Wine List of the Month
In the perhaps appropriately named village of Paris, Virginia, (pop. 67), the Ashby
Inn, an early 19th century hostelry (built circa 1829) has been a watering hole for
the good, the bad and the ugly since then. It is now run by Neal Wavra, an experienced
sommelier who ensures that wine features heavily in the restaurant whose head chef
is Tarver King, who has done stints at The Fat Duck, The Waterside Inn and the French
Laundry, to name but three. The wine list is a model of how a list of boutique wines
(in the main) from around the whole world gives excitement to the beholder who is
literally spoilt for choice. The accommodation consists of only 10 rooms, six in
the main building and four in the schoolhouse annexe – where the rooms are more spacious
- prettily decked out with antique furnishings, reminiscent of Sharrow Bay in its
early days.
But it was the wine list that intrigued us. Almost 250 bins from around the world,
plus 28 half bottles and 14 dessert and fortified wines, from well-chosen producers,
makes this a destination location for its wines, food and ambience. Naturally, wines
from Virginia are heavily featured, but that was no bad thing.
The list kicks off with the half bottles. In the whites, the 4 star Tablas Creek
“Esprit de Beaucastel Blanc” 2006 at $37 is value for the quality as are the two
wines from Schloss Gobelsburg – “Steinsetz” Grüner Veltliner 2007 at $20 and “Vom
Urgestein” Riesling 2007 at £17. Red halves are dominated by wines from California
and Virginia, with the Ridge Lytton Springs Zinfandel 2007 at $39 and the two wines
from Boxwood in Virginia – their “Topiary” and “Boxwood” 2007s at $27.
In the sparkling wines section, six Champagnes are listed, five of them from small
growers of which the 3 star “Grande Reserve” Brut from Dehours at $59 has the best
price/quality ratio, but sparkling wines from Virginia, the Kluge Estate “Blanc de
Blancs” and their Rosé at $42 and the Thibaut-Janisson “Blanc de Chardonnay” at $42
should not be ignored.
Still white wines cover a good selection from the Americas including a good entry
level Torrontes from Bodegas Colomé in Argentina at $24 and an entry level Sémillon/Sauvignon
“Gemimi” 2006 from Volker-Eisele in the Napa Valley at the same price. At the other
end of the price spectrum are the DuMol Chardonnay, Russian River Valley 2008 at
£112 and the Littorai Charles Heintz Vineyard Chrdonnay 2007 at $125, rated 5 stars
and 4.5 stars respectively in the new edition of Wine Behind The Label. There are
wines from Washington State and Oregon (the 2 star Eyrie Pinot Gris 2008 looking
the best value at $28) and of course, the 13 selections from Virginia which are headed
by Lnden “Hardscrabble” Chardonnay 2007 at $47 and Veritas Viognier 2008 at $34.
There is an even larger choice of wines from the rest of the world including 40 from
Europe. Good names such as Heidi Schröck from Austria, Zind Humbrecht from Alsace,
LeRoy from Burgundy, Nicholas Joly from the Loire, Donnhöf from Germany and Jermann
from Italy pepper the list, but there can be found outstanding quality/price ratios
from Gobelsburg Gruner Veltleiner 2008 at $30 and Rutherglen’s “The Alliance” Marsanne/Viognier
2006 from Australia at $28. There is a trio of Rosé wines with Muga’s Rioja Rosé
2008 looking good at $20.
There is a great selection of red wines including one of Chile’s finest reds – the
“Antiyal” Carmenère/Cabernet Sauvignon/Syrah 2006 blend at $88 (4.5 stars) and excellent
value is the Ridge “Pagani Ranch” Zinfandel” 2007 at $67 (4 stars). Many of the top
Californian producers are represented – Jordan, Kamen, Dunn, Shafer, Littorai and
Mount Eden, to name but some and of course, the best of the best in Virginia are
also there with Boxwood’s “Boxwood” 2007 and “Topiary” 2007, both at $44 being of
outstanding value.
In the European section there are some extremely well sourced wines. Of course there
are some Bordeaux and Burgundy’s, but the most interesting and value for money French
wines lie in the Rhône and in the Vins de Pays sections. Here you will find Domaine
du Colombier’s Crozes-Hermitage “Cuvée Gaby” 2005 at only $39 and Puig-Parahÿ’s “Georges”
blend of Carignan, Grenache and Syrah 2007 at a mere $32. There are some good wines
from Italy, too. Claudio Alario, one of my favourite Piedmont producers has two wines
on the list – his “Sorano” Barolo 2005 at $133 and his Nebbiolo “Cascinotto” 2006
at $63, both excellent wines, whilst under the Tuscany section the Chianti Classico
2005 from Querciabella is good value at $45. There are also half a dozen wines from
Australia, the best of which are the Jester Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 and Jester Shiraz
2006 from Mitolo, both well priced at $34.
Finally, the fortified and sweet wines section has some interesting selections –
a pair of “Noble Late Harvest`’ wines from South Africa – but Noble Late Harvest
what? Four sweet wines from Virginia including two Petits Mansengs from Linden Vineyards
and Pearmund Cellars (Petit Manseng does exceptionally well in Virginia), at $47
and $38 respectively for a full bottle, but probably the best bargain would be a
half bottle of Lustau Pedro Ximenez Sherry at $27.
This is really an essential stop for any foodie touring in Virginia.
Best Value White Wine: The Eyrie Pinot Gris 2008 ($28.00)
Best Value Red Wine: Crozes Hermitage “Cuvee Gaby 2005 $39.00
Rich Man’s Bargain: Claudio Alariuo’s Sorano Barolo 1995 $133.00
Ashby Inn, 692 Federal Street,
Paris, VA 20130-1606, United States
Tel: (540) 592-3900
