2018 Vintage

2018. How was it for you? The vignerons of France may trumpet it as an historic vintage, but Jason being determined to find out for himself, marshals five newly-minted bottles of white, rosé and red and inveigles the ever-obliging David to figuratively hold his jacket while he gives them all a thorough going over. The Domaine De l'Idylle from the Savoie is declared fresh and zesty, the Chablis from Christophe Camu, rich and smooth and the rosé (a Reuilly from the Loire valley), is taut and crunchy and looks good, too. The reds, a L'Arpenty from Chinon, which smells like raspberry ripple according to David, is a hedonistically enjoyable, pure fruit delight. And as if that wasn't enough, Jean-Pierre Boisson's ever popular Petit Caboche from the Vaucluse is deemed as good as it ever was and as close as a Vin De Pays can possibly get to a Châteauneuf Du Pape without actually being a Châteauneuf du Pape, even though its made by a celebrated Châteauneuf Du Pape grower somewhere very near, well, Châteauneuf Du Pape. 2018? So far, so good, says David.