MASTER A
Wine list of the Month
Having concentrated somewhat on the Celtic Fringe during the last few months, we
felt it time to revert to the Big Smoke and feature one of London’s, nay, all of
Britain’s, finest wine lists - the ubiquitous and esoteric choices of chef-patron
Martin Lam at Ransome’s Dock restaurant in Battersea.
Neville Blech reports
One of the finest wine lists you will see anywhere has been built up over the past
several years by owner/chef Martin Lam. Martin has been in the fortunate position
to have been able to make some astute buys for laying down and when he eventually
decides to put these wines on the list he is able to do so at a reasonable price.
Of course he buys on a current basis as well and the size of his list ensures that
there are a regular number of wine merchants dining at Ransome’s Dock to ensure that
they might at least get a few crumbs from their wine list on to Martin’s!
The list starts off with a list of wines by the glass, beers and aperitifs. The House
Champagne changes on a regular basis – the current list has Le Mesnil Blanc de Blancs
Grand Cru NV at £10.50 per 125ml. glass, but by the time you read this or go there
it might be something completely different. What it would be, however, is something
of merit – there’s no rubbish on this list. There are seven white wines available
by the 125ml. glass, with the Vinho Verde Trevo 2009, at £3.50 looking good value.
This is one of the most adventurous wine lists in the UK, but for the unadventurous,
the Chablis 2009 from Domaine des Malandes at £4.80 is also good value. A Prosecco,
a Rosé and a further seven reds complete the wines by the glass list with the 3 star
Blaufrankisch Eisenberg 2008 from Uwe Schiefer at £5.80 showing class. Sherry, Madeira
and Vermouths lists one of my favourites – Punt e Mes from Turin, but Noilly Prat
instead of my favourite French Vermouth – Chambéry. Five beers and one Brittany Cider
served by the small bottle wrap up a very interesting first page.
The next section is what Martin calls The Ransome’s Dock Selection and is a selection
of wines taken from his main list to reflect the high quality of the list in general.
This list is an ever changing one and so once again, you may not find some of the
wines mentioned on the list (or this section of it) when you go there. They are mainly
full bottle versions of what is available by the glass but in addition there is a
Sauvignon/Sémillon from Bordeaux – Ch. Haut Rian 2009 looking good value at £19.50.
Reds include the 2 star Saint Nicolas de Bourgeuil ‘Les Rouillères’ 2009 from Frédérick
Mabileau at £27.50.
29 half bottles are listed. There is a Billecart-Salmon Brut Rosé NV at £35.00, a
Soave Classico 2008 from Pieropan at £14.25 and a Gewürztraminer ‘Terres d’Etoiles’
2005 biodynamically produced by Domaine Mittnacht in Alsace at £16.25 the half bottle
which show reasonable rapport quality/prix. In reds, the 5 star Ridge Geyserville
Blend 2008 at £37 a half should be stunning, whilst at the other end of the price
spectrum, Weinart’s entry level ‘Carrascal’ (Malbec/Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot) at
£10.50 represents great drinking value.
The Champagne selection is not large but there is a good representation from lesser
known houses with the Gallimard Brut Réserve NV at £41.00 as entry level, Duval-Leroy
1999 Vertus at £50.00 and Le Mesnil Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru NV at £53.00 all worth
a try. Other sparkling wines include an interesting fizz from one of Portugal’s up
and coming winemakers – Filipa Pato – a blend of 70% Baga and 30% Bical giving a
slight strawberry tinge. It’s called Espumante 3b Brut NV and at £29.00 it should
be well worth a punt. England is not forgotten with Sam Lindo’s Camel Valley Brut
2006 at £46.00 – one of the best of British. But probably the best value on the page
is the Roederer Estate ‘Quartet’ Brut NV from California at £33.00. There is a trio
of red sparklers from Australia but they are poor value – not Martin’s fault – blame
the producers.
Sauvignons (blancs and gris – and it’s nice to see some Sauvignon Gris listed) includes
such a 2009 gris from Casa Marin in Chile at £30.00 and a lesser-known estate’s Sauvignon
Blanc 2010 from Marlborough, New Zealand by the name of Ant Moore at £25.00. The
Sémillons (and blends) section boasts of the legendary 4.5 star McWilliams Mount
Pleasant Loveday Sémillon 1998 from the Hunter Valley at £55.00.
Of the 11 drier Rieslings listed, five are from Germany, two from Austria and Alsace
and one each from Australia and New Zealand. Pick of the bunch for value is the 4
star Pechstein Grand Cru Spätlese Trocken 2001 from the JL Wolf estate in the Pfalz
at £40.00, but for those that seek a bit more of a new world style (although this
one is hardly typical) the rare Neudorf Moutere Riesling 2009 at £36.00 from New
Zealand would be worth a try if there is any left. Martin’s allocation was only 12
bottles!
A couple of Albariños follow – one from Galicia and one from California. The Californian
one is from Peter Franus’s Stewart Vineyard 2009 vintage and is an intriguing buy
at £33.00 particularly as this was given the accolade of ‘best New World white’ by
Steven Spurrier. ‘Aromatic and Dry whites’ follow which is a kind of all-embracing
section to meander through before you get to the Chardonnays. Here you will find
Gewürztraminer, Pinot Gris, Müller-Thurgau, Rolle, Grüner and Roter Veltliner, Verdelho
(and Verdejo), Aligoté, Viognier, Marsanne, Roussanne, Chenin Blanc and even a Garganega
and a Xarel-lo to boot. The Xarel-lo Clásico 2009 from Alella in Cataluña at £22.50
looks to be excellent value (2.5 stars) as does the Verdejo Naia 2009 – 3 stars at
£26.50.(See my notes on the 2007 in my “Wines of the Month” page). At the other end
of the spectrum, Domaine Mittnacht’s Rosacker Grand Cru Gewürztraminer 2004 is 4
star quality at £46.00 and Tiefenbrunner’s Feldmarschall Müller-Thurgau 2009 from
the alto Adige is 3.5 star quality at £41.00.
There are 17 Chardonnays from around the world and for the unadventurous and impecunious,
the 2 star Chablis 2009 from Domaine des Malandes at £24.50 is perfectly god value
as is the 1 star ‘The Ruins’ organic Chardonnay-Viognier 2010 at £17.00. But it would
be a pity to ignore some of the hidden gems that Martin manages to nose out year
after year. There is a plethora of good kit, particularly from the New World – headed
by Jeffrey Grosset’s Piccadilly Chardonnay 2002 with outstanding rapport qualité/prix
– 4.5 stars at £43.00. The 3 star Warwick Estate Chardonnay 2009 from South Africa
at £31.00 is also excellent value. For the unadventurous and rich, there is a double
magnum of Jean-Noël Gagnard’s 5 star Bâtard-Montrachet 2000 at £720 – that works
out at £180 a bottle – hmmmmmm….
There are 6 rosés listed – fine for summer quaffing. The only one with more than
1 star is the R de Rimauresq 2010 at £40, which is a bit steep. More intriguing looks
to be the somewhat butch Rioja rosé 2008 from Alma Tobia at £26.00.. Lighter, fruity
reds follow in the list – I’m not sure how light they really are (Nero d’Avola and
Moulin á Vent spring to mind as not being THAT light). Here the 2.5 star Brouilly
2009 from the ever dependable Ch. De Tours at £30 would fit the descriptive bill
nicely.
There are a lot of Pinot Noirs on the list from Burgundy and beyond and as usual,
Martin’s eye for quality makes choices difficult although some by nature such as
the Burgundies may not have the same price/quality ratio as some of the others. Viña
Tabali Reserva Especial 2010 from Chile – 2.5 stars – looks good value at £25.00.
Slightly less good value but a cracking wine is the 4 star TerraVin Hillside Reserve
2005 from New Zealand at £58.00. But if you must have Burgundy, then better value
can be found elsewhere on the list. Top of the tree here is the 5 star PLUS Musigny
Vieilles Vignes 2000 from Comte Georges de Vogüe which Martin describes as one of
his top 10 wines. It had better be at £330.00 a bottle.
A more than interesting segment of the wine list is dedicated to the Mencia grape
found in the Bierzo region of Spain, where the outstanding producer is the Descendientes
de J. Palacio. The 4 star Villa de Corullon 2006 at £70.00 and the 5 star Las Llamas
2005 at £110.00 are not cheap but are certainly worth drinking. There are some Pinotage,
Pinot Meunier, Primitivo and Zinfandels that follow with a half bottle of the 5 star
Ridge Geyserville 2008 blend at £37.00 looking the best bet.
The next section is headed “Bigger Reds” although it is hard to imagine reds that
are much bigger than a Zinfandel! At the entry level, the 2 star Tempranillo/Merlot/Garnacha/Cabernet
Sauvignon blend ‘Gotim Bru’ 2008 from Catalyuna at £22.50 is a snip and it is also
nice to see a 3 star Barolo 2006 from the cooperative Araldica at £35.00 cheaper
than a 3 star Valpolicella Superore Marion 2004 at £48.00 although I would guess
that the Valpolicella is drinking better at the moment. The magnum of Viña Amezola
Crianza 2005 at £50.00 also looks good value. The 4 star Cornas Vieilles Vignes 1999
from Alain Voge at £60.00 just takes the edge from a similar quality Cornas ‘Les
Ruchets’ 1996 from Jean-Luc Colombo at £68.00 but both must be drinking beautifully
now. Another good buy is a magnum of the 2 star Barbera d’Asti Superiore ‘Rive’ 2006
under the Poderi Alasia label at £65.00 from the same cooperative that produces the
Araldica Barolo. The 5 star Rioja Contino ‘Graciano’ 2006, made solely from the Graciano
grape at £95.00, is a brilliant wine but maybe a bit too young to drink yet.
As if Bigger Reds weren’t enough, the next section is entitled ‘Very Big Reds’. This
reminds me of a lady I once knew who used to work for Boeing, kick-starting the 747s.
Here, the 3 star ‘Tres Picos’ Garnachia 2006 at £35.00 from the Borsao cooperative
to the south east of Rioja is good value for money. The 5 star Shiraz ‘The Aberfeldy’
2002 from Tim Adams in Clare Valley is another good buy at £53.00. If the prospect
of Aussie Shiraz makes you hesitate, (although the 2002 Aberfeldy may well be atypical),
then you could well enjoy the elegance of the 4.5 star ‘Lokal’ Silex 2008 from Filipa
Pato in Portugal at £56.00. There is almost the last chance to drink the 5 star Chianti
Classico designated ‘Giorgio Primo’ 2000 at £72.00. Recent vintages have turned this
into almost a Bordeaux blend with no Sangiovese in it. Lovers of Châteauneuf-du-Pape
have two 5 star wines to choose from – Pignan 1998, the second wine of Ch. Rayas
at £77.00, or the ubiquitous Ch. De Beaucastel 2000 at £87.00. But if you really
want to throw caution to the wind in the full knowledge that you are getting a rare
wine at an exceptional price, then you have to go for the 5 star PLUS 1996 Ch. Rayas
at £154.00, about a third of the price you would pay for it retail. (If you could
still get it). And it might even be ready to drink. (Just). There are a few excellent
5 star wines in this section if you are willing to pay £100 plus as well.
Cabernet Sauvignons come next, then Cabernet Francs, then Merlot & Carmenère, then
blends of all these and more. It’s a bit confusing that in the Cabernet Sauvignon
section there are a couple of wines which are blends. Not that I have anything against
Flora Springs Trilogy or Robert Craigs’s Affinity, but they certainly ain’t straight
Cabernets. Similarly, in the Merlot and Carmanère section there are a couple of wines
with a substantial Cabernet presence.
Still, this is hair splitting and detracting from the main objective of assessing
the quality and value of the wines. A further point, however, does strike the reader
inasmuch as there is only ONE Bordeaux wine listed in any of these sections, Ch.
De Francs 2004 from the Côte de Francs – their Cerisiers cuvée at £39.00 and a good
price for a 3 star wine. In the bigger bottles section later on there are imperials
(8 bottle bottles) of Chx. Pichon Lalande 1997 and La-Mission-Haut-Brion 1997 at
£620.00 and £770.00 respectively. Maybe a throwback from the days when Martin thought
that Bordeaux wines were worth drinking!
But back to the Cabernet Sauvignons. As I have stated, these are dominated by New
World wines and as some of them have become cult wines – they are not cheap. The
3.5 star Fermoy Estate Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 1999 from Western Australia at
£47.00 is going to be just about as good as you will get quality/pricewise. At the
other end of the scale the Araujo Eisele Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 1997 at £180.00
and the Abreu Madrona Ranch 1996 Cabernet Sauvignon at £240.00, both 5 star PLUS
wines are on offer at just about retail prices for these Californian cults.
The Cabernet Franc section consists of one South African and three Loire wines with
the 3 star Warwick Estate Cabernet Franc 2006 at £36.00 just taking the price edge
off the 3 star Saumur-Champigny Vieiles Vignes 2006 from Ch. De Villeneuve at £40.00.
Merlot and Carmanère (which is which?) is all New World. There are three Californian
Merlots, but for me they do not surpass the excellency of the Cabernet Sauvignons
from that State. A much better bet are the two Merlots listed from Andrew Will in
Washington State, the Pepper Bridge Merlot 1998 at £57.00 and the more refined Ciel
de Cheval Merlot 1998 at £68.00.
In the blends, apart from the aforementioned Ch. De Francs, the 3 star Altair ‘Sideral’
2004 from Chile at £35.00 is good value. At the other end, it’s a toss-up between
the 4.5 star Whalebone Vineyard Cabernet-Shiraz 2003 from Brian Croser’s Tapanappa
estate at £57.00, or the 5 star Diana Madeleine Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot 2001 from
Cullen’s in Western Australia at £67.00.
Large bottles (Magnums, double magnums etc.) are well represented. The Krug N.V.
at £210.00 and the Dom Pérignon 1998 at £285.00 are fairly priced as is the 3 star
Beaune du Château 1er cru 2006 from Bouchard Père et Fils at £99.00. A magnum of
the 4 star ‘Moda Amarone’ Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot 1999 from Joe Grilli’s Primo
Estate in South Australia at £110.00 is also worth looking at.
There is a comprehensive selection of dessert wines by the glass, half bottle, 50
cl. bottle and full bottles. (What? No magnums?) Among the choices that are looking
good value is a half bottle of of Domaine Cauhapé’s Jurançon ‘Ballet d’Octobre’ 2007
at £17.50 (3 stars), the 4.5 star Gewürztraminer Vendanges Tardives 2005 from the
Cave de Turckheim cooperative at £34.00 for a 50cl. Bottle.
This is a terrific list, made all the more remarkable by Martin’s policy of buying
top reds long in advance of releasing them to the list. There are few other restaurateurs
who have the depth of financial pocket to do this, but I suppose that if you have
been trading successfully for over 20 years you deserve it
Best value White: Verdejo Naia 2009 – 3 stars at £26.50
Best Value Red: The Aberfeldy Shiraz 2002 – 5 stars at £53.00
Rich Man’s Bargain: Ch. Rayas 1996 – 5 stars PLUS and as rare as hen’s teeth at £154.00
Ransome's Dock
35-37 Parkgate Road, London SW11 4NP Phone: 020 7223-1611
Opening Hours:
Monday - Friday: 11.00am to 11.00pm
Saturday: Noon - Midnight
Sunday: Noon to 3.30pm
Lunch: Seven days a week
Dinner: Monday to Saturday
All major credit cards accepted
