FRENCH WHITE WINE
100. Lérane, Terret/Viognier, Vin de Pays D’Oc, 2007 16.50
This wine is straw in colour with an enticingly aromatic nose reminiscent of peach blossom, ripe apples and white stone fruit. The palate is round and juice offering a delightful concentration of peach and pear fruit and some hints of tropical lychees, all bound up with a crips citrus acidity that keep the wine
refreshingly clean.
134. Muscadet de Sèvre et Maine sur lie, 2007 21.00
La Bretonnerie, J.F.Guilbaud
A dry, steely white wine. The “Sur Lie” tradition involves the wine being bottled while still in contact with the sediment. This keeps the wine fresh and gives it a slight fizz and yeasty roundness. Flavours of citrus fruits and pepper on the finish. Excellent with shellfish or as an aperitif.
108. Tour De Monestier, Bergerac Sec, 2005 22.00
A wonderfully fresh and aromatic nose, with gentle fruits and balanced acidity on the palate. A tremendously easy drinking and versatile wine.
115. Mâcon-Solutré, Vins Auvigue, 2006 23.00
Soft exotic fruit with a mineral backdrop make this an effortless glassful, attractive citrus notes adding to the overall balance. A beautifully structured, delicate Chardonnay of very high quality.
158. Beaujolais Blanc, Henry Fessy, 2006 23.00
Aromas of citrus and freshly mown grass are followed by a dry, well balanced palate with rounded pear and lemon flavours.
160. Sauvignon de ‘St Bris’ Simmonnet-Febvre, 2006 23.00
This wine is fruity, crisp and dry with a slight nuttiness on the finish.
161. Viré-Clessé, Henry Fessy, 2006 25.00
A fresh wine with subtle aromas of pears, apricots and spice. The palate is complex, balanced with a generous mouth feel.
150. Château de Sours, Bordeaux, 2005 27.00
Crisp and dry, this wine has complexity and balance on the palate. It is lively and light, with the combination of three grapes – Semillion, Sauvignon, and Muscadelle making it perfect for aging in the bottle.
121. Saint-Véran, P.Ferraud & Fils, 2005 31.00
A classically styled example from low-yielding old vine parcels. Pure, unoaked Chardonnay with subtle weight and minerality, an excellent introduction to white Burgundy.
104. Chablis, Domaine Pico-Race, 2007 35.00
Excellent Chardonnay bouquet showing subtlety and breed together with a firm underlying richness. The wine is well balanced and has an intricate combination of fruit and acidity. This is classic Chablis of an unusually high quality.
129. Pouilly Fumé, Château Favray, 2007 35.00
Intense flavour reminiscent of gooseberry developing with time into a complex wine. Château Favray requires more bottle-age than the average Pouilly Fumé to show its best. A complex Fumé with class and elegance.
146. Sancerre, Domaine du Nozay, 2007 36.50
Rich and ripe with creamy gooseberry fruit, complemented with fresh acidity to finish.
106. Montagny 1er Cru, Bonneveaux, 2006 38.00
Olivier Leflaive
From the southern end of Burgundy, this stylish wine has great complexity. Richly fruited with mineral and floral notes and hints of spice.
102. Gewürztraminer, Rolly Gassmann, Alsace 2004 40.00
A food wine where age has developed and brought forward the complexities of the flavour profiles. Hallmark floral and lychee flavours, textured, oily and full.
190. Beaune Blanc, Louis Latour 2002 40.00
On appearance this wine glistens with a brilliant lemon hue and has a delicate aroma of lemon and fruit.
In the mouth it has balance and ample structure with lemon, oak and smooth almond flavours coming through.
110. Mâcon-Verzé Domaines Leflaive 42.00
Green-gold in colour, this has a lovely perfume of clean white fruit, lush and floral with a hint of butter. With barely 5% of oak used, the natural sweetness and freshness of the fruit is expressed and the palate is succulent, super ripe, lushly flavoured but with a delectable tension to the finish which is rich and long.
109. Rully 1er Cru, La Bressande, 2006 42.00
Fresh nose with notes of apricot and noisette. The palate is rich and well-balanced with a lick of buttery oak. Good complexity to the finish.
107. Auxey Duresses, La Macabrée, Olivier Leflaive, 2006 44.00
Harvested late and impeccably balanced. Bright white gold with flashes of green, this is soft, easy and seductive on the nose with tropical and citrus fruits allied to a nutty, creamy character.
113. Chablis Premier Cru 'Fourchaume' Simonnet-Febvre, 2005 45.00
Excellent mineral flavours and a long finish. Complex fruit and honeyed characters from lees ageing produce a wine of real intensity.
111. St Aubin, Dents de Chien 1er Cru, Olivier Leflaive , 2006 58.00
A delicate, pale, yellow-gold in colour. The nose is incredibly lively,almost electric, with citrus zest vitality, allied to crushed stone minerality. This is reflected on the palate, which is vibrant
an enticing, with a rounded, ripe backdrop.
114. Pouilly Fuissé, Cuvée Classique, Vins Auvigue, 2006 68.50
Layers of ripe melon and tropical flavours, open to reveal a spicy undertone. A fantastic wine!
155. Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc, Vieilles Vignes, 2006 68.00
Tardieu Laurent
An opulent gold in colour, this makes an immediate impact with sweet old vine fruit on the nose, rich in apricot and peach layered with cream.
117. Chassagne Montrachet, Les Blanchots, Olivier Leflaive, 2006 70.00
Shimmering gold in colour and has a wonderfully evocative nose, rich in roasted nuts, orchard fruit and warm, honeyed buttery pastry. Very pure and focussed, yet opulent.
118. Meursault, Henri Boillot, 2006 85.00
Henri Boillot describes his 2006s as wines of great power, depth and consistency. Boillot is a perfectionist, his wines will continue to draw admiration from the same people who have made
Coche Dury unaffordable.Flowery, white fruits, freshness, nice acidity, nice length, mineral, pure and harmonious.
133. Condrieu, ‘Chaillées de l'Enfer’, Georges Vernay, 2004 95.00
Exclusively from the Viognier vine, characterised by its apricot and white peach flavours and its fragrance of violet. Viognier is a capricious grape with low yields, requiring deep, mature vine rootstock; plantings fell into decline in the 20th Century and Christine's father Georges kept the Condrieu appellation from
extinction in the 1960's when there were only 8 hectares under vine! A full bodied, rich and well-structured Condrieu with concentrated citrus and orchard fruit aromas preceding a palate of lemon, honey, pear and green apples prior to a clean, dry finish.
99. Bienvenues Bâtard-Montrachet, Grand Cru, 2000 200.00
Domaine Leflaive,
Green, gold in colour this has an ethereal perfume of spicy, creamy, succulently ripe fruit that appears to float across the glass. The palate is more measured, with terrific intensity of lush, powerful fruit touched by minerality and a mouth-wateringly long finish.
302. Meursault 1er cru Rougeot, Coche-Dury, 1999 380.00
This wine is noted for his richness of fruit with a fleshy yet firm texture and a backbone of balancing acidity. The Rougeot 1999 is a superb example of Coche Dury’s subtle yet forceful style with a
beautiful underlying complexity.
ITALIAN WHITE WINES
128. Pinot Grigio, J Weger, Alto Adige, 2007 29.00
Great elegance and rich character, good fruit concentration in the palate with clean and fresh flavours.
127. Gavi di Gavi, Nicola Bergaglio, 2007 34.00
This wine is regarded as one of the best whites from Italy. It has a light, fresh, mild, yet sharp bouquet. The flavour is fresh and crisp, with a hint of fruitiness, enriched by a light candy-like sensation.
124. Greco di Tufo, Dei Feudi Di San Gregorio, 2007 35.00
Fine, fruity, white peach and citrus aromas on the nose. Precedes a rich warm intense palate with great length and complexity.
126. Collio Bianco, Edi Keber, Friuli Venezia Giulia, 2007 45.00
A blend of Tocai grape, Chardonnay, Sauvignon and Pinot Bianco , this wine is a refined and elegant style great mineral fresh palate well balanced by the good fruit concentration .
SPANISH WHITE WINES
147. Castano, Macabeo Chardonnay, 2006 19.50
The rounder, fatter, more biscuity perfumes and flavours of the barrel-fermented chardonnay add depth and power to the fresh, clean Macabeo.
192. Ganadero Rueda, 2004 22.50
Made from the sought-after Verdejo grape, blended with small amounts of Viura, this wine is full with fresh stone fruit character, completed by an aromatic and interesting minerality.
119. Veigadares Albarino, Adegas Galegas, 2005 38.00
Aromatic and full bodied, this is a special wine with a well rounded texture and superb with food.
PORTUGUESE WHITE WINE
152. Loureiro Vinho Verde, Ponte de Lima, 2006 25.00
Pale in colour, gently perfumed with a fine mineral layer. Aromatic, floral and fruity, this wine is light,
crisp and refreshing on the palate.
AUSTRIAN WHITE WINE
166. Soellner, Fumberg, Grüner Veltliner, Reserve, 2006 35.00
Opulent, concentrated, noble fruit, round and still elegant. A wine with future and drinking pleasure.
167. FX Pichler, Wachau, Sauvignon Blanc, 2006 60.00
A Sauvignon of epic proportions. The palate is powerful and complex with amazing fruit richness. The finish is very long.
GERMAN WHITE WINE
193. Joh Jos Prüm, Riesling Spätlese, Graacher Himmelreich, 2001 51.00
White chocolate, sage, smoky minerals, and poached pears can be found in its rich aromas. Medium-bodied, velvety-textured, soft, it is a large, dense offering with copious quantities of poached pear,
slate, gun flint, candied lemon and red currant flavours
AUSTRALIAN WHITE WINES
137. Lillypilly Chardonnay, 2005 25.00
Straw colour with a green tint. Ripe fruit, hints of citrus, peach, melon and cucumber. The finish is flinty and dry.
159. Willespie Verdelho, 2000 36.00
The flagship white wine. Complex with added plus of bottle age,which is rather unique for Verdelho, since normally drunk young. Salty and nutty on the finish with a hint of melon.
135. Yering Station, M.V.R, Yarra Valley, 2006 40.00
The three varieties Marsanne (62%), Viognier (29%) and Roussanne (9%) are barrel fermented seperately in older oak for 3 months, no lees stirring and bottled early to ensure fantastic aromas and great concentration and richness of palate. All three varieties are aromatic with Marsanne imparting length and freshness, Viognier the structure and the Roussanne adding spice and complexity.
136. Petaluma, Viognier, Adelaide Hills, 2005 47.00
Very appealing, pretty nose, floral and peachy, verging on confected. Nicely weighted palate with good depth.
NEW ZEALAND WHITE WINES
101. Te Awa, Sauvignon Blanc, Hawkes Bay, 2007 28.00
A fresh, ripe, melon and lime flavoured wine, seasoned with toasty oak, mouth filling body, slightly creamy texture, excellent depth.
198. Trinity Hill, Chardonnay, Hawkes Bay, 2006 30.00
This harvest has produced a round, soft wine with undertones of grapefruit and pineapple with biscuity notes.
151. Craggy Range, Te Muna Vineyard, Riesling, Martinborough, 2007 30.00
A stunning, dry, citrusy, single vineyard Riesling. Mandarin and stone fruits come through on the palate with a soft chalky texture on the finish.
196. Spy Valley, Gewurztraminer, 2006 36.00
Powerfully aromatic with rose petal and coriander notes. Pure and focused, the finish is well rounded and off dry.
132. Cloudy Bay,Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough, 2007 55.00
Pale straw green in colour and piercingly aromatic, this wine shows all the characteristics of a superb vintage. An evocative fusion of fully ripened tropical fruits and freshly cut herbs layered over fresh lime.
AMERICAN WHITE WINES
130. Calera Chardonnay, California, 2006 40.00
Aromas of tropical fruit and lemon are coupled with a fully ripe, complex set of flavours on the palate, and pleasant yet restrained toasted oak notes on the finish.
131. Cakebread Chardonnay, Napa Valley, 2004 88.00
With a high proportion of grapes from the slightly cooler Sonoma Valley, this is a remarkable wine with an unusually refined edge: fully fruited with fresh vitality.
ARGENTINEAN WHITE WINES
145. Libertad, Pinot Blanc, Mendoza, 2006 18.00
Fresh apple and pear flavours. A light, fruity wine with clean finish and acidity.
154. ‘Famiglia Bianchi’, Valentin Bianchi, Chardonnay, Mendoza, 2007 23.00
This is a quite full-bodied chardonnay with good stone fruits and nougat/honeyed peach notes with underlying toasty oak characters. The palate is quite rich yet with enough acidity to maintain its balance.
CHILEAN WHITE WINES
123. Chocalán, Sauvignon Blanc, Central Valley, 2008 20.00
Bright, light straw with youthful greenish hints, the Sauvignon Blanc is fresh and aromatic on the nose, with perfumes of crisp green apples and a twist of lime. On the palate it is clean and zesty, with a light, fine fruit character, hints of tropical fruit and a good, fresh finish.
120. Araucano, Chardonnay, 2006 30.00
A clever juxtaposition of flamboyant fruit, a creamy vanilla oaked backdrop and a layer of citrus in contrast.
SOUTH AFRICAN WHITE WINES
141. Old Vines, Chenin Blanc, Stellenbosch, 2006 24.00
There are traces of mineral, rich, creamy nuts, lime zest, and stone fruits.
140. Groote Post, Sauvignon Blanc, Darling Hills, 2007 26.00
Flinty and restrained nose hinting of Cape gooseberries and freshly cut green apple on the palate. Minimal lees contact giving the wine an elegant, rounded and balanced appeal.
139. Warwick Estate, Chardonnay, 2006 39.00
Straw yellow with a green tinge, this wine opens with a full bouquet of juicy apple and pear aromas, followed by fruity flavours with slight hints of vanilla and butterscotch.
HALF BOTTLES
500. Chablis, Domaine Servin, 2006 (France) 15.00
This is a family-run, 32 hectare estate, with seven generations of winemaking experience behind it.
The estate has an enviable location, which together with a high proportion of older vines, adds complexity to the wine and translates into a very fine, racy wine with good intensity.
501. Sancerre, Domaine du Nozay, 2007 (France) 16.00
Fresh, bright and vivacious, this presents a characterful blend of floral notes and almond on both the nose and palate, well weighted and satisfying.
510. Pinot Grigio, Franz Hass, 2006 (Italy) 17.50
Light gold in colour, with clean, fresh perfumes of almonds, acacia flowers and hay. Good depth of ripe fruit, offset by a zesty acidity.
502. Pouligny Montrachet, 1er Cru “Les Folatières” 45.00
Alain Chavy, 2006 (France)
Quite a powerful ‘Folatières’ in 2006. There is honey in harmony with exotic stone fruit palate.
Just bottled but the power still comes through. Fine acid balance and what an after-taste.
Watch out when it settles down from recent bottling!’’