Jewels from the wine treasury
Compiled Byjoe Hyam
Preparing wine lists in the 1990s is not easy. Restaurant customers are becoming better informed and more adventurous, but price is still a prime concern. Wine producers in New World countries, meanwhile, are pushing up standards and raising prices. The Old World is reacting to the challenge with techniques and styles influenced by the New.
No-one understands the problem better than Neville Blech, who is both a restaurateur and wine merchant. His Wine Treasury is a good place to look for quality wine at reasonable prices.
The first formal tasting, given jointly by the new partnership of the Wine Treasury and Sam Gordon-Clark's Onslow Pelham, was an important event.
At the top end of the price range note the wines of Kistler Estate. The Chardonnays from three of its vineyards - Vine Hill Road, McCrea and Kistler Vineyard - are rightly famous. They will set you back a trade price of £17.73, £19.23 and £21.50 a bottle respectively. But they are world class.
The estate now produces Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir which should be worth looking at.
There are some new agencies to investigate, however. One of them, Cline Cellars in Sonoma, is known for its 100-year-old plot of Mourvèrdre.
This grape is seeing a resurgence of popularity in southern France and has always been important in Spain.
Cline Cellars' Rhône-style wines are sensibly priced.
Sequoia Grove, which comes to the partnership via Onslow Pelham, produces some stylish Chardonnays, well balanced with clean fruit flavours and lively acidity. Trade prices are £8.82 a bottle for Carneros/Napa 1991 and £9.43 for the Estate Chardonnay 1990.
Back to the Old World for a final recommendation and a long-established grape which does not have the benefit of a great reputation - the Aligoté of Burgundy. But at the hands of a good wine-maker it produces winners.
If you want a steely, clean and refreshing but nevertheless structured all-purpose white wine, go for the 1993 Aligoté of Robert Chevillon. The trade price of £5.90 may be high for the grape but it is low for the quality.
