If sub-£10 French wines
were always like this, I wouldn’t
buy win e f rom anywh ere el sePrices in form are per case of 12 List price Club price No.
White 1 2014 Clotilde Davenne Sauvignon St Bris, 12.5% £155.40 £143.40
2 2015 Dme de l’Ermitage Menetou-Salon, 13% £167.40 £161.40
3 2015 Dme Hospices de Beaujeu Morgon, 13% £155.40 £149.40
Red 4 2010 Château Jos, 12.5% £131.40 £119.40
5 2010 Château Sénilhac, 14% £167.40 £159.00
6 2008 L’Autre de Sociando-Mallet, 12.5% £203.40 £197.40
Mixed 7 Sample case, two each of the above £163.40 £155.00Total