Menu of the Month

Wine Menu, 23, The Gresham Hotel, Dublin 1

We have to confess that we were collaborators with the restaurant manager of 23, Damian Corr, on the following wine menu for this new restaurant in the legendary Gresham Hotel on O’Connell Street. And boy did we have fun doing it! Though selecting 23 wines for 23 (plus a trio of pudding wines) was quite a challenge, allied to the fact that any standard “wine-speak” had to be abolished to create an accessible menu. Mr Corr is one of the great foh’s, and what he doesn’t know about the bottles on this menu isn’t worth knowing.

23: Wine Menu

The Classics

Sancerre A/C Thauvenay – Domaine Masson Blondelet 2001 €33.50
A classic Sancerre from the Loire valley, from an estate that was united by marriage between the Masson and Blondelet families. Six generations of wine making show through in this beautifully balanced sauvignon blanc.

Pouilly Fume A/C – Villa Paulus Domaine Masson Blondelet 2001  €34.50
Jean-Michel Masson is renowned for his Pouilly-Fumé, none more so than his star “Villa Paulus”, a rich ripe white with honeyed flavours

Chablis A/C – Domaine Dennis Pommier  2000  €30.00
Denis Pommier’s subtle and lively wine shows exactly why you shouldn’t write Chablis off as over-priced and over-rated. Archetypal French winemaking.

*Fleurie A/C – Domaine de la Treille – Jean-Paul et Herve Gauthier 2000 €30.00 Per glass €8.00
Strawberries and cream and the fun of summertime are the keynotes of the Gauthier family’s true and honest Fleurie, a marvellous, nimble and fruity Beaujolais.

Chateauneuf-du-Pape A/C – Domaine Grand Veneur 1999 €39.00
“Captivating…ripe…seductive… this pure, delicious wine is singing beautifully”, is how wine guru Robert Parker gushes about the great Grand Veneur. Textbook C-d-P

Wine 2 Ways: Riesling

The wine writer’s favourite grape, but just taste the difference between the Old World and New World styles

*Alsace Riesling Grand Cru Rosacker 2000 – Domaine Sipp Mack €32.50 Per glass €8.50
Jacques and Vincent Sipp are brothers, the 9th generation of a winemaking dynasty stretching back to the 17th century. This intense, crisp, mineral-rich Riesling has won plaudits from all the leading wine writers.

*New Zealand Riesling Forrest Estate 2000 – Marlborough €32.50 Per glass €8.50
John Forrest is a big man, but he has a gentle touch as a winemaker, and his Riesling is a textbook definition of what Kiwi winemakers can do with this quixotic grape. We love South-West France

*Corbieres A/C Chateau La Baronne 1999 €19.50 Per glass €5.00
A non-filtered red wine that ‘The Times’ described as “a sensationally good red… anyone celebrating with this will have a great time”. This was a great vintage, and we think it suits being decanted.

Coteaux du Languedoc A/C - Bergerie de L’Hortus 2000  €23.50
L’Hortus is recognised as one of the great wines of southern France, an eclectic mix of  Syrah, Mourvedre and Grenache.

Minervois A/C L’ Amourier – Luc Lapeyre 1999 €23.50
A red wine with a cult reputation – “passion and single-mindedness shine through”, said The Sunday Tribune. Again this is unfiltered, and a silky blend of Syrah, Mourvedre and Carignan grapes.

Great discoveries at 23

Mas Collet 2000, Celler de Capcanes, Tarragona, Spain €25.00
“Sassy, soulful…makes you want to jump for joy”, was how The Irish Times raved about this extraordinary red wine from Tarragona. This is irresistible winemaking.

Pinot Noir 2000, Forrest Estate, Marlborough, New Zealand €37.50
John and Brigid Forrest have set out to prove that New Zealand has all it takes to make great wine from the mercurial pinot noir grape. Frankly, we’re convinced.

Gavi di Gavi, Broglia – La Meriana, Italy 2001 €26.00
Bruno Broglia’s Piedmont estate has been producing wine s for more than 1,000 years, and none better than this wonderful bottling of the cortese grape. Close your eyes, and it could be white burgundy.

Kim Crawford Unoaked Chardonnay, Marlborough, New Zealand 2001 €29.50
If you enjoy the crispness of a true Chablis but feel like something different, Kim Crawford’s lean, clean chardonnay is for you. No wood, just fresh fruit flavours and crisp mineral scents.

The female touch; wines made by women

*Clos D’Yvigne, Princesse de Cleves Sauvignon Blanc, Bergerac, France 1999 €21.50 Per glass €5.50
Patricia Atkinson moved to France from England more than a decade ago, and makes this lush sauvignon in Bergerac, east of Bordeaux. We think Patricia has a better handle on what to do with sauvignon than any native Bordelaise..

Chateauneuf-du-Pape A/C, La Crau de Ma Mere, Rhone Valley, France 1999 €47.50
The quintessential big red wine from the Rhone valley, but here made by a woman, Beatrice Nayard, whose style is radically different from the norm.

Contemporary friends and quirky personalities…

Bests Estate Great Western Bin ‘0’ Shiraz 1996, Victoria, Australia €39.00
Viv Thompson’s shiraz from west Victoria shows Australian wines at their best. Produced from old vines, some over 120 years old with low yields, Bin ‘O’ is plush, ripe and concentrated.

*Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, Zaccagnini “Twiggy”, Italy 2000  €23.00
This supermodel wine is truly quirky. Fondly known as “Twiggy” (No prizes for guessing!), the Twiggy has wonderfully concentrated fruits, soft tannins and a twist of acidity.

Lolonis Alexander Valley Chardonnay 2000  €35.00
Organically produced with the help of over 5 million Ladybirds in California… only in America could you produce a wine with all this fruit and strength but with only a light touch of oak.

Lowe Vineyard Merlot, Hunter Valley, Australia 1999  €37.50
Jane Wilson’s cracking Aussie merlot has notes of eucalyptus and damson bundled up in a bottle of beautiful wine. Ridge Lytton Springs Zinfandel 1999  €70.00 “Paul Draper of Ridge…makes perhaps the very finest wine in California”, says wine writer Patrick Matthews. Draper’s Zin is unforgettable, especially the very first time you taste it.

A Happy Couple

*Clos du Bois Chardonnay, Sonoma, California, U.S.A. €28.00 Per glass €7.50

*Clos du Bois Merlot, Sonoma, California U.S.A. €32.00 Per glass €8.50
“It is all merlot should be…” is how wine guru Robert Parker rates the Clos du Bois merlot, and he heaps praise too on the “richness with elegance” of the fine Sonoma County chardonnay.

Pudding Wines

*Gewurztraminer Vendange Tardive “Cuvee Lucie-Marie”1997, Alsace A/C €38.00 Per glass €14.50
They must have Crème Brulee in mind when they decide conditions are finally right to make this special late-harvest wine from gewürztraminer grapes. The quintessential pudding wine.

*Chateau le Barradis, Monbazillac A/C 1997, €23.50 Per glass €8.50
Made using organic methods, Serge Labasse’s rich, amber dessert wine from the overlooked region of Monbazillac is perfect with puds, but also makes a great aperitif for those who like something sweet and sharp.

*Molina Real “Mountain Wine”1999, Cia de Vino Telmo Rodriguez, Malaga D.O. €55.00 Per glass €19.50
Telmo Rodriguez is the enfant terrible of Spanish winemaking, but his real passion lies with re-creating the ancient art of mountain wine. This is a stupendous wine, utterly distinctive, and different from anything you have ever drank.

Bottles of Bubbly

Moet et Chandon N/V, €65.00, half bottle, €35.00, snipe, €19.00

Moet et Chandon Rose N/V, €70.00

Veuve Cliquot Yellow Label N/V, €75.00, half €42.00, snipe 23.00

Bollinger N/V, €80.00, half €43.00

Dom Perignon Vintage 1995, €182.00

Cristal, Louis Roederer Vintage 1995, €225.00

*Available by the glass

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