House White, Rosé and Red

2015/16 Claude Val, Pays D'Oc, Pézenas, Aude Valley, South of France. £19.70/£5.30 per glass
Jean Claude is fourth generation in the family vineyards. As a young man, he was sent by his father to work for the legendary Italian winemaker Giorgio Grai, who taught him the art of blending different grapes.  After that, Jean Claude also worked in Australia and the USA. Back in France, he has combined the best of old world and new world experience and is making very admirable wines

 

Champagne

Gruet, Cuvée Tradition, Brut, N.V. £41.60/22.70 half bottle
Unknown in England, but much respected in France. The vineyards, producing this excellent blanc de noirs, have been in the same family since 1670 - at present led by Claude Gruet.

Veuve Clicquot, Brut, N.V. Yellow Label £55.30
The success of this prestigious Grand Marque dates back to 1805 when, on her husband's sudden death, the widow Clicquot took over his family vineyards, when she was still only 27 years old.

 

Sparkling Wine 

Prosecco, Le Dolci Colline, Brut, Veneto, N.E. Italy, Claudio Manera £28.10/£5.40 per glass
From one of the great names in Italian wine - bouncy, quality, Italian fizz- the chosen aperitif in most of the bars in Venice.
 

 
White Wines

1. Portugal/Alentejo 2015/16 Monte Velho, Herdade do Esporao, Sandra Alves
£23.90
From the beautiful Alentejo region of Portugal, this estate grows 37 grape varieties all of which are indigenous and unique to the Alentejo.  For this wine Roupeiro, Antao Vaz and Perrum. The result is dry, bright, fragrant wine with hints of honeysuckle and white stone fruit


2. Italy/Marche 2015/16 Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico, Pontemagno, Giulano Piersanti
£25.10/£6.70 per glass
Grown in the hills above the Adriatic Coast, Verdicchio is one of Italy's best white grapes producing medium bodied wine with notes of citrus, summer flowers, honeyed almonds, apricot kernels and a delightful length of flavour - reminds you of long, hot, lazy Italian summer days

 
3. France/Languedoc 2015/16 Picpoul de Pinet, Condamine L'Eveque, Guy Bascou
£26.30
This small appellation is halfway between Béziers and Montpellier, overlooking the Mediterranean. "Picpoul" means "lip stinger" in the local dialect - but it is not as dry as that!  Sprightly, crisp and aromatic, with underlying touches of the tamarind growing nearby


4. France/Loire 2015/16 Sauvignon de Touraine, Domaine Le Boulay, Jean-Marie Perret
£27.40
From a small vineyard on the Oisly plateau, above Touraine, perhaps the most beautiful part of France, with a mild and soft climate - perfect for Sauvignon Blanc. This is an excellent and very traditional wine of the area, dry, fresh, herbaceous. It is also very versatile with food


5. France/Languedoc 2014/15 Viognier, Vendages Nocturne, Laurent Miquel
£27.50
Viognier is a difficult grape to grow but Laurent Miquel has worked hard and successfully with it.  At harvest he picks the grapes during the night when temperatures are coolest.  Stylish, refreshing, carefully balanced fruit of apricot and pear with an orange zest finish


6. England/Devon 2015/16 Sharpham Estate Selection, Duncan Schwab
£27.70/£7.40 per glass
The Madeleine Angevine grape grows very happily near Totnes in sunny Devon.  A favourite wine of ours for many years, it is distinctly dry, with a nose of lime blossom and grapefruit.  Very highly regarded amongst English wines and winner of many international awards

 
7. France/Burgundy 2015/16 Macon-Chardonnay, Mallory and Benjamin Talmard
£29.20/£17.30 half bottle
Made from the Chardonnay grapes that grow in the Talmard vineyards around the village called Chardonnay - thought to be the geographical origin of the grape!  This is a beautiful wine, unoaked, gentle, elegant, hints of apple and quince, a subtle minerality and a long, fresh, dry finish


8. Spain/Galicia 2015/16 Albariño, Rias Baixas, 7 Cepas, Juan Carlos Vazquez
£29.80
From the Atlantic climate of Spain's far northwest coast, this is Spain's finest white wine. You can almost taste the sea breezes coming off the Atlantic, mingling with white flowers, peach stones and mountain herbs. "7 Cepas" means 7 vines and refers to the seven brothers who work in the vineyard
 

9. France/Alsace 2013/14 Riesling, Grand Cru Kaefferkopf, Henri Ehrhart
£33.60
Despite the appalling reputation of cheap and nasty Mid European Rieslings, there remains a very devoted following for the very finest Rieslings - and this is one of them. Mouth-filling, intense and subtle fruit, somewhere between apricots and pears, satin texture, followed by a long finish


10. France/Loire 2015 Sancerre, Les Celliers Saint-Romble, André Dezat
£36.30/£19.70 half bottle
One of the oldest wine-growing families in Sancerre, dating back 450 years! Highly respected for their selection of only the healthiest fruit, which is then fermented and matured in stainless steel.  This is classic Sancerre, vibrant, hints of gunflint, sherbet, asparagus and white pepper
 

11. France/Burgundy 2010 Chablis Vieilles Vignes, Domaine du Vieux Château, Daniel-Etienne Defaix
£47.10/£26.70 half bottle
Defaix has some of the oldest and finest vineyards in Chablis.  He believes that, nowadays, good Chablis is sold and drunk far too young.  Therefore, on his best wines, he only releases them when he decides they have reached their proper maturity.  Hence this wonderful 2010, displaying remarkable purity and elegance
 

12. France/Burgundy 2012 Pouilly Fuissé, Tête de Cru, Château Fuissé, Jean-Jacques Vincent
£49.60
The Vincent family have owned the Château Fuissé for five generations and have gained world-wide fame for their exceptional wines. This brilliant wine is a prime example of the best Burgundy, combining bright, mineral, ripe and rich fruit, with lots of character and a persistent finish



Rosé Wine 

13. France/Provence 2015/16 Esprit de Buganay, the Gilardi family
£27.30
In our opinion the best rosé wines are produced in Côtes de Provence - also the birthplace of rosé wines - centred around the wonderful city of Aix-en-Provence (twinned with Bath!) This wine is very attractive, pale pink, with bright fruit flavours, on an elegant and charming frame
 

 
Red Wines
 
14. France/Bordeaux 2014/15 Château Moulin de Mallet, Serge Couderc
£24.10/£14.70 half bottle
The Château is on the plateau of Pujols, overlooking the Dordogne and the slopes of St. Emilion. The area was originally dotted with windmills, one of which is now the home of the Couderc family. This is one of hundreds of Bordeaux "petits châteaux", small, family vineyards producing characterful clarets
 

15. Italy/Sicily 2015 Miopasso, Nero d'Avola, Stefano Chioccioli
£25.30
This very interesting Nero d'Avola is made using the "ripasso" technique - about 30% of the grapes are picked a few weeks early and are then sun-dried and added to the rest of the harvest.  The result is a wine with both strength and complexity, a rich palate and a long finish
 

16. France/Loire 2015/16 Le Chapitre, Pinot Noir, Réthoré Davy
£26.20
A Pinot Noir from the Loire Valley. The vineyards are set on a variety of classic soils, including schist, quartz, flint and slate - all of which drain well in this relatively cool region. The wine is light coloured, fresh, youthful and bright, with aromas of cherry and Earl Grey tea and a raspberry/crimson rim
 

17. Portugal/Douro 2008/9 Quinta do Val da Figueira Reserva, Joao Calem
£28.80/£7.70 per glass
From one of the oldest and finest vineyards in the Douro. The vineyard still uses traditional methods to make a wine with a velvet texture despite being unfiltered. It is both gentle and deep, well-rounded, retaining complex flavours and benefitting from seven year bottle age
 

18. France/Beaujolais 2015/16  Fleurie, Domaine de la Viroylette Jacques Charlet
£29.20/£17.30 half bottle
Fragrant, medium-bodied and feisty, with the tell tale iris and chocolate nose and a complex palate with hints of mulberry, rowan, redcurrants, rhubarb and vanilla. This is classic Fleurie, grown in one of the best vineyards of the appellation, made by one of Fleurie's most highly respected growers


19. Italy/Tuscany 2014 Sagrato, Chianti Riserva, Cesare and Andrea Cecchi
£29.70
This prestigious Cecchi family have many of the finest vineyards in Tuscany, centred around Castellina and Montalcino. They make all their wines with exceptional care and passion and always classic Tuscan style. Aged in oak, this wine is mid-weight, bright and well rounded, with notes of cherry and redcurrant, vanilla and cinnamon 
 

20. Lebanon/Bekaa Valley  2013/14 Massaya, Le Colombier, Sami and Ramzi Ghosn
£32.90/£8.90 per glass
The Romans chose the Bekaa Valley as the site to build The Temple of Bacchus - in homage to their god of wine. After the civil war in Lebanon, the Ghosn family went back to restore their family vineyards. They were advised and also financed by the legendary Brunier family of Châteauneuf du Pape, who immediately admired the quality of the terroir in the Bekaa valley. Today the wine from this ancient estate is mouth filling, full of sunshine, smooth and spicy
 

21. Greece/Thessaloniki 2015 Naoussa, Apostolos Thymiopoulos
£34.30
Made at Naoussa in Northern Greece from young xinomavro grapes (a grape grown nowhere else in the world). This wine is produced biodynamically, is pure and fragrant with a silky textured palate. Apostolos is recognised as the young star of Greek wine. He sells a proportion of his production each year to several renowned restaurants in Paris - where we discovered it
 

22. Spain/Rioja 2010 La Rioja Alta, Viña Alberdi Reserva, Julio Saenz
£38.60/£19.70 half bottle
La Rioja Alta is one of the three great names and most resolutely traditional of Rioja's bodegas. Viña Alberdi is named after one of the original founding families. It is made from 100% tempranillo grapes and 2010 was a superb vintage. This wine has striking vigour, complexity, intensity and all the backbone and grip which is so hard to find nowadays in many aged Riojas
 

23. France/Bordeaux 2009 Château Vieux Lartigue, Saint Emilion Grand Cru, Christian Moueix
£46.30
The Château is in the commune of St. Sulpice de Faleyrens, primarily merlot with cabernet franc, the grapes all picked by hand, a generous vintage and ready to drink now. Classic, smooth, supple character, with flavours of soft and dark fruits and nicely rounded tannins
 

24. France/Southern Rhone 2012/14 Gigondas, Domaine Raspail-Ay, Dominique Ay
£49.10
Dominique Ay's Gigondas is always very widely admired and much in demand. Indeed, many restaurants struggle to get a decent allocation. Happily, we've known Dominique Ay for many years - resolutely single minded and a determined perfectionist. This is old-fashioned Gigondas, deep, multi-layered, spicy, peppery, with hints of blackberries, bitter cherries, violets and liquorice
 

25. France/Burgundy 2012 Savigny-Les-Beaune, Aux Grands Liards, Vieilles Vilgnes, Domaine Camus Bruchon
£53.20
Luc Camus is a leading light in the Côte d’Or. Despite his comparatively small vineyard, he consistently produces red wines of exceptional quality. 2012 was a good but small harvest, giving the wines concentration and depth, with soft and elegant tannins.
 

 
Dessert Wines
 
26. Greece/The Island of Samos 2014/15 Samos Grand Cru, Manolis Tsakalakis
£17.40(375ml bottle)/£5.30 per glass (100ml)
Made from grapes called Muscat Blanc à Petit Grains – by far the most characterful of the Muscat tribe – small bunches of very sun-drenched grapes. Long palate of oranges, peaches, roses and walnuts, ending with a hint of spice


27. France/Roussillon 1928 Solera, Les Vignerons de Maury
£39.70(500ml bottle)/£8.70 per glass (100ml)
An 88 year old delight! The solera for this remarkable oak-aged, mahogany coloured, sweet, complex, rich red wine was laid down in 1928 – the year Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin, Bruce Forsyth was born, King Zog crowned himself King of Albania, René Lacoste won Wimbledon and the Soviet Union exiled Trotsky!