It was a bright breezy afternoon on the balcony of The King St Townhouse Hotel where glasses of Champagne Drappier were served to arriving Commandeurs, Partners and guests. Some opted to gather inside where it was more sheltered. We were about to enjoy a wonderfully convivial, relaxing  lunch knowing that a thrilling drama was playing out in the Wimbledon’s Men’s Singles final in South London!

Before the lunch was served, we were treated to the ceremony of Intronisation of two new Commandeurs, James Rowley and Andrew Cousins.  Following the presentation of Medals and Certificates, the first wine was served. It was Château Rahoul Blanc 2016 A.O.C. Graves which matched the first dish of Scallops, Shimeji mushrooms, and pork belly very well. Indeed, the wine was so popular some continued to match it to later courses.

The main course was Duo of duck breast, duck leg bonbon, carrot puree, Savoy cabbage and caramelised apple jus. This was accompanied by Château Canon-La-Gaffelière 2012 Premier Grand Cru Classé which most considered to be the ‘best’ wine of the day, albeit there was a little bit of bottle variation. This was a Château that our Commanderie had visited in 2016 and were delighted to drink this wonderful quality wine produced in a more difficult Bordeaux vintage.

We were privileged to receive exceptional service during the event and diligent work from the Kitchen team so Le Maître, Colin Smith, thanked them and made a small presentation as a token of our appreciation.

Our next course was a wonderful selection of cheeses, thankfully at room temperature to allow their flavours to blossom. This was accompanied by our second red wine, Château Cantemerle 2015 5ième Cru Classé from the Haut-Médoc. This is a favourite wine of several Commandeurs and, although young, proved to be approachable as it was a good ripe year in Bordeaux and the fruit was showing well.

All too soon we moved on to the Dessert course, which was Raspberry and Vanilla Cheesecake, Fresh Raspberries, meringue white chocolate. The dessert was certainly lifted by the fresh raspberries and some felt a couple more per plate would have raised it still further. The dessert wine was Château Rayne-Vigneau 2011,  1ier Cru Classé A.O.C. Sauternes. From an excellent vintage for the sweet wines (less good for the reds) it was much appreciated and was a brilliant choice to round off a wonderful occasion.

All too soon we bade our farewells and began our journeys home, knowing that we might arrive back in time to see the end of the Men’s Singles Final which your scribe just managed to achieve.

Commandeur Richard Martindale