WINE LIST OF THE MONTH - SEPTEMBER 2008

SHARROW BAY HOTEL, ULLSWATER

 

It’s fitting to celebrate the 60th anniversary of this British culinary institution, founded by Brian Sack and Francis Coulson, who literally created out of nothing what must now be considered the prototype of the Country House Hotel. Converted from modest Tea Rooms on the shores of Lake Ullswater, this establishment has gestated a plethora of new annexes as the undoubted success of the business grew over the years. Sadly, Brian and Francis are no longer with us, but their successors have continued to live the legend of this most civilised of establishments. Certainly, little has changed since I first went there in 1969 (except perhaps the number of annexes!) and the aura of genteel politeness without obsequiousness still prevails, which makes it such a great place to get away from the hustle and bustle of city life.

 

One thing that has blossomed there over the years, is the wine list. There are now over 700 wines to choose from, apart from a great selection of aperitifs and digestifs, and whilst the list may look daunting to begin with, there are some helpful notes from Nicolas Chièze, the Wine Director, and Franck Gérôme, the Head Sommelier.

 

One would expect the wine prices in a luxury establishment like this, to be very high. Well, it’s certainly not the cheapest list in the British Isles, but considering the luxury, the prices are eminently fair without going over the top. Of course, they also have many expensive wines per se, but a careful examination of the list will show you that wines start from as little as £15 a bottle and there are 95 wines on the list at £25 and under, so if you are feeling a little impecunious, there’s plenty to choose from. Of course, you can pay £425 for the 1961 Ch Yquem, but checking out a comparative table of retail prices for this wine offered by merchants around the world, one finds that they vary from £400 to over £900, so this is an absolute bargain in a restaurant.

 

The list starts off with “The Sharrow Selection” – a selection of some 20 dry wines and some half a dozen sweet wines which are available by the glass. About half of them are from bottles costing £25 or less. The selection is very wide ranging – there are wines from 13 different countries with varying styles and it is probably an ideal way to explore the list by having a different glass with each of the several courses you will get at Sharrow Bay for dinner. The sommeliers would be pleased to help you with this.

 

There follows a list of over 70 large formats – magnums, double magnums etc., - ideal for a big party to enjoy. All reasonably priced but the outstanding value for money wine here is the magnum of the 5 star Mas de Daumas Gassac 1993 for only £75. A magnum of the 5 star Ridge Vineyards Geyserville Zinfandel 1996 at £83.50 is not far behind.

 

An interesting feature of the list is the collection of seven pairs of wines in the “Sharrow Duo Collection”. Nicolas and Franck have put together these pairs for comparison either by grape varietal, or by vintage of the same wine. You do, of course, have to buy both bottles, so it’s probably not a good idea for lone diners, but in any event, whilst it is an interesting conception, there was nothing outstanding by way of price/quality ratio.

 

There are 47 Champagnes listed, from the “House” Champagne – Billecart-Salmon NV at £40, to Roederer’s Cristal Rosé 1996 at £495. In between, Dom Pérignon 1999 at £130 is about as cheap as you would find it anywhere, although if you thought it was a bit young (and the sommelier’s note states that it isn’t), you can always go for the 1990, but that will set you back £305! There are some less expensive sparkling wines, with the pick being the 3 star Pelorus at £38 and Nyetimber Classic 2000 at £49.50

 

Rosé wines are said to be in fashion now and Sharrow Bay lists 9 of them. From a Pinot Grigio Rosé 2007 from the Pavia region at £16 to Domaine Ott’s Château de Selle, Coeur de Grain 2006 at £42.50. In between, the best value wine appears to be the Redoma Rosé from Niepoort in Portugal at £26 for easy drinking. If you want a rosé with a bit more body, then “The Celeidh” 2004 from Garretson in Paso Robles, California at £34.50, is a rosé made just from Syrah, but it’s a bit more of a chunky price.

 

There’s a good selection of white Bordeaux – both dry and sweet. Here, Malartic-Lagravière Blanc is outstandingly priced at £30, but it is the 1989 vintage. You would need to check with the sommelier as to whether it’s still good. On the sweet wines, Ch. Coutet 1983 (which SHOULD be good – it was a great vintage) at £75 looks a good bet too. White Burgundies kick off with 15 different Chablis, eight of which are Grands Crus, and seven Premier Crus. (Not much point messing about with ordinary stuff!). The three star Bernard Defaix Premier Cru Cotes de Lechet 2005 is not bad value at £33 (£19 for a half), whilst the 5 star Grand Cru Les Preuses 2003 from Dauvissat is less value at £78, but nevertheless a super wine. There is an impressive range of Cote d’Or white Burgundies, right up to a 1991 Montrachet from Comte Lafon at £315, although Jean-Marc Boillot’s Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Pucelles 2002 at £105 might be better value. However, one should never forget the Côte Chalonnaise and the Maconnais when looking at white Burgundies and here you will find the 4 star Macon-Villages, Domaine de la Bongrain 2002 for a mere £33.

 

Since the wine director and the head sommelier both hail from the Loire Valley, we would expect a super selection of these wines and we are not disappointed. From Muscadet to Pouilly Fumé, the selection is first class, with Didier Dagueneau’s 5 star Pouilly Fumé Buisson Renard 2005 at £50 having the best quality/price ratio. Alsace is well represented, too, with Schlumberger’s Pinot Blanc 2004, at £20.50, well priced at the entry level end and Zind-Humbrecht’s 5 star Pinot Gris, Grand Cru Rangen de Thann, Clos St. Urban 1997, at £85 being the ultimate in opulence without getting into the over sweet side. White Rhônes are always tricky – perhaps the most consistent appellation being Condrieu. Sharrow Bay list three, the best being Yves Cuilleron’s 5 star “les Chaillets 2005, but at a whopping £99 it’s not cheap. The entry level St. Joseph Blanc “La Source” 2005 from Ferraton (a subsidiary of Chapoutier) at £27.95, is probably a more down to earth choice.

 

There are good value wines too, from the south west of France. In the Languedoc, the Limoux Chardonnay “Toques et Cloches” Terroir d’Autun 2004 at £21.50 and Domaine de l’Hortus Vin de Pays du Val de Montferrand “Grand Cuvee” 2006 at £29.50 fit the bill, whilst Alain Brumont’s Pacherenc de Vic Bilh 1999 at £25 should also be worth looking at, although you may need to enquire how it has aged.

 

There are a smattering of white wines from England, Lebanon, Greece and Austria. The Hatzidakis Santorini white 2006 at £23.60, is fairly priced for a fresh, crisp, flavoursome white wine, whilst Fred Loimer’s Kaferburg Vineyard Grüner Veltliner 2004 at £35.25 is good value for the quality. A selection of Tokaji wines from Hungary, ranging from the dry to the Eszencia 1993 at £75 for a 50cl. bottle is something for the adventurous. German wines are well represented and dominated by Rieslings of varying degrees of sweetness. Franz Kunstler’s Hochheimer Kirchenstuck Riesling Spätlese 2002 at £37 looks value for money whilst at the rarefied end, a 1994 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Beerenauslese at £77 a half bottle from Reichsgraf von Kesselstadt, should be a joy.

 

Spain and Portugal are also well represented, particularly Spain. Here, you will find what is probably the bargain of the list – Rene Barbier’s Clos Nelin 2001 – a brilliant blend of Garnacha Blanco, Viognier, Pinot Noir, Roussanne, Marsanne and Macabeo – rated 4 stars by Williamson and Moore and on the list for only £22.50. Go for it! Dirk Niepoort’s Redoma Branco Reserva 2004 from the Douro in Portugal at £39.75 is also a great wine. Italy is well represented with Terre Rosse’s Chardonnay Reserve 2003 nicely under our 3 star criteria for value of £30 at £27 and also Anselmi’s sweet I Capitelli 2000 (incorrectly described as a Recioto di Valpollicella) – 4 stars for £24.50 a half bottle.

 

The list then meanders through the New World, starting off with a good selection of whites from the USA. Here we find as fairly reasonably priced Cline Cellars Marsanne 2002 at £34.50, as well as the 4 star Shafer Red Shoulder Ranch Chardonnay 2004 at £65. There is much better value from South America with Chile’s Casa Silva Single Vineyard Angostura Gran Reserva Chardonnay 2005 more than keenly priced for a 3 star rated wine at £21. There is a reasonable selection of South African whites, the best quality-wise being the Hamilton Russell Walker Bay Chardonnay 2005 at £38.50. New Zealand whites do extremely well with the 3 star Isabel Estate Dry Riesling 2005 at £25 and the 4 star Kumeu River Chardonnay 2003 at £39.75. There is a wide choice of Australian whites and the 3 star “Art Series” Riesling 2004, from the Leewin Estate is good value but their Chardonnay will set you back £77. An interesting feature of the list is a vertical of De Bortoli’s “Noble One” Botrytis Sémillon from the 2005 vintage at £29.75 for a half bottle to the 1993 at £40.

 

On to red wines. Naturally there is real strength in the wines from Bordeaux, including 12 different vintages of Ch. Mouton Rothschild at prices from £190 for the 1976 to £350 for the 1966. The list is strong on other Pauillacs, with perhaps the 1997 Ch. Pichon Longueville-Baron, well priced at £55 for a vintage which should be at its best now. Most of the top St. Estèphe’s are listed in mostly fairly mature vintages. St. Julien’s too, are well represented as well as wines from the Margaux appellation, with Pavillon Rouge de Ch. Margaux 2001 looking good at £79. The outstanding wine in the Graves section is Ch. Pape Clémant 1982 – one of the great vintages of recent years and intriguingly priced at £95. There is a good spread of wines from the right bank – St. Émilion and Pomerol – with the 1993 Vieux Château Certan at £50 looking value. Bordeaux’s minor appellations are lumped together in one section and there is a lot of quality there starting form the simple Ch. Pitray 1996 Côtes de Castillon at £19, right up to Ch. La Lagune, Haut-Médoc 1989 at £105.

 

Red Burgundies, are, of course, well represented with some stellar producers and in the Côtes de Nuits section, look out for the 5 star Mazy-Chambertin Grand Cru 2000 from Frédéric Esmonin, well priced at £65.  In the Côte de Beaune, de Courcel’s Pommard Grand Cru Clos des Epinots 2000, is equally well priced at £55, although we wouldn’t mind having a go at the Corton Grand Cru, Clos des Cortons Faiveley 2001 – a super 5 star wine at only £80. There are just three wines listed in the Côte Chalonnaise – all reliable wines, but the Jacquesson’s Rully 1er Cru, Les Cloux 2005 takes the value spot at £33 and it’s a super vintage, too. In Beaujolais, 2005 was also a great vintage and here Jacky Janodet’s Moulin-à-Vent Veillies Vignes at £26 scores well for a 3 star wine.

 

Loire reds can sometimes be a bit of an acquired taste and here the choice is a toss up between Charles Joguet’s Chinon, Cuvée de la Cure 2003 at £36, or Ch. de la Grille’s Chinon 1996 at £39.75. Both from excellent vintages, although one might find the 2003 still a little too young to drink. The Rhône Valley selection is studded with stellar producers although not perhaps with wines from stellar vintages. Anything younger than 1998, with the exception of the 2002 vintage, is probably not yet ready to drink, except perhaps from the most basic appellations. Here, you should definitely go for Domaine La Soumade Côtes-du-Rhône-Villages Rasteau 2004 – well priced at £23.55. This is a domaine whose quality has gone up by leaps and bounds since wine guru Stéphane Derenoncourt started consulting there. On the older vintages, you are probably better off drinking two halves of Château du Beaucastel’s Châteauneuf-du-Pape 1998 at £40, than a full bottle of the 1997 at £79. The 1998 vintage is so much better. A 5 star wine, of course.

 

The best of the rest of France (Provence, Languedoc-Roussillon and South West France) has a number of top class producers. Outstanding value is in the Mas de Daumas Gassac, a 4 star plus wine at only £39.50 for the 2005 vintage. It’s probably a bit too young to drink, so you may be better off again to go for the halves of the 2004 vintage at £22.50. The Domaine de la Grange des Pères is nearby and if anything is even better than Mas de Daumas Gassac, but production is much smaller here and the 2003 will set you back £78 for a bottle, but may be worth it – it’s rated 5 stars by Williamson and Moore and is more approachable when young than the Gassac. The Madiran 2000 from Ch. d’Aydie at £27.75 is inside our 3 star criteria of £30 as being good value as is Domaine de Trévallon’s Les Baux de Provence 2000, 5 star quality at £59. All in all, this is a good section to explore for value for money.

 

The Italian red section bristles with top names, unfortunately at top prices – not the fault of Sharrow Bay for their mark ups, but by having to pay over the top from the producers in the first place. Nevertheless, Capezzana’s Carmignano, Villa di Capezzana 1998 at £29.50 is excellent value for a 3 star plus wine, whereas £300 for Sassicaia 1997 is clearly not, even if it does rate 5 stars, especially since it was a bit off-form in the late nineties. Spain has just as many top names, but here the prices are a little more reasonable. Top of the list for price/quality ratio must be Vega Sicilia’s Bodegas Alion Reserva 1998 at £49 – great value for a 5 star wine. The Fina l’Argata 2000 from Joan d’Anguera at £25.50 is also good value. Top wines abound from Vega Sicilia’s Unico, Réné Barbier, Torres, Rioja Alta etc. The Redoma reds from Dirk Niepoort in the Douro Valley in Portugal are also good value – the 2001 vintage at £30, or the 1995 vintage at £37.50.

 

Token references are made to reds from Germany, Austria, Greece, Lebanon, Georgia and India and Ch. Musar and Massaya from Lebanon are 3 star quality although not particularly cheap. There is certainly curiosity value here, although it’s probably best to stick to French regional wines for a little more consistency. Australia weighs in with some heavyweight producers and their wines – Grange 1998 (£245), Hill of Grace 1994 (£295) and The Armagh 1996 a mere £145. Who said Australian wines were cheap? Well, of course, there are some cheap and positively nasty Australian wines but we didn’t see any on this list. Best value for money seems to be the Mount Langi Ghiran Shiraz 2000, 5 star quality at only £48, and for lesser mortals, Cape Mentelle Cabernet/Merlot 2005 is a 3 star bargain at £27.95. The New Zealand list has a goodly number of 4 star reds, the best value being the Ata Rangi Pinot Noir 2003 at £54 and at the top end of the spectrum it’s a toss up between Stonyridge’s Larose Cabernet Sauvignon 2000 at £74 or Felton Road Block 5 Pinot Noir 2006 at £75. For drinkability, I think that the Stonyridge should take precedence and leave the Felton Road for a couple of years at least.

 

In South Africa, Hamilton Russell’s Walker Bay Pinot Noir 2005 is 4 star quality at £50 and the Shiraz 2004 from Kaapzicht at £29.50 looks interesting too. California produces some really big guns – 5 star plus wines such as Ridge Montebello Cabernet Sauvignon, Shafer Hillside Select Cabernet Sauvignon, Dominus and Eisele Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon at prices ranging from £125 to £225 add a touch of real class to the list, but for value in this section (and bearing in mind that there is nothing under £33), two wines stand out. Firstly, there is the 4 star Cline Cellars Small Berry Vineyard Mourvèdre 1998 at £37.50 and the super 5 star Au Bon Climat Cuvée Isabelle Pinot Noir 1999 at £72.

 

South American reds are well represented here with the section split up between the ordinary and the prestige cuvees. There is 4 star quality in the prestige cuvee section with the Malbec 2004 from Bodegas Monteviejo at £39, having the best quality/price ratio. In the “ordinary” section, Casa Silva’s Carménère Gran Reserva Los Lingues 2005 at £21, is outstanding value for a 4 star wine.

 

There are Ports, Liqueurs, Whiskeys, Cognacs and Armagnacs galore and cigars for those who would wish to brave the Lake District elements. All in all, this is a terrific list, with little to gripe about and an awful lot to commend. It’s wide ranging and on the whole fairly priced – a 5 star wine list.

 

 

Best value White – Clos Nelin 2001. 4 star quality for only £22.50 (Spain)

 

Best value Red – Carménère Gran Reserva Los Lingues 2005. 4 star quality for only £21. (Chile)

 

Rich man’s bargain – Ch. Yquem 1961, £425. It will cost more than this in a shop (if you can find it).