Sunday, February 05, 2012

text only

Wine list

House Wines

Dry White

Mesta Blanco, 2008

La Mancha, Spain

Very aromatic and fresh with mouth-filling flavours of exotic tropical citrus fruits and white peaches.

ABV% 12.5%

175ml Glass £4.95

Bottle £14.95

Medium-dry

Eagle Point 'Vat 21' White, 2008

White Victoria, Australia

Deliciously open and floral blend of Chardonnay and Colombard with masses of racy, zesty fruit.

ABV% 13.5%

175ml Glass £4.95

Bottle £14.95

Medium Rosé

Cutlers Crest White Zinfandel, 2008

Collegeville, California

Bold flavours of 'strawberries and cream' with a hint of boiled sweets and candyfloss!

ABV% 11%

175ml Glass £4.95

Bottle £14.95

Medium-bodied

Merlot Piropo, 2009

Red Mendoza, Argentina

Eminently easy to drink with soft, elegant fruit, zingy acidity and refreshingly long length.

ABV% 13%

175ml Glass £4.95

Bottle £14.95

Full-bodied

Altyerre Shiraz/Cabernet, 2009

Red South-Eastern Australia

Rich and crammed full of spicy blackcurrant and damson fruit flavours with a soft, rounded finish.

ABV% 14%

175ml Glass £4.95

Bottle £14.95

All house wines £14.95 bottle or £4.95 By Glass

Sparkling

Opera Blanc de Blanc Brut N.V

Compagnie Francaise de Vins Mousseaux

This blanc de blanc has an excellent fruity freshness, is crisp and medium-dry and has a surprisingly elegant palate.

By Glass £5.80

Rosé & Sparkling Rosé

Rosé Beaujolais Villages Rose, 2008

Chateau de Grandmont, Beaujolais, France

Deliciously soft and fruity, packed full of raspberry flavours, and with a deliciously long, refreshing length.

Bottle £21.25

Sparkling Cremant de Loire Organic Rose Brut NV.

Domaine Pibleau, Azay le Rideau, Loire, France

A delightful and enticing Rose from Grolleau grapes with just a touch of Cabernet Franc. The vineyards are Organic with everything kept as simple as possible in the Winery. A dry pale pink fizz with persistant lively mousse, refreshing strawberry and creamy Red Cherry flavours, very morish.

Bottle £24.85

White Wines

France

1 Sauvignon de St. Bris, 2007

Domaine St Prix, Nr Chablis, Burgundy

The only Sauvignon allowed in Burgundy! Grown practically next door to Chablis, this has a tangy gooseberry flavour with hints of mineral.

Bottle £24.75

2 Chardonnay 2009

Domaine St.Hilaire, Vin de Pays d'Oc, France

Unoaked, dry and elegant; this is a light white, with soft peachy fruit and a hint of spice.

Bottle £18.25

3 Muscadet 'Sur Lie', 2009, Sauvion de Cléray

Sauvion et Fils, Vallet, Loire

A classic 'crunchy' Muscadet that is dry enough to be ideal with all seafoods but which has a surprising depth of versatile fruit

Bottle £21.25

4 Pouilly Fumé 'Villa Paulus', 2008

Domaine Masson-Blondelet, Pouilly-sur-Loire

Elegant and poised with a perfect balance of upfront 'smoky' richness and more subtle flavours of gooseberry, acacia and nuts.

Bottle £33.00

5 Chablis, 2008

Domaine Bois d'Yver, Burgundy

A classically dry and 'assertive' Chablis with a steely fruitiness and brisk acidity, balanced by a generous weight of ripe fruit.

Bottle £30.75

6 St Veran 'En Pommard', 2008

Domaine des Maillettes, Maconnaise, Burgundy

St Veran is a 'centre of excellence' in Southern Burgundy and this single vineyard Chardonnay shows a luscious buttery fruitiness.

Bottle £28.25

8 Viognier, 2008

Costières de Pomerols, Languedoc

Viognier has become very fashionable due to its lush and exotic apricot and peach flavours with a generous backdrop of honeysuckle.

By Glass £5.85

Bottle £19.95

9 Vouvray, Demi-Sec, Peu de la Moriette, 2007

Domaine Pichot, Vouvray, Loire, France

The Chenin grape grown here in the Loire produces some of the most elegant and long-lived wines in the world. This medium-dry style of Vouvray is quite delicious with honeyed fruit and a soft, refreshing finish.

Bottle £23.50

10 Pugliy Montrachet 2007

Domaine Paul Garaudet, Burgundy, France

An utterly divine Puligny. Layers of aromatic buttery fruit, enveloped in a Fullness of body and a rich mineral character.

Bottle £55.00

Germany

12 Niersteiner Rehbach Riesling Spatlese, 2008

Louis Guntrum, Rheinhessen

A single vineyard Niersteiner that shows incisive honeyed grapefruit flavours but which is just dry and fruity enough to match many foods.

Bottle £31.35

Austria

13 Gruner Veltliner 'Kamptal Terrassen', 2008

Weingut Brundlmayer, Langenlois, Kamptal

Medium in weight but surprisingly full flavoured and complex with an abundance of spicy, 'minerally' plums, lime and a hint of pepper.

Bottle £33.95

Italy

14 Frascati Superiore 'Villafranca', 2008

Gasperini, Frascati, Lazio

Very crisp and delicate with lots of crunchy citrus fruit flavours with a hint of green apple. A proper Frascati!

Bottle £17.50

15 Pinot Grigio 'Alto-Adige', 2009

St Michael Eppan, Dolomites, Sud-Tirol

From high altitude vineyards up near the Dolomites, this is a 'serious' Pinot Grigio with very ripe and pure 'smoky' fruit.

Bottle £30.85

Spain

17 Rioja 'Monopole' Blanco, 2007

CVNE, Haro, Rioja Alta

Traditional, rich and powerful white Rioja with bucket loads of fruit, all supported by creamy vanilla and showing a long, sustained finish.

By Glass £6.20

Bottle £25.00

England

19 Manstree 2008/09 Mayval Dry

Manstree, Shillingford St Geoarge, Exeter

A small family run operation that used to specialise in soft fruits that easily converted to grapes. Mayval is a blend of Madeleine/Segal Blanc a very good wine with floral bouquet, crisp zesty citrus on the palate.

Bottle £22.85

Australia

20 TK 'Lenswood' Riesling, 2004

Knappstein, Adelaide Hills, South Victoria

A wonderful 'off-dry' Riesling that offers an enticing balance of lime, exotic passionfruit and tangy grapefruit.

Bottle £27.95

21 Dry Muscat, 2007

Brown Brothers, Milawa, Victoria

Muscat is the only wine that really does taste of grapes and this is turbo-charged with a generous weight of fruit and masses of flavour.

Bottle £17.50

22 Heytesbury Chardonnay, 2006

Vasse Felix,Maragret River, W Australia

A top of the range wine , aged in oak for 10 months. The balance is excellent with a long lingering finish.

Bottle £49.75

23 Verdelho, 2008

Margan Family, New South Wales

Delightfully fresh and vibrant with rich, juicy flavours of honeyed lemon/lime, green apple and passionfruit, leading to a soft, 'creamy' finish.

Bottle £27.95

South Africa

24 Gewurztraminer, 2009

Paul Cluver, Elgin

Exotically scented with rose petal and 'fruit syrup' to the fore, followed by soft, off-dry flavours of lychee and spicy pepper.

By Glass £6.20

Bottle £22.50

25 Semillon 'Flat Roof Manor', 2006

Uitkyk, Stellenbosch

Soft , ripe and very generous with powerful but elegant flavours of lime, buttered toast and the faintest hint of tangy Seville orange.

Bottle £21.65

U.S.A.

26 Pinot Grigio, 2008

Delicato Family Vineyards, Lodi, California

It's Pinot Grigio, Jim...but not as we know it! This is still dry and fresh in style but offers lush flavours of 'apricot & vanilla' ice cream with a hint of fresh ginger.

By Glass £5.95

Bottle £21.15

Chile

27 Sauvignon Blanc, Leyda Vineyard, 2009

Montes, Curico Valley

Take a top class Sauvignon and then turbo-charge the crisp flavours of tropical fruit and gooseberries and add a dash of minerality to top it off!

Bottle £19.15

28 Chardonnay 'Reserve', 2009

Montes, Curico Valley

A weighty, full-bodied Chardonnay with bold, creamy flavours of 'peaches', warm butter and nuts, bolstered by a layer of vanilla.

Bottle £21.25

New Zealand

29 Sauvignon Blanc 'Green Lip', 2009

Jackson Estate, Marlborough, South Island

Showing at its very best. This is delicious Sauvignon, full of pure, dense, tropical fruit with a hint of basil and spice. On the palate there is a laser-show of juicy fruit flavours balanced out by refreshing acidity.

Bottle £26.95

Red Wines

50 Chateau du Tersac Rouge, 2006

Corbieres Maritimes

This is so distinctively Mediterranean in style with masses of very ripe and succulent spicy red berry fruit and a hint of 'mountain herbs'.

Bottle £19.15

51 Brouilly, 2007

Chateau du Pave, Beaujolais

Delightfully soft and gentle but carrying a deceptively generous weight of raspberry/red cherry fruit that bursts onto the palate.

By Glass £8.10

Bottle £28.75

52 Côtes Du Rhone Villages 'Visan', 2009

Domaine Roche-Audran, Buisson, Rhône

Deeply coloured and 'meaty' red with an unusual purity of ripe, dynamic fruit - this is head and shoulders above the competition.

Bottle £22.95

53 Fleurie 'Clos de la Chapelle des Bois', 2009

Domaine Verpoix, Beaujolais

A voluptuous Beaujolais that has lavish amounts of fruit and builds up to a lush crescendo on the palate!

Bottle £28.15

54 Châteauneuf-du-Pape, 2006

Domaine de la Roquette, Rhône

An outstanding Châteauneuf with lashings of dense, spicy blackberry, black cherry and mulberry with more than a hint of dark chocolate.

Bottle £48.85

56 Chateau Lassegue, 2000

Grand Cru St Emilion, Bordeaux

Mouth-wateringly supple flavours of 'plum fruitcake' and sweet damson with touches of mint and eucalypt.

Bottle £47.50

57 Chorley le Beaune, 2005

Domaine Michel Martin Cote de Beaune, Burgundy

Finely blalanced seductive and concentrated Pinot which offers flavours of Red Cherry, fresh Herbs and a hint of something gamey on finish. Aged in oak barrels but no new oak which gives an extra layer of creamyness. Drinking condition now.

Bottle £39.95

58 Gervrey-Chambertin 20065

Dupont-Tisserandot, Côtes de Nuits, Burgundy, France

Rip smooth texture black Cherry finish long and savoury. Finely balanced and long on the palate with remarkably soft tannins for a wine of such structure.

Bottle £56.00

Italy

59 Valpolicella Superiore, 2008

Zenato, Veneto

A full-bore, traditional Valpolicella with real grip and 'guts' to support the bright cherry fruit with a classically Italian, zingy acidity.

Bottle £25.95

60 Barolo DOCG 2006 Patrizi

Azienda Agricola Ceretto, Piedmont, Italy

Smokey nose with aromas of dried fuit, leather and earthy woodiness. Quite rich and rustic, velvety and rounded finishing with the characteristic dry grip.

Bottle £51.20

Spain

61 Rioja Muga Tinto Reserva, 2006

Bodegas Muga, Haro, Rioja Alta

Muga make 'proper' hand-crafted Rioja with dollops of rich raspberry and spicy plum with vanilla and herbs underlying the main flavours.

By Glass £9.60

Bottle £33.95

Morocco

62 Merlot/Syrah, 2005/07

Chateau Larroque, Beni M'Tir

A wonderfully vibrant and flavoursome red with a 'heady' herbal scent and distinctive exotic flavours of ripe blue berry, damson and Victoria plum.

Bottle £24.95

Australia

63 Tarrango, 2008

Brown Brothers, Milawa, Victoria

Turbo-charged Beaujolais - an intriguing cross between Touriga (a Port grape) and a sultana! Light bodied but extremely gulpable!

Bottle £17.00

65 Shiraz/ Mourvedre Bin 2 2006/07

Penfolds, South Australia

A deep crimson colour, packed full of dark Cherry fruit and raspberry fruits with spicy well integrated oak and a hint of Liquorice on the finish, just delicious..

Bottle £31.50

66 Cabernet Sauvignon 'Coonawarra', 2000

Rymill Winery, Riddoch Run Vineyards, South Australia

Coonawarra (red earth) is the best area for Cabernet in Oz and this shows intense red currant, cassis and eucalypt with a hint of creaminess.

Bottle £33.00

Lebanon

67 Massaya 'Cuvée Silver Selection', 2005

Bekaa Valley

Chateau Musar - watch out! This is a hot new winery using top class expertise from St Emilion and the Rhône to produce that uniquely spicy, herby, almost date-like flavour that only Lebanese wines achieve.

Bottle £38.95

Chile

68 Carmenère 'In Situ'2007

Winemakers Selection, Aconcagua Valley, Chile

Aromas of fruit and smoky spice give way to a silky, full-bodied red with ripe tannins and an elegant, soft finish.

Bottle £26.50

Argentina

69 Malbec, 2008 Calafate

Bodegas Universo, Austral, Patagonia

Big, robust and intensely flavoured 'street-fighting' version of Argentina's special grape - this needs rich red meat to tame it!

Bottle £20.95

South Africa

70 Pinot Noir, 2008

Paul Cluver, Elgin

Made by a Pinot Noir 'obsessive', this unloads masses of succulent black cherry and raspberry flavours onto the palate.

Bottle £27.95

71 Pinotage 'Beyerskloof', 2008

Kanonkop Estate, Stellenbosch

A classic Pinotage, wonderfully made and showing plenty of sweet fruit - very good quality.

Bottle £18.95

72 Shiraz 'Stablemates', 2008

Excelsior Estate, Robertson

Huge dollops of naturally sweet and spicy black pepper, chocolate and star anise literally burst out of the glass. This takes on Australia head first - and wins!

Bottle £18.85

U.S.A.

73 Zinfandel 'Vintners Blend', 2007

Ravenswood Winery, Sonoma, California

A 'cult' Zinfandel with forthright, juicy flavours of cherry, cracked black pepper and aromatic spice. Matured in French oak barrels for extra depth and complexity.

Bottle £25.20

74 Merlot, 2007

Stonehedge Cellars, St Helena, California

Extremely ripe and succulent Merlot with very soft and rounded flavours of rich sweet plums, dark chocolate and vanilla.

Bottle £26.25

New Zealand

75 Pinot Noir, 2008

Jane Hunter

Elegant yet powerful, this superb red has rich black berry fruit aromas and a lovely nose dominated by spices and violets.

Bottle £36.75

Champagne

76 J-M Gremillet Brut Reserve, N.V

Balnot-sur-Laignes, Aube

From a very high quality 'owner-grower', this is a delicious Champagne with lots of complex 'freshly baked biscuit' and citrus flavours, which has been given extra bottle age for maturity and depth of flavour.

Bottle £41.00

77 Bollinger 'Grande Annee' Brut, 1999

One of the best known 'houses' that produces a classic, Pinot Noir dominated Champagne with sensational, silky fruit on the palate.

Bottle £87.70

78 Veuve Clicquot 'Yellow Label', N.V

Reims

Clicquot is a by-word for consistency and quality, famous for producing bold, 'up-front' Champagnes with a very generous weight of fruit.

Bottle £62.20

Sparkling Wines

79 Cremant de Bourgogne Brut, N.V

Caves de Lugny, Macon, Burgundy, France

A softer, creamier style of fizz that is primarily made from Pinot Noir and offers full, rounded flavours on the palate with a soft acidity.

Bottle £26.75

80 Miru Miru Brut, 2005

Hunters Wines, Marlborough, South Island, New Zealand

A cult wine that deliberately sets out to challenge Champagne with the best of New Zealand grapes! Very fresh, zingy and elegant but showing a wide spectrum of rich, complex and very mature flavour.

Bottle £36.20

81 The Bees Knees Sparkling Red

Rymill, Coonawarra, Australia

A full-bodied sparkling red packed with raspberry, blackberry and aniseed aromas.

Bottle £40.00

Half Bottles

85 J-M Gremillet Brut Reserve, N.V

Balnot-sur-Laignes, Aube, Champagne, France

See Bin 76 above for description

Bottle (37.5cl) £27.95

Dessert Wines

Australia

90 Late Harvest 'Orange Muscat', 2007

Brown Brothers, Milawa, Victoria

A late picked Muscat, not too heavy and with very clean, pure citrus flavours. Ideal with lighter desserts and also a great partner with blue veined and mature Cheddar cheeses.

ABV% 10%

175ml Glass £5.25

Bottle (37.5cl) £17.95

France

91 Maury 'Solera 1928' - Cask 750

Vignerons de Maury, Languedoc

A wonderful 'Vin Doux Naturel' but one based on the Spanish solera system, which means some of the wine in this bottle dates back as far as 1928. Intense flavours of rum-soaked raisins, sweet plums, prunes and a hint of liquorice make this a joy to sip again...and again...and again!

ABV% 16%

Bottle (50cl) £38.20

92 Gaillac Blanc 'Cuvee Blonde', 2004

Domaine de Gineste, Tecou

A real discovery made from the very rare l'En de l'El grape - golden coloured wine with very rich and powerful honeyed, 'preserved' citrus fruit and a well balanced acidity. Aged in oak for 12 months to give an extra layer of depth and creaminess to the wine.

ABV% 13%

Bottle (50cl) £30.00

93 Muscat de Beaumes de Venise 2006

Domaine de Durban, Southern Rhône, France

Smooth and silky with a lovely concentration of ripe, grapey fruit and a velvety soft mouthfeel.

By Glass £11.10

Bottle £45.45

94 Château Rabaud-Promis 1996

Ier Cru Sauternes, Bordeaux, France

Lusciously soft and velvety, with candied fruits, a hint of spice and long long length.

Bottle £45.00

U.S.A.

95 Elysium 'Black Muscat', 2008

Quady Winery, Madera, California (37.5cl)

Intensely coloured and richly flavoured Muscat from the 'Guru' of dessert wines in the States. Perfectly balanced (sweet but not 'sticky'), this is very 'grapey' on the palate but also shows nuances of lychee and rose petal, which makes this ideal with the likes of clafoutis and any chocolate dishes.

ABV% 15%

175ml Glass £6.35

Bottle £25.10

Hungary

96 Tokaj-Aszu 5 Puttonyos 2002

Crown Estates, Tokaji-Hegyalja Region, Hungary

Rich and honeyed with terrific acidity and a butterscotch and pear finish. Just amazing.

Bottle £56.70

Half Bottles - White

France

37 Puligny Montrachet, 1er Cru les Folatieres 2007

Jean-Louis Chavy, Burgundy, France

A lovely white flower blossom nose and busting with honeyed fruit flavours. A big, rich and delicious white.

Bottle £37.10

38 Muscadet 'Sur Lie', 2009

Sauvion et Fils, Vallet, Loire

A classic 'crunchy' Muscadet that is dry enough to be ideal with all seafoods but which has a surprising depth of versatile fruit.

Bottle £12.60

39 Chablis, 2008

Domaine Bois d'Yver, Burgundy

A classically dry and 'assertive' Chablis with a steely fruitiness and brisk acidity, balanced by a generous weight of ripe fruit.

Bottle £19.30

40 Gewurtztramminer L'Amboise 2008

Dom. Henri Fuchs, Ribeauvillé, Alsace

Very aromatic with exotic fruits and hints of Earl Grey on the nose. A lovely mouthfeel with good acidity and a touch of honey on the palate.

Bottle £16.60

Italy

41 Pinot Grigio 'Alto-Adige', 2008

St Michael Eppan, Dolomites, Sud-Tirol

From high altitude vineyards up near the Dolomites, this is a 'serious' Pinot Grigio with very ripe and pure 'smokey' fruit.

Bottle £17.35

South Africa

42 Chardonnay 'Bon Vallon', 2006

De Wetshof Estate, Breede River, Robertson

Top class unoaked Chardonnay with bold and very pure citrus flavours, leading to a bright, vibrant finish on the palate.

Bottle £15.10

New Zealand

43 Sauvignon Blanc, 2009

Tindall Estate, Marlborough, New Zealand

Classic Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc with strong red capsicum flavours, fresh zingy acidity and lovely freshn

Bottle £15.70

Half Bottles - Red

France

44 Chateau Carbon d'Artigues, 2007

Graves, Bordeaux

An 'earthy' and fruit driven claret, classic Graves with jammy black cherry and tobacco, underpinned by fine, ripe tannins.

Bottle £14.45

45 Brouilly, 2008

Chateau du Pave, Beaujolais

Delightfully soft and gentle but carrying a deceptively generous weight of raspberry/red cherry fruit that bursts onto the palate.

Bottle £14.75

Lebanon

46 Château Musar, 2003

Château Musar, Bekaa Valley, Lebanon

Made from a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cinsault and Carignan. A very Bordeaux feeling vintage - black cherries, figs, damsons-even chocolate and olives. Superbly balanced

Bottle £27.00

Spain

47 Rioja Tinto 'Crianza', 2006

CVNE, Haro, Rioja Alta

A lighter style of Rioja, packed full of fresh raspberry flavour and which should be 'quaffed' whilst young and fresh (the wine!)

Bottle £16.10

Chile

48 Cabernet Sauvignon, 2008

Montes, Curico Valley

Deep coloured and very smooth in texture with soft, enveloping flavours of pure blackberry, capsicum and mint.

Bottle £11.75

Australia