The Tate Restaurant by Neville Blech
(extract from the book
The top 100 uk retaurant wine lists)
Thirty-odd years ago, you might have been surprised, as you
slipped into the restaurant at the Tate Gallery to take a
break from viewing all those Turners, to find the place absolutely
heaving with members of the wine trade guzzling down smart
clarets at extraordinarily cheap prices to accompany the pretty
ordinaire food on offer. Sadly, all that wine has gone
and whilst it is still the policy of the Tate to cellar their
wines for many years, prices have inevitably crept up, but
then so has the quality of the food! Nevertheless, this is
one of the finest lists that you will come across it has
moved away from the traditional Tate stronghold of fine clarets
and Burgundies, with much more exciting offerings elsewhere,
particularly from Australia and the USA. You will be hard
pressed to find better drinking value in the centre of London,
the only drawback being that the restaurant is only open for
lunch.
The list kicks off with a couple of pages of Sommelier’s Recommendations
generally of less expensive wines and mostly available by
the glass. It’s then followed by a list of some 58 wines available
in half or 50cl bottles, of which some three-quarters rate
3, 4 or 5 stars. For us, maybe a half-bottle of Meursault
Les Tillets Cuvée Speciale 1999 from Patrick Javillier at
£22, followed by a half bottle of Ornellaia 1996 at £32 and
then a half of the Tokaji Noble Late Ha rvest 2000 from Oremus
at £13.50 would make a great alternative to drinking a single
bottle with the meal.
The Champagnes are dominated by Billecart - Salmon and the
chance to try the rare Cuvée Elisabeth Salmon Rosé shouldn’t
be missed, even if it is at £87.
White Burgundies are impressive with perhaps the Bâtard -
Montrachet from the great 1996 vintage from Gagnard - Delagrange
at £85 topping the bill in terms of quality and value. Also
consider a magnum of straight Puligny - Montrachet 1998 from
Domaine Leflaive at only £90. The White Rhône selections are
not prolific, but Clusel-Roch’s 2002 Condrieu stands out at
£42, whilst the Loire section lets you drool over the choice
of either Huët’s Vouvray Moelleux Clos du Bourg 1971 at £79,
or Le Haut-Lieu Demi-Sec 1949 at a mere £63.50. Decisions,
decisions! In Alsace, 5 out of 8 selections rate 4 stars or
more, led by the super 5-star Riesling Clos Sainte-Hune 1985
from Trimbach at £98. But if you think that’s a bit too much
to pay for a Riesling, then why not try the Bernkastler Badstübe
Spätlese from the superb 1990 vintage by Joh Jos Prüm, for
a mere £35. Australian whites put up a good showing with Giaconda
1999 Chardonnay at £75 leading the quality stakes and Keith
Tulloch’s 2003 Hunter Valley Semillon offering extraordinary
value at £21.
New Zealand weighs in with Kumeu River Chardonnay
2002, a snip at £28, as well as the same producer’s Maté’s
Vineyard Chardonnay 2002 en magnumat £70.
The 2 Californian Chardonnays on offer from Au Bon Climat
are both 5-star wines the Sanford & Benedict Reserve 1996
at £42 and the Nuits Blanches au Bouge 1996 at £47. There’s
a good selection of sweet wines ranging from the Oremus Tokaji
Noble LateHa rvest 2000 at £13.50 (half-bottle) to a bottle
of Yquem 1986 (great vintage) at £240.
The longish list of clarets (perhaps not as long as it used
to be) features a number of goodies without anything of particular
merit standing out. The list of Burgundies, too, is a roll
call of the good and the great with the Volnay 1996 from the
Marquis d’ Angerville at £46 looking to be good value. In
the Rhône, Clape’s 1997 Cornas at £40 looks goodvalue, whilst
the 2000 Châteauneuf-du-Pape from Domaine Marcoux at £29 looks
even better. Tré vallon 1997 from Provence at £34 is worth
trying, too. In Italy, whilst the selection from Piedmont
lacks some of the best names (with the exception of Gaja,
which is basically overpriced anyway), the Amarone 1999 from
Allegrini in the Veneto at £48 isa 5-star wine at a reasonable
price. In Tuscany, Ornellaia 1996 at £61 (£32 for a half)
is a very fair price for the quality offered. There are some
interesting ports, but you may well be tempted to try the
Barbeito 20-year-old Malvasia Lote 4122 Madeira at £58 as
an alternative. The Spanish red selection is 100% class with
Vega Sicilia Unico 1989 at £135, but try the 100% Monastrell
Pie Franco 1998 from Casa Castillo in Jumilla at £28.50 for
a good wine at a good price. The outstanding price/quality
wine from Australia is undoubtedly Torbreck’s The Steading
2000 at £27, a Grenache, Shiraz and Mourvèd reblend with lovely
fruit and a supple and long finish.
There is a fine selection
of USA red swith Ridge Geyserville Zinfandel 1999 at £37 and
Brewer-Clifton Julia’s Pinot Noir 2000 at £47 being the pick
of the bunch.
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