The eagerly awaited Jean Daneel (“Signature” Chenin Blanc) and Chris Mullineux (Chenin Blanc / Syrah / Straw) wines have just landed in the U.K. today but with Customs bureaucracy we won’t actually get our mits on these ‘til late next week.
A fortnight from yesterday we are having a Champagne Dinner at nearby Sally Clarke’s Restaurant. Usual format will apply and that is the Champagne will be provided free (by us and by Lamotte) and guests will simply pay the set price for food to Sally Clarke’s. Our historic House Champagne has been J.M.Gobillard & Fils but now that we are shipping Lamotte directly, this has effectively become our newest House Champagne.
Small groups (3-8 people?) can opt for their own table if they wish and we will have a longer mixed table with the winemaker etc. Having your own table means it is equally adept for a wee social gathering of your friends or if you actually are entertaining on business.
Tuesday, 18th October (7.30 p.m.)
R.& H. Lamotte Premier Cru Champagne Dinner
We will show the current Premier Cru, the Rosé and some Magnums of the 2006 & 1979 Vintage.
We currently have about 15 people (potentially 21) booked and space for maybe 30 if we take over the whole of downstairs at Clarke’s. Do let us know therefore if you can or would like to make this evening as we are already about halfway on numbers.
Bin-end weekly indulgence:
Our last 2 Double Magnums of Château St-Baillon Rosé at £ 55.00 (from £ 63.50)
Silly Season:
One of the obvious ironies about the Travelers’ at Dale Farm in Essex and their determination not to be evicted is that they are asking for their self gained status to be respected and staying put is just the opposite of that! Nomads and Travelers’ as their name implies, move around a bit. Staying put is not in the creed surely?
Nearing the end of “One On One” by Craig Brown, the book that I mentioned last week, alas I find little cause to alter my initial assumption. Potentially a terrific idea linking all these famous people through History but the truth is that most of these links are stories that in isolation have little reason to make any effort to make us aware of. The Politicians; Actors; and fellow Writers almost all come out of this badly. Things of interest that I didn’t already know, you can count on one hand. After Hitler being knocked down by an Old Etonian I was amused at, I think, Edward Heath’s remark after one of Hitler’s mid 1930’s Political rallies “the uniform being more important than the man”. Then on September 23rd, 1955, a young Alec Guinness was introduced to an even younger James Dean at the Villa Capri in Hollywood. When Dean proudly showed Guinness his new Porsche 550 Spyder, Guinness found himself saying “It is now 10 O’clock, 23rd September 1955. If you get in that car you will be found dead in it by this time next week!” Guinness was prone to premonitions and alas, history knows the end of that one. Another one, Nikita Khrushchev remarking after meeting some Labour party big wigs that if he was British he would vote Conservative. Nonetheless I think I can better that remark from a Russian Premier when John Major asked Boris Yeltsin to say in one word what is the current state in Russia – “Good!”. And then he asked, in two words – “Not Good!”. Another little tit bit is that in Monaco there is apparently a small graveyard for those gamblers that have committed suicide due to their losses at the gaming tables. Whenever possible the casino workers were supposed to place cash in the pockets of suicide victims to lessen the belief that gambling was solely to blame. Charming. Anything of interest in the last 80 pages, I’ll let you know next week.
Poor Louis Walsh. You have four to choose from a list of eight. Not too difficult to select the best four. The other three judges managed it well enough. Well, old Louis managed to pick the weakest two of the eight. There are only two out of thirty two that would amply suit Butlins or Pontins and he picked ‘em. Thankfully one has since stepped down of their own volition but perhaps this should be Louis’ last hurrah.
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