Reserve Wine List
WHITE
Domaine Balland Chapuis Sancerre Chene Marchand £60 Sancerre, Loire Valley France, 2008
One of the best Sancerre’s you will taste from the most exclusive vineyard in the Sancerre with vines a minimum of 30 years old. Purity, quality fruit & minerality that they have been matured in Oak, very rare for Sancerre
Domaine Andre Bonhomme Vire-Clesse £40 Burgundy, France, 2007
Founded with a tiny 4 hectares by Andre Bonhomme in 1956 in the Maconnais. Made with vintage vines of 75 to 90 years old. Blend of stainless steel vats & oak barriques.
24 months ageing before bottling. The quality of Puligny & Mersault at half the cost
RED
Château Clos Bel-Air £55 Pomerol, Bordeaux, France 2006
Boutique Pomerol estate. Very high quality small vineyard wine without the price tag. Beat La Conseillante Pomerol which would cost £250/£300 a bottle in Decanter magazine awards.
Right bank of Pomerol is known for fleshy 100% Merlot wines on a sandy & gravel soils over clay. One third new oak & the balance in seasoned fine grained barrique’s.
Chateau Du Tertre £100 Margaux, Bordeaux, France 1996
1996 is the best Vintage of the 90s & is drinking beautifully now. Again a small producer in Margaux with high quality at a fraction of the price. Du Dertre is a famous left bank 5th growth Chateau on a
large gravel plateau. Average vine age exceeds 35 years on a gravelly, pebbly mound. Cabernet Sauvignon dominant complemented by Merlot, Cabernet Franc & Petit Verdot.
Chateau Croisille “Divin Croisille” £50 Cahors, France 2008
Cahors is where Malbec originated. Also called the Black wine of France. Voted by Andrew Jefford as the best Cahors in recent FT article. Small family Chateau–Regional hero Pascal Verhaeghe is the winemaker.
18 mths oak maturation. Included in the Cahors Charter of Quality index Divin Croisille is 100% Malbec from south west France. 30 year old vines farmed organically on the calcareous clay slopes of Cahors the heartland of Malbec.
Domain Phillip Pichard L’Arcestrale £55 Chinon, Loire Valley, France, 2009
A tiny producer who is breaking all the rules & making cult wines in France. This organic vigneron produces pure, concentrated yet elegant 100% Cabernet Franc. 2009 is a hallmark year from the Loire recognized for early opulence & cellaring ability. 45 year old vines on clay-silica soils. 15 months maturation in 33% new French oak. Bottled without fining or filtration to retain its personality.
