Don't you just hate it when that happens . . .

Simon falls in love with Hegarty Chamans Cuvee No. 1 - only to discuss his supply has been cut off!

Wonder what cuvees no.2 and 3 taste like?

Have you ever had this frustrating experience? The discovery of a rare jewel, a wonderful wine that gets the saliva flowing and the tastebuds quivering, and you uncharacteristically bought only one bottle. With the last drop drained, thoughts of re-ordering awaken, only to find . . . sold out!

So it seems is the fate with this very fine Minervois cuvee, from advertising mogul Sir John Hegarty's estate in the Languedoc.

First impressions were really quite pongy - I'm actually quite partial to a bit of "bottle stink", being the slightly sulphurous, sometimes rather farmyard-like aroma that a bottle gives off just after opening. It generally seems to hail a wine of intent and maturity, which is more than OK by me. But the real prize with this wine was what happened to the nose after about an hour - a spellbindingly sweet and delicate mix of cinnamon and clove, in amongst the smokey, dark fruit.

It's really nice to find a "premium cuvee" like the 200…