Touraine – memories of 8th June 2011 in Cher Valley

 Flowering was very early in 2011. Grapes already 

well formed by 8th June. 

In both 2013 and 2016 flowering 

hadn't started by this date

Recalling visits Nigel Wilkinson (RSJ Restaurant) and I made to Noëlla Morantin and Vincent Roussely in June 2011. 

Noëlla 

 Noëlla Morantin

 Nigel Wilkinson tasting and noting 

Terre Blanche 

•••

Vincent Roussely:

 Vincent in his temporary shop in Angé – 

he has now moved into renovated premises

 Nigel and Vincent in Le Clos vineyard

 that overlooks the village of Angé

 Vincent's cellars in Angé

 Hole straight down from vineyard above 

 Some of the vehicles in Vincent's father's 

collection of old lorries and cars

 

 

Sticky Mango (Waterloo) – excellent first meal

 Sticky Mango at 33 Coin Street, London SE1 9NR 

Peter Lloyd

Nuno Rosa, head waiter at Sticky Mango 

(above and below)

The long established RSJ Restaurant has an offspring – Sticky Mango, serving Asian street food. Sticky Mango has colonised and transformed the RSJ's Yellow Room and the basement, while the RSJ Restaurant continues as before upstairs. Sticky Mango is a partnership between Nigel Wilkinson and Chef Peter Lloyd. Sticky Mango opened in October. 

On Wednesday evening we ate there for the first time and were very impressed. Knowing Peter I expected the meal to be very good but we were really impressed by the quality and inventiveness of the food – just delicious.     

Sticky Mango, 33 Coin Street, London, SE1 9NR. Tel: 020-7803 9733 info@stickymango.co.uk Entrance on Stamford Street.

 The RSJ's basement area transformed

(above and below)

Spicy banana blossom salad, bean sprouts, 

Asian pear, crispy shallots, mint 

 G's black shrimp, sun-dried pineapple, Jicama and pea shoots

Tempura soft shell crab

Singapore chilli sauce, fried steam buns

Jasmine rice

 

Ox cheek beef Rendang

apple blossom, chilli and coconut salad

The ox cheek is cooked for three hours.

2015 Saumur Rouge, Domaine des Hauts de Sanziers
which worked very well with the spicy flavours
softening the tannins, which were evident 

when tasted before the food arrived 

2005 Loire vintage in the Layon, Anjou – some photos from that October

 Pickers' vehicles in the Layon 

 Looking west along the Layon towards Château Soucherie 

from Pierre Bise 

In October Nigel Wilkinson (RSJ Restaurant) I spent a week or more in the Loire seeing how the 2005 vintage was coming. Because of the ideal conditions during the autumn of 2005, the vignerons were very relaxed during the harvest. They were able to choose exactly the moment when to pick. I suspect that the 2016 harvest is unlikely to be as relaxed – still it is some way off so we will have to see.  

Ripening Chenin Blanc at Château Pierre Bise
(above and below)

A steep slope overlooking the River Layon 

Cabernet Sauvignon – if I remember rightly

Claude Papin (Château Pierre Bise)

making a point

Looking westward along the Layon 

Château de Breuil on extreme left

Nigel Wilkinson with Vincent Ogereau 

in a parcel of Vincent's vines in 

Saint-Lambert-du-Lattay 

Cabernet Sauvignon – Côte de la Houssaye

(Domaine Ogereau)

above and below 

 In Les Bonnes Blanches 

ripening Chenin Blanc destined for Coteaux du Layon

above and below   

Vincent Ogereau checking on progress of his Chenin 

2015 Decanter World Wine Awards: some photos

Judges listening as Sarah Kemp and Steven Spurrier 

set the scene for the day

– how to deal with over 16,000 wines @Tobacco Dock

DWWA judges gathering at the start  of the day

Nigel Wilkinson (RSJ Restaurant) judging Loires

Up at 3.20am to fly south from Edinburgh 

Chris Kissack (The Wine Doctor) is admirably awake

 Nicolas Clerc MS (Morris & Verdin)

Nicolas joined the Loire panel for two days 

Ian d'Agata

Monty Waldin – the UK PetNat guy

 

Mai Tjemsland MW

  Pedro Ballesteros Torres MW 

taking an exploratory sip of water...

not sure it will catch on 

Shane Jones, the Red Shirt who looked after 

our Loire panel brilliantly on Tuesday and Wednesday