WINE TASTING AND LUNCH AT MANCHESTER HALL SUNDAY 28TH SEPTEMBER 2025
It was a sunny autumn day when some 57 Commanderie members and guests arrived for a tasting of Bordeaux wines and lunch in the bright airy surrounds of the Garden Room at Manchester Hall. In the interval between the exciting early triumphs at the Ryder Cup and the unexpected tensions yet to unfold they had the opportunity to taste a range of wines curated by the Vinothécaire and showcasing many of the communes and styles produced in this great wine region.
All the wines tasted had their fans but the writer heard particular praise for these three…
Ch Chantegrive Cuvée Caroline 2022 — an elegant dry white Graves
Ch Grand Corbin-Despagne 2018 — a St Emilion red starting to show real charm
Ch Gloria 2010 — a classic mature St Julien
The full tasting lineup:
Celene Opale Blanc de Blanc Crémant de Bordeaux Ch Chantegrive Cuvée Caroline Dry White Graves 2022 Ch Fourcas-Hosten Listrac-Médoc Red 2018 Ch La Cardonne Médoc Red 2016 Ch Ormes de Pez Saint-Estèphe Red 2009 Ch de La Rivière Fronsac Red 2015 Ch Hermitage Mazeyres Pomerol Red 2020 Ch Grand Corbin-Despagne St Emilion Red 2018 Verso de Haut Batailley Pauillac Red 2019 Ch Gloria St Julien Red 2010 Ch de Garbes Cadillac Sweet White 2021 L’Ouest de Lamothe-Guignard Sauternes Sweet White 2010
The Maître then welcomed members and guests with news of exciting developments at two events in the New Year – the Bistro evening at the end of January which will be preceded by a tasting led by Nathalie Escuredo and some of her fellow Bordeaux wine makers, and the Fête in March which will feature wines from the famous Barton estate in the company, we hope, of Lilian Barton herself.
And so to lunch:
The starter of cream of wild mushroom and sage soup served with a truffle crème fraiche was a umami-laden treat not easy to match with wine but the complex Le Sec de Rayne-Vigneau 2019 proved an excellent partner and surprisingly complex for a 100% Sauvignon Blanc. This wine, although new to many of the company, proved a real success and several members made a note for future purchase.
The rich autumnal beef and mushroom Wellington which followed was also well received and accompanied by Ch Les Ormes de Pez 2010, a Saint-Estèphe which was widely enjoyed for its good balance and fruit. The consensus was that the wine is drinking very well now but has the legs to last for a few years longer – sadly it is the last stock we have in the Commanderie cellars!
We finished with Les Carmes de Rieussec 2017 – a delicate Sauternes which worked well with the wild blackberry pavlova we were served as dessert although some felt that the red served with the main course was also a good match - the dark fruit of the wine complementing the fruit in the pudding.
A huge thank you to our friends at Manchester Hall team for their impeccable service and warm hospitality. The afternoon was a perfect blend of elegance, education, and enjoyment — and we’re already counting down to the Lakes weekend in October and our next Manchester gathering at the Midland Hotel in November.
Le Vinothécaire, Tim Edwards