It was the mighty Andrew Edmunds’s memorial last week – he of the eponymous restaurant and the Academy Club, those last vestiges of old Soho. All the great and the louche were there paying their respects to this delightful man of many parts – restaurateur, clubman, wine lover, fine print purveyor, flower arranger, fly fisherman and scourge of poets and golfers.
Among those saying goodbye were Robin Yapp, his son Jason and his stepson Tom, the founder and his two successors at Yapp Bros. Robin used to lead my father badly astray and Jas (who introduced me to the Academy over a ten-hour lunch) and Tom have kept up the family tradition by doing likewise with me.
These boys know their wines. Nobody is more adept at tracking down great-value bottles in France’s hidden folds
They might be wicked and dangerous, but these boys know their wines. Nobody is more adept in tracking down great value bottles in the hidden folds of France, and this is one of their best selections yet.
The 2022 Domaine Saint Gayan ‘Argiles’ (1) is a breezy blend of Piquepoul – increasingly used in blends these days and here bringing freshness, acidity and zip – Bourboulenc and Grenache Blanc from la famille Meffre in Gigondas. Having made highly sought-after reds for yonks, the Meffres decided to produce a simple vin de soif just for themselves. So tasty was the result they couldn’t help but make it more widely available. Fresh, lively and lemony, with peach and honeysuckle, it’s a little gem. £10.75 down from £11.75.
Once deemed fit for serving only when adulterated with a slug of crème de cassis, Aligoté, too, is becoming more popular and the 2021 Closerie des Alisiers Bourgogne Aligoté (2) shows just how well it can perform in the right hands, in this instance those of Stéphane Brocard (of Chablis fame).
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