I’m seeing Jason Yapp next week and am deeply nervous. It’s been a while since we caught up and as followers of this column might recall, he and wicked step-brother Tom Ashworth have form in leading me astray. I think I told you about our little adventure in that backstreet bar in Biarritz. It was years ago and I’m still in shock. And still paying off the credit card. And still apologising to Mrs Ray, although she really should have moved on by now.
The fact that mighty Gavin Rankin, le patron of London’s finest eatery, Bellamy’s – that fabled ‘club without a sub’ – is going to be joining us and that we are convening at 12.15 p.m. ‘because we’ve a lot to get through and the Pink Coconut opens early on a Wednesday’ only heightens my anxiety. I’ll keep you posted.
Every one of these delicious bottles from Yapp Brothers is a beauty
In the meantime, I’ll take succour from these delicious bottles I’ve selected with Tom’s help from Yapps’ list. Every one’s a beauty, ideal for steadying the nerves after an hour or so in JY’s company.
The 2022 Gérard Cordier Reuilly (1) is wonderfully invigorating, a 100 per cent Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire that Yapp Bros have shipped every year for over half a century. Crisp, clean and correct, it makes a glorious aperitif. And if you wonder where Jason gets his habits from, his father Robin downed a whole bottle in one on stage at the 1978 Reuilly Wine & Oyster Festival. They still talk about it, and I believe there’s a plaque up somewhere. If not, there should be. Please don’t try it at home. £14.90 down from £15.90.
The 2021 JM Raffault Chinon Blanc (2) is a charming rarity, with just 2 per cent of Chinon’s wines being white.
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