70 commanders and guests sat down for a Sunday lunch with four wines in the impressive Garden Court room at Manchester Hall, this following a tasting of 12 Bordeaux wines. Somewhat fittingly, given the legal representation in the Commanderie’s ranks, the bright airy room looked ponderously over Manchester’s civil and criminal courts’ buildings. Over the tasting, questions of law were, for once, replaced with unflattering assessments of the Australian architect’s intentions in a structure known colloquially as the filing cabinet. Whilst better things have definitely come out of Australia than the 2002 rectangular box across Spinningfields, it was French wine that occupied most of the afternoon.
A full list of the tasting wines is shown at the end of this article. Four stations were provided, starting with two sparkling wines and two white wines, progressing through several reds and one Sauternes. Of particular note was the Clos des Lunes 2022, Ch de Sales Pomerol 2012 and Ch Langoa Barton St Julien 2007. The Vinothecaire’s favourite was the Ch du Terte Margaux 2016 (more of that later).
Lunch was three courses, starting with an Autumnal-spiced butternut squash soup with crème fraiche and watercress oil. It was a perfect seasonal colour, matched only by the two spectacular pairs of trousers sported by Maître and Regent Rowley. Maître, incidentally, self-described his palette as ‘rather average’. Paired with the soup we had the R de Rieussec 2021 AOC Bordeaux Blanc, poured from most un-Bordeaux like bottle more usually seen with New World wines. It is a blend of Sauvignon Blanc (56%) and Sémillon (44%). It did pair well with a spiced soup, a difficult task. However, some thought it needed to be cooler.
Our main course was slow-cooked beef cheek with horseradish mash, sautéed greens, carrots and parsnip crisps. This course was an excellent way to mark the change of seasons and was accompanied by Ch du Terte 2010 5eme Cru Classé AOC Margaux. This was reported to have a good nose, and the effect of the 5% Petit Verdot was explained to give it an extra edge.
Our third wine was Ch Bastor-Lamontagne 2022 AOC Sauternes a blend of 55% Sauvignon Blanc and 45% Sémillon. Described by some as being young, yet delicious. It had honey on the nose, then butterscotch and marmalade on the finish. The property is the ‘home’ Chateau of Jean-Marc Dulong, the outgoing Grand Maître of the Commanderie de Bordeaux who we have welcomed to Manchester on several occasions in his self-styled role as the Commanderie’s worldwide “Grand Fromage.”
Without a fromage course, where did we have a fourth wine with our lunch? The beef was slow cooked in Barolo. A regional breach perhaps, but the Italian imposer created a beautifully deep sauce.
This event is a recent invention for the Manchester Commanderie and has attracted a loyal following, welcoming the more compact meal when compared to the longer evening events.
Two guests who should have been at the meal enjoyed a wider range of French wine after being marooned in Calais due to a lost passport which, after being reported and cancelled, was then found. They missed a good event!
