A return to the elegant Manchester Hall for our 37th birthday with special guest GCVB Grand Maître Jean Marc Dulong .
Our evening commenced in the wonderful Goulburn Lodge, where guests were welcomed with a glass of Henriot Brut Souverain Champagne. A further glass of Crèmant de Bordeaux was a gift from Jean Marc and in his introduction he explained that the crémant wines are one of the fastest growing sectors in France, and becoming a viable champagne-alternative. Sauvignon Blanc based, with Semillion and Merlot in the blend, the wine was a pleasant way to start the meal.
The Manchester Hall Team had created an innovative menu for us and the starter course was a chilled cucumber gazpacho with lemon infused crème fraiche, micro-coriander and toasted almonds. Unusual with delicate and subtle flavours, it paired well with the white wine, a Le C Sec du Ch. Closiot 2022. Dry, with medium-acidity and citrus fruit.
The main course was a Ballotine of chicken, wrapped in Serrano ham, filled with air-dried tomato, spinach and Manchego. Served with a saffron fondant, asparagus tips and a Romanesco purée and a Pedro Ximénez gravy. The chicken was mouth-wateringly tender and the rich gravy gave a full flavour that was excellent with our first red wine of the evening, a Ch. La Lagune 2012 3ème Cru Classé A.O.C Haut-Médoc. 2012 was an average vintage in Bordeaux for red and the wines produced tended to be slightly lighter-styled, accordingly, this red was medium-bodied with sweet tannin and blackcurrant and very smooth in the mouth. It was almost certainly at its peak and was a very popular choice on the night.
The cheese course is traditionally where the “Big Red” appears and this was no exception! The creamy Lambda sheep cheese, date jam, walnuts and apple were served with Ch. Sociando-Mallet 2009 A.O.C Haut-Médoc. This full-bodied and complex wine developed in the glass and gave aromas of black fruit and cassis. Early reviews of this wine in 2012 indicated that it would need at least a further 10 years ageing before it would be approaching its best and many of the guest agreed that this wine still has plenty of time to go and potential to develop further. It was great to be able to compare the wines from the same region, but different vintages and slightly differing cépages.
Finally, the pudding course arrived. A ginger and Seville orange cheesecake with orange liqueur jelly. This dessert was made to be served with our sweet wine, a Ch. Coutet 2009 1er Cru A.O.C. Barsac. This extremely well-regarded wine complemented the dessert with flavours of apricot, orange-peel and honey.
A long finish helped the experience of the evening last just that little bit longer.
A super event.
Huge thanks to all the Manchester Hall Team x
