Roussillon 'French Catalonia' wine book

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01 June 2003

L’Ambassade des Vignobles, Marseille

Wine magazine (UK) June 2003 issue (the title was bought by another publisher a couple of years later and is now called Wine & Spirit).
L’Ambassade des Vignobles, 42 Place aux Huiles, 13001 Marseille.
Tel. 04 91 33 00 25, fax 04 91 54 25 60.
Restaurant 4/5 - Wine list 4.5/5 (alas, it's closed since...)

This vast tranquil square is easily found just a stone’s throw from the traffic lining the south side of Marseille’s historic Vieux Port, at the bottom of the steep ascent to that other postcard landmark, the magnificently kitsch Notre Dame de la Garde basilica. On the port side, touristy restaurants offering bouillabaisse aplenty dominate; in the furthest southwestern corner sits L’Ambassade des Vignobles. The building is very old, the walls made of near-crumbling stone with dark wood beams above. However it’s smart in style but unstuffy in atmosphere; this is the South after all.

The restaurant is famed for its cellar, shared with nearby La Côte de Boeuf also owned by Paul Léaunard (and is still open I think) whose magnificent moustache is equally famous. The full wine list is extraordinary totalling 82 pages, seven of them devoted to 'foreign wines' (as the French say a bit patronisingly) including several vintages of Vega Sicilia, Opus One, Grange etc., as well as less culty offerings and even English! The selection of French wines is bedazzling and too extensive to go into, suffice it to say they aren’t short of fine Claret, Burgundy, Alsace, Loire; in fact everything and plenty of older vintages. I was tempted to order a bottle of Bouchard’s 1864 Beaune Clos de la Mousser 1er Cru (1373 Euros) to see if it existed or was drinkable.

However we opted for local wines and I for the Menu Provence (36E for entrée, main and dessert; 43E with cheese), which includes one glass of a different wine matched with each course. To start ‘Remoulade de chicons, duo de moules et palourdes marinées, vinaigrette d’oursin’ came with Ch. des Anglades Collection Privée rosé 2001, Côtes de Provence. The mussels and clams were fresh sea-fishy set against an attractively crunchy and dressed bitter chicory salad. The wine was delicately pink, more serious than fruity; good but there are better. For main I had ‘Emincé de magret de canard au miel et baies roses, pommes paille et navets glacés’ accompanied by Réserve Perrin Côtes du Rhône rouge 2000. The succulent slices of duck sat in a reduced savoury honey sauce, enlivened by perfumed pink berries, alongside cute little chips. The red showed decent fruit, spice and complexity.

My companion went à la carte, kicking off with ‘Foie gras maison, toasts de pain briochés aux figues, compotine de rhubarbe’ (11E) helped along by a lovely rounded, oily and weighty white Bandol 2001 from Dom. de la Tour du Bon (27E 75cl, 5E glass). The foie gras was spot on: not heavy and contrasting with the sweet fig bread and rhubarb. This was followed by a nicely cooked ‘Pièce de filet de boeuf aux arômes de truffe, couronne de legumes de Provence’ (23E), served with a splendid meaty truffley sauce and elegantly topped with grilled courgettes etc.

Desserts were of a similar standard: my frangipane and apple pie was tastily gooey, although too much for Dom. de Salente Viognier 2001. Crêpes stuffed with Grand Marnier mousse (8E) were fortified by a glass of the same (5E). Service was professional and speedy but never pushy.

Wine Magazine bar & restaurant reviews

Follow these links to four bar and restaurant reviews written for Wine magazine (UK) in 2002 and 2003 (now defunct in this format: the title was bought by another publisher a couple of years later, and by another since, and renamed Wine & Spirit International):
L’Ambassade des Vignobles, Marseille
Chine Rouge, Manchester
Kro2, Manchester
Choice bar & restaurant, Manchester

Another Manchester resto is review here: Miyako (sushi) penned for Harpers On-Trade magazine, as well as a
 brief investigation into and review of sushi restaurants in Manchester... Plus a few thoughts on licensing policy and growth of late bars in the city centre...

And there's more Madchester food etc. on this page:
City Life (Manchester) 1998-2003: wine columns, food & drink guide and travel pieces...

29 May 2003

Les Baux de Provence

Les Baux de Provence

An obscure wine sub-region centred on this historic village in the Alpilles hills between Avignon and Arles, the appellation encompasses only 12 growers spread over a mere 320-340 hectares. The Baux valley boasts beautiful wild countryside (and coach-loads of tourists), several rich individual reds and full dry rosés. Here Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon harmoniously collide alongside Grenache and Mourvèdre...
At the end of May 2003, I was invited to be a taster on one of three juries at an annual competition, the Prix Noël Michelin. Here I joined French wine journalists, sommeliers and winemakers and was confronted by a rather strange scoring system, linguistically poetic and at the same time mathematically complex (how French). I was on the red panel, and the results said interesting things about national palates. I didn’t score the winner, Domaine de la Vallongue, particularly well using a silly system that allocates over half the marks to appearance and nose. However, my favourite (unfortunately the identity of this and the other 10 wines tasted blind were never revealed to me) did also feature strongly in most of the panel’s top 3. So I’ve reverted to the usual method and scoring system for my tasting notes - click on the Cité des Baux shot - which shed a degree of new light on the wines.
Over lunch following the competition, we also tried several different wines including older vintages. The best reds do age well and may justify the high prices les Baux commands, but others need to work harder to convince at this price level. Nevertheless, overall they have something very interesting here. The white wines are currently classified as Appellation Contrôlée Coteaux d’Aix-en-Provence, and the growers talked about moves to lobby for AC Baux status for them. When I'd first heard about this, I thought it a cynical attempt to flesh out the prices of the generally average AC whites; or at the very least a dilution of their terroir (it seems best expressed by the reds). However, the producers want to base it, if it happens, on the Marsanne and Roussanne varieties - not permitted for AC wines at the moment - and Sémillon. Tasting some of the complex, barrel-fermented Vins de Pays made from these grapes confirms their potential, and a worthy improvement on Grenache Blanc, Rolle and Clairette blends.
The majority of estates in les Baux are farmed organically, and one, Château Romanin by biodynamic principles (see my article on Château Falfas for details on this). Others tasted and worth visiting are Mas de la Dame, Olivier d’Auge, Domaine de Lauzières, Jean-André Charial, Mas Sainte-Berthe, Château d’Estoublon, Château Dalmeran, Domaine Hauvette, Mas de Gourgonnier, Domaine de Terres Blanches and Domaine de la Vallongue.

Tasting notes etc. coming soon...

04 April 2003

"Macho Mourvèdre..." Bandol day-trip April 2003

"Le rond-point des Mourvèdres. Magnificent, a roundabout dedicated to Mourvèdre: must be a good omen. This scene-setting postage-stamp vineyard, which is difficult to ignore if you take motorway exit 11 'La Cadière-Le Castellet' to the north of Bandol, lets you know immediately who’s boss around here. For majestic mythical Mourvèdre shapes not only the heart of the appellation on paper but also winegrowers' hearts and minds..." Featuring Château de PibarnonDomaines Bunan Château la Rouvière and Domaine Tempier: CLICK HERE to read it followed by hundreds of Bandol wines reviewed.

01 February 2003

Chine Rouge, Manchester

Wine magazine (UK) February 2003 issue:
Chine Rouge, 54 Faulkner Street, Manchester M1 4FH.
0161 236 8998, www.chinerouge.co.uk
Restaurant 4.5/5 Wine list 3/5

(That website doesn't work anymore and, although I found the restaurant listed elsewhere, the link to it also didn't work. So I don't know if it's still open: anyone who knows more, please email me...)

This grand swish establishment is a newcomer to Chinatown and offers refinement, cosiness and high camp courtesy of Manchester institution Francis Carroll (of Lounge Ten fame). The interior is glorious: black painted and red padded walls neatly matching red benches, low black armchairs and red stained wooden floorboards. A giant Buddha sits observing amidst candles, Chinese umbrellas above on the roof, marble-affect pillars ornamented with kitsch oriental designs and a large painting of two Geishas or lady-boys drinking.

The menu aims for an ambitious French/Far Eastern crossover and certainly delivered in terms of freshness, variety and quality. Just two criticisms really: it’s a bit pricey, e.g. £3 for a bottle of mineral water, and a bit chilly (room temperature rather than atmosphere). However the food was delicious and beautifully cooked. For starters the idiosyncratic dish of Calamari & Frogs’ Legs in salt & chilli pepper (£6) was proclaimed “the best frogs’ legs ever” by a companion. Jumbo Prawns (£6) materialised as three large langoustine-like beasts, which were meaty, fresh and so hot I couldn’t peel them straight away. The moist yet textured Cuttlefish Cakes (£5) with Vietnamese dip were also flavoured with crabmeat and coriander; three small ones just didn’t suffice!

The sauce for the Pan-fried Halibut (£11) was a little non-descript but it didn’t matter, as the fish was superb oozing just from the sea flavour (although not so warm). The Pan Woked Chicken Chow Mein (£6.50) came in tender flavour-infused strips with lots of veg and noodles. Thai Stir-fried King Prawns (£11) sat comfortably in a tasty hot and sweet sauce. On the side we had very crispy thin noodles (£3.50) and two lovely vegetable dishes: garlicky smoky Pak Choi (£3.50) and ginger-laden Beansprouts (£3). Oriental restaurants often disappoint on the dessert front, so the wide choice here was welcomed. The abundant Fresh Fruit Platter (£6) was ideal to finish: piles of melon, raspberries, strawberries, pineapple, kiwi, cumquat plus mango sorbet. The pastry around the Banana Spring Rolls (£6) was a tad dry but the nice runny sweet centre compensated.

Chine Rouge didn’t score so well with the drinks. On our visit they had no Chablis or Sancerre and several wines were different to those on the list; also no Tiger or Chinese beer. “We’re between lists; we’ve changed suppliers,” was the apologetic but logical explanation. The house white (South African Sauvignon Blanc) and red (French Syrah) cost £3 per 175ml glass or £12 a bottle. 2002 Vistasur Sauvignon was dear at £16 (actually the price of the listed New Zealand SB) but charmed with its crowd-pleasing Chilean style, showing aromatic citrus fruit and soft acidity. The Delegat’s 2000 Hawkes Bay Reserve Chardonnay (£23) offered more weight and richness with toasty creamy barrel-fermentation notes. Confusion and omissions aside, the overall selection is OK and features several (rather expensive) Champagnes as well. The service was friendly and professional throughout.

Bordeaux: Pomerol "invasion of MW students"

Part 1 - Vieux Château Certan
Part 2 - Châteaux Le Pin and Gazin
Click here to read it...

01 January 2003

Kro2, Manchester

Wine magazine (UK) January 2003 issue: Kro2, Oxford Road, Manchester M1 (next to BBC).
Tel. 0161 236 1048.

Range: very good wine list, plenty of whiskies and decent continental beers. Atmosphere: spacious, very lively but stylish. Clientele: students with money, 20/30-somethings on the town. Bar snacks: good selection and well-priced, restaurant area too. Drinks list: 4/5.

This independently owned mini-group is churning out sequels faster than Hollywood. Kro Bar opened to acclaim a couple of years ago further down Oxford Road in the heart of the University, and a third is being constructed occupying part of the Manchester Museum nearby (Kro3 perhaps?). But who cares when they look this smart and offer good quality drinking and eating.

Clever puns aside, the name is actually derived from the Danish word for pub, and a glance at the menu confirms a Scandinavian twist: owner Mark Ruby has family origins in Denmark. Kro2 is a huge stunning space, housed in the right hand ground floor portion of the National Computing Centre. The ceilings tower above you, emphasised by simple but elegant hanging lights, tall chunky concrete columns and metal struts boxed around silver air conditioning ducts along the glazed frontage. Painted mostly white offset by dark brown wooden chairs and wall banquettes, the marble floor and occasional high tables also add a touch of class. There’s plenty of room for hundreds in here, plus heated canopied seating outside too (well, it is Manchester).

The wine list features a wide, even bold selection and isn’t expensive. The only criticism is the lack of wines by the glass: just the house red, white, Cava and Champagne in fact. Otherwise prices run from £12 a bottle – Bellefontaine Viognier from southern France and False Bay Pinotage/Shiraz from the Cape – to £35 for Vallet’s Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Cazetier, actually not a bad price for this silky charmer. There are ten whites under £15, including two from Alsace, and eclectic bottles such as Ninth Island Pinot Gris from Tasmania (£19). They offer even more reds: Pasetti’s Montepulciano d’Abruzzo (£13) was quite rich and very Italian, smothered in dried morello cherry fruit. Pity about some dodgy spellings – can any establishment get Taittinger right?

The after dinner drinks’ list has 12 malts from £2.50 to £7 for 21 Year Old Glenmorangie, taking in several island and Islay drams. The Scandinavian influence shows with a limited range of vodkas – only Finlandia and Absolut on view (the ones with the biggest marketing budget probably?) – and absence of a cocktail list (“we don’t really do cocktails”) could be a let down for some.

The food we ordered was decent enough, well priced and substantial: 3 types of marinated herring with a shot of Akvavit (£4.25); reasonable, generous salad Niçoise (£3.25); Danish Frikadeller (£4.95), tasty but salty pork and veal meatballs; and Spinach Cakes (£5.95), totalling one large one.

01 December 2002

Choice bar & restaurant, Manchester

Wine magazine (UK) December 2002 issue:
Choice bar & restaurant, Castle Quay, Manchester M15 4NT.
0161 833 3400, www.choicemcr.co.uk
Restaurant 4/5 Wine list 4.5/5

Its short and sweet name gets the juices flowing: so is the selection worthy at Choice bar & restaurant? This smart and clear-cut establishment has been open for a year but is perhaps overlooked, tucked away under Castle Quay by the canal in Manchester’s redeveloped Castlefield area. The restaurant elegantly oozes exposed old brick, cream and dark wood; the bar is similar with wines on display in a glass cabinet.

Having frequented the place once before, I’d noted the excellent wine list. This time we were told it had been “stream-lined,” but nevertheless the choice is still wide reaching with all wines available by the glass, although it can work out rather pricey thus. There are five house wines, ten whites and ten reds – covering France and Australia primarily with offerings from Spain, Italy, New Zealand, Chile, South Africa, Argentina, California and Lebanon – plus reasonable options on sparkling, sweeties and Ports etc.

For starters I ordered green-lipped mussels (£3.95) served on fresh tasting sun-dried tomato bread with olives, roquette and decent olive oil dressing. The mussels were savoury and meaty but cold; I’d have preferred them warm. We decided to drink different wines by the glass with each dish. With the above I matched Bethany Riesling 2001 from Barossa (£16 bottle, £5.50 250ml, £4.50 175ml): its ripe lime, oil and mineral notes with zingy acidity worked quite well. My companion chose 2000 Pouilly Fumé Domaine des Berthiers (£20, £7.50, £6.50) to go with a salad of smoked trout and quails eggs drizzled with a splendid piccalilli sauce (£3.95), whose pungent but ripe gooseberry fruit and dry mineral length charmed the fleshy and not too salty or smoky fish; the only criticism was “a little overdone.” The starters were speedily delivered on huge plate-cum-bowls, beautifully presented as were all the courses.

For main I had lovely succulent slices of duck breast (although the skin could’ve been crispier) in a tangy blackberry sauce (£12.95). These were stacked on top of very buttery spinach and crunchy red onion. The Tyrrell’s 2001 Pinot Noir (£19, £7, £6) was OK, showing aromatic cherry fruit and a bit lean in its youth, but not as good as the Oregon Pinot on the previous visit. Across the table a glass of Château Musar 96 (£26, £8.50, £7.50) seduced with gorgeous rustic sweet berry fruit, full body yet soft tannins. This coped admirably with a generous pile of juicy pork chops on herby potatoes and creamy sauce (£11.95), although the latter was made dairy-free as a special dietary request.

The attention span of the (only two) staff had lessened by this stage, as it took a while to get the plates cleared and dessert menus in hand. We settled for one sweet as the low-on-dairy options had gone: Manchester tartlet (£3.95) coupled with Bonterra Muscat from California (£1.75 per 50ml) seemed appropriate. The pastry was a bit tough but the custard, jam, coconut and banana filling stayed with me.

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