Drinks of the Month

Domaine Joel Delaunay L’Esprit des Dames Touraine Chenonceaux 2014
This was recommended by the manager at my local Oddbins in Bristol and I really love it.
It’s a blend of 50% Malbec and 50% Cabernet Franc from the Loire - more robust than many Loire reds (although still only 13%) with lovely dark ripe cherry fruit. It tastes quite like a natural (though not scarily so) wine.
It’s one of a number of offers that Oddbins has got on its range right now and is reduced from an admittedly slightly toppy £16 down to £13.60 which is a very fair price to pay for an artisanal wine.
I’d happily drink it with duck or simply grilled red meat like steak or lamb but it would also be great with pulses like braised lentils or with a bean dish like cassoulet.
Don’t bother with the Cattin Alsace pinot though despite the good reduction - down from £14.25 to £9.98. Pinot noir can take a while to come round but it's still a bit wimpy.
If I find any other good bargains in the sale I’ll let you know.
See also Should you buy wine in the sales?

‘Meli Melo’ 2013 and 3 other good wine finds from Yapp
One of the problems of recommending a wine that most people can only buy online is that they generally have to buy a case - either of that wine or others they haven't a clue whether they’ll like or not.
So if you’ve been enticed by the two rosés I recommended from Yapp in this week’s column in the Guardian here are 4 other wines that might make up your dozen.
Top of my list at this time of year would be the 2013 Meli-Melo (£10.95) from Domaine Roquemale in the Hérault which is made from Alicante Bouschet - a grape that is undergoing a bit of a renaissance. It’s organic - as are many of the wines I’m attracted to - though vibrantly juicy rather than funky and at just 12%, perfectly suited to summer drinking. The perfect wine for a picnic.
I also love the 2014 L’Arpenty Chinon (also 12% £13.50) from the Loire which has all that typically scrunchy fruit of the Cabernet Franc grape - like a handful of freshly picked raspberries and mulberries, leaves and stalks as well as fruit. It’s a wine you could easily serve chilled with fish - seared tuna would be perfect,

The Loire was one of the two French regions on which Yapp built their reputation and so you can trust them with a wine I haven’t seen for a very long time, Gros Plant. At one time it was almost unbearably acidic but just like neighbouring Muscadet it has immeasurably improved in quality. The Domaine de la Mortaine 2013 (£9.75) they stock is whistle-clean, bright and sharp as a squeeze of lemon and would be perfect with oysters and other raw shellfish. If you like the Basque white wine Txacoli you’ll love it. If you're more of a chardonnay guy - or gal - you may not.
And finally an exuberant red from J.P.Boisson, 'Le Petit Caboche’ 2013 Vin de Pays de Vaucluse (£9.50 13.5%), an exotically dark, spicy blend of Caladoc, Syrah, Marselan and Grenache Noir that would be great with a grill or a lamb tagine. I haven't tasted the new 2014 vintage but they have a 15 for the price of 14 case offer on it at £133 which would bring the price per bottle down to £8.87.)
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