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Six Wines from Yapp Brothers

Yapp Brothers has come a long way in a little under 40 years. Founded by Robin Yapp in 1969 the business quickly established a reputation as an excellent source of wines from the dark and unexplored corners of France. In those days this meant anything outside of the classic trio of Bordeaux, Burgundy and Champagne; Yapp's passion was the Rhône and Loire Valleys, and these formed the core of a list which has grown over the years, featuring wines from unsung regions such as Provence, Savoie and Corsica, with the occasional foray further afield, particularly Australia.

At the time Yapp was still pursuing his original career, dentistry, but the wine business soon became of far greater significance to him I think. Nevertheless, time marches on, and today control has been yielded to his son Jason Yapp and step-son Tom Ashworth. They keep the wines of France at the core of their business, but that is not to say there have been no new developments. The most significant development of late has been a complete overhaul of their website, with an attractive new interface and search facility.

To mark this occasion the team at Yapp recently sent me six wines from their range to taste, and I have duly done so. As you might expect, the wines represented a diverse array of solely French appellations, from Quincy to Chinon, Bandol to Cassis, and more inbetween. My tasting notes on the six wines are below. I have included prices from Yapp Brothers in brackets, but as usual I have also included links through to Wine-Searcher for comparison. (13/11/08)

Six Wines from Yapp Brothers - Tasting Notes

Tasted in November 2008. Click to locate stockists.

Jérôme de la Chaise Quincy 2006: Bottled under a twin-top agglomerate cork, this example of Loire Valley Sauvignon Blanc has an attractive nose, with fruit taking the backseat to minerals here, and traces of powdery, smoky flint laid over a herb and subtle, citrussy, grapefruit character. Later on, notes of sea salt and chalk dust. Immediately very full on entry and it continues to show its substance through the midpalate. A very firmly composed wine, rounded and full, with good tingling acidity. This is a wine that didn't show its best for an hour or two, so unusually in a young white this is one that would benefit from decanting I think. But with time it showed appealing substance, good integration, balance and even a polished, slightly grippy finish. Good. 16.5/20 (£9.95)

Chateau Roubaud Cuvée Prestige Costières de Nimes 2006: This blend of Grenache Blanc and Roussanne kicks off with aromas of cashew nut, although in a restrained fashion, with subsequent aromas of stone fruits, wild honeysuckle and a little steel. On the palate it is fresh, but broad and mouth-filling, with a slightly chalky note behind lemon fresh fruit and a bracing character which no doubt results from the blocked malolactic, leaving the wine rich in punchy acidity. There is substance to it though, a honeyed but well-defined texture, and it shows a nice, grippy bite from start to finish, with an attractive sherbetty-sour twist at the end. This is a very attractive wine for current drinking from the Costières de Nimes, the Languedoc's most easterly appellation. 16.5/20 (£8.50)

Clos Sainte Magdeleine Cassis 2005: This Provençal wine is a blend of Clairette, Marsanne and Ugni Blanc. There is a good character on the nose, with aromas of dried stone fruits and lanolin. On the palate it is fresh but clearly a wine of substance, with a pile of grip and firm substance very apparent. It has a tight, ripe, full bodied character, with pepper and spice structure towards the finish. Despite its raw power, however, it is well controlled and integrated, and it holds together well, right through to the finish. Surprisingly, as its composition suggests otherwise, this hand-harvested wine has been 100% destemmed and fermented in steel. Really this is a very good and substantial wine. 16.5/20 (£12.50)

Mas de la Rouvière Bandol 2002: This is the lower rung from Chateau la Rouvière, one of the two principal properties belonging to Domaines Bunan. As such it is less dominated by Mourvèdre than the top wines, with just 55%, then 20% Grenache Noir, 20% Cinsaut and 5% Syrah. It has an attractively dark hue, with the colour of early maturity. The nose has some very typical animalistic Mourvèdre character at first, before moving on to a more complex array of beef stock, sweet and mentholated fruit with a note of cherry, cola and burnt liquorice. Rather lean on entry, but it shows a little more substance in the midpalate. Fresh, rounded, with solid alcohol and tannin beneath, but what fruit richness it had has been replaced by a reserved character with a dusty, oily edge. Quite stern in terms of structure; this is a wine that performs much better with food. 14.5/20 (£13.75)

Domaine Maby VdP des Coteaux de la Cèze 2006: This wine, 40% Syrah with 40% Cinsaut and 20% Grenache, has a vibrant raspberry red colour, not a lot of density, but clear and fresh in its hue. It has an interesting set of aromas although they are a little difficult to pin down; fresh and chalky fruit, rather like raspberry or woodland strawberry in character, showing a little sweet perfume, although there is a little darker note behind, like black pepper or even stony liquorice. On first taste there is a little oiliness to the texture, but this seems to disappear as the wine gets some air. Showing a lean but juicy substance in the mouth, plenty of soft, rounded fruits with a warm, ripe feel despite the stony-juicy texture and the crisp frame around them. A good style, showing more than a little tannin at the finish, and all alongside little hints of complexity; wood-spice, liquorice, violets. A good wine, best served on the cooler side I think. 16/20 (£7.50)

L'Arpenty Chinon 2006: This is from the domaine of Francis & Françoise Desbourdes. The wine is very typical of Chinon, starting off with peppery red fruits on the nose, with a raspberry and chalk character, along with a little note of well-seasoned, rich vegetable stock. The palate is fresh and well defined, with lively acidity which confers an attractively sour and refreshing feel to the wine, with a background of spicy tannins. There is a mouth-watering edge to the finish, although it does display some notes of rusticity here too. Overall, served at the correct temperature, slightly cool, this makes for a very refreshing drink and the perfect accompaniment to cold meats. Good. 15.5/20 (£8.50)