3 cheeky wines with the Sunday Roast

Recently we had Craig Millar, exec chef, over for dinner at the house. I had asked Ross Frame to choose me some wines for the evening from our St Andrews wine list. As is right, we tend to have a bottle as an aperitif; Ross had chosen a Verdicchio dei Castellidi Jesi 2007 from Tavignano. This was a superb, floral and aromatic opener, and I remember being impressed as I tasted the wines blind wanting to test my palate; I knew it was Italian, knew it was probably east or northeast, but I hadn’t tasted such a charming Italian white in a long while.

Onto the roast, I had prepared 2 corn-fed hens, one of which I had stuffed the space in between the skin and the breasts with chopped up fresh garlic, thyme and parsley, and the other I had filled the cavity with oatmeal, like Granny does. I caught a glimpse of the wine that Craig had opened and saw the recognisable yellow foil of Olivier Leflaive. I assumed Ross had chosen a bottle of Les Setilles, a forestay of our winelist and one of the best value for money Bourgogne chardonnays around. Good safe choice, white burgundy and roast chicken. What appeared from my glass was a lot more voluptuous, with greater concentration and a touch of nuttiness. This was Olivier Leflaive’s Mersault Clos du Cromin 2006. Great year, entry-level single vineyard Meursault and a solid producer, a very competent and food-friendly wine which was an even better match than I could have planned.

Before Sophie brought out her apple and raspberry crumble, I opened a 2003 Chateau Fourcas Hosten. 2003 is one of those years, like 1997, which are quite useful for us restaurateurs. Being a hot year, the wineries had problems controlling the fruitiness in their wines, but this means that the wines are ready for drinking quite early, and their usefulness to us is that we don’t need to wait 8-10 years for them. These ones come knocking after 4-5 years. It had a full fruit palate of dark berries like brambles and dark cherries, a smooth chocolatey texture but also a touch of bite and acidity. I felt it helped prepare our palates for the fruit crumble that was to come.

All in all, I thought that the 3 wines that Ross Frame had chosen for us were a terrific example of mid-priced wines which provided much interest, but also was appreciated by both the ladies and the gents, those in the catering trade and those of a more sane disposition, either drunk before or after, with or without food. Wine has to complement the evening, and not overwhelm the guests nor should it cower in the corner trying not to be remembered.