The Vibe in '25
What will the new year bring? We can but hope that these carefully curated bottles will help you celebrate/take the edge off things/delete as appropriate...
'Tis the season for round-ups. ‘Best trainers of 2024’... ‘Best face creams of the year’... I always find myself scrolling the lists not only for trainers but sports bras (it’s strangely hard to find supportive structures that I can breathe in), but it is difficult to trust an online article that is full of affiliate links. You can rest assured that I live and breathe my libation calling. If I tell you about a wine, I do so with the utmost sincerity and an optimism that you will share in the enjoyment I have had.
I am skirting around the fact that it is the most wonderful time of the year. As readers of The Rake, I have faith that you will already have a respectable wine collection. If that’s the case, so to speak, you will be using this time of year to encourage friends to help you gorge on some of the best units piling up in your cellar. It doesn’t take a mathematician to figure out that you can’t make it through your stocks alone.
With this in mind, allow The Rake to suggest five wines that will help you replenish your supplies when 2025 rolls around.
For a midweek treat...
Le Faîte Blanc 2019
I visited the Plaimont region, in the south-west of France, over the summer. I stayed in Marciac when the jazz festival was on, drinking regional wine and indulging in jambon. When an experience like that is over, it can be nerve-racking opening the same wine back in rainy England: would I still love it, minus the jambon and the sax? Thankfully it was great in Rutland, too — delicious, in fact. It’s also pitched at a price point that allows for enjoyment without too much anxiety, and it pairs wonderfully well with something as simple as a flavoursome pork chop. A great reminder of what can come out of rural France, where foie gras still thrives.
£22.50 Corney & Barrow
Because champagne makes everything better...
Laurent-Perrier, Grand Siècle No.26 Brut NV
Without sounding vulgar or too braggy, I’ve visited Laurent- Perrier, too — though I guess that’s what you’d expect while I am living la vida libation. The winery is very impressive. It stands out from champagne because, instead of the deep chalk cellars associated with champagne, Laurent-Perrier have these gorgeous redbrick cellars that are unique and refreshingly structural. However, the pièce de résistance are the tanks that stand so ominously with reserve wines kept back for the Grand Siècle bottlings. It was like something out of Star Wars — champagne or death? A lit corridor of sublime excellence. Maybe the word I’m looking for is intimidating. When winemakers are given free rein, magic happens. Grand Siècle is testament to this.
£195 Hedonism
It was like something out of Star Wars — champagne or death. A lit corridor of sublime excellence.
If you’re feeling spicy...
Cayuse Bionic Frog 2016 Walla Walla Valley, Washington state, United States
For this wine, I’m afraid you have to love the grape that is Syrah/ Shiraz, otherwise you’re a lost puppy. I am very much in the Syrah camp, and I’ve been unsuccessfully storing (drinking) some of the rarest examples from various regions over the years. The Cayuse Bionic Frog is frustratingly hard to come by — and quite the unicorn if you can find it. You want Syrah that is wholly representative of the grape: spice, fruit, depth, energy. This is it. It’s a pleasure to drink, and I can’t recommend it enough. Finally, it pairs well with venison.
£1,388 for 3 x 75cl from Berry Bros. & Rudd
When only French will do...
Vosne-Romanée, Clos du Château, Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair, 2009
Annoyingly, in my line of work, people always ask, “What’s your favourite wine?” Fight as I will, and fickle as I am, my favourites are as choppy and changeable as the weather. For example, if I’ve visited a region, I will get nostalgic for its wines... you get the idea. However, and I’m sure I speak for lots of palates here, nothing will ever feel as at home in my mouth as an excellent — and I mean world beating — pinot noir. This is one of them. For some reason we can put up with mediocre whites, but reds? It’s got to be good. This is about as good as it gets; we have only a finite number of units to use up, after all.
For a source, contact Justerini & Brooks... and good luck.
When you’re feeling patriotic...
Everflyht Brut NV, England
This is one of England’s extraordinarily beautiful sparkling wines. It is a traditional blend of chardonnay, pinot noir and (a pinch of ) pinot meunier from Ditchling Beacon in the heart of the South Downs. Interestingly, the pinot noir and meunier were pressed and fermented together. The chardonnay was pressed a little later, and Everflyht like to experiment with burgundy barrels, something I’m on board with. I have loyalty and fondness for many English producers, but Everflyht is like the ex I can’t let go of.
£28 from Everflyht
