2009 Vin de Pays de la Drôme, Philippe & Vincent Jaboulet, Rhône-Alps, France (£95.50, 10 Litre Bag in Box, Vinoteca – Soho tel. 020 3544 7411, Marylebone tel. 020 7724 7288, Farringdon tel. 020 7253 8786 & wineshop@vinoteca.co.uk). As you know I like to break the rules on this page and this is one that I have kept intact for my thirteen years of writing about wine – no Bag in Box! Still, rules have to be not only broken but obliterated as this ten litre BiB did for me. If you are partial to a glass, but don’t want to demolish a whole bottle then there is a lot of sense in buying in this format – not least for the value afforded. But as virtually every other wine I have tasted in a bag is foul I have never done it. The wine wizards at Vinoteca – the specialists wine bar/retailers outfit in central London – have found a stunning berry, bonfire, spice and char-style Southern Rhône red which is made by the famous Jaboulet offspring. It is the definition of autumn in a glass. I have known the minds behind Vinoteca, Brett and Charlie, for an eternity and it is not surprising that they have raised the bar this high. I recommend you check out the bars and, with a glass in hand, do some shopping – take a taxi home though, cos this is a heavy purchase.
