We hosted a lunch this afternoon in the Arkle for a _______ of hoteliers. (What is the collective noun for that?). For the starter they had a superb little bordeaux blanc from Chateau Bauduc. I first came across this wine when I worked at Amaryllis, as it is Gordon Ramsay's "house" wine. Back then Gavin and Angela had only been making the wine for about three vintages, and it was a good little wine, quite easy drinking, very pleasant and at a bargain basement price. Since then, they have invested huge amounts of time, and I suspect money into the estate, and the wines are seriously good, but they pretty much maintain that bargain basement price point. The 2005 Blanc is a blend of 90% Sauvignon and 10% Semillon to add a bit of body. It is crisp and fresh, with a refreshingly tangy acidity which worked really well with the cured scallop ravioli, and pea shoot bisque.
Gavin is coming over next year to do a gourmet evening in the Arkle, on Tuesday the 27th February. It is an interesting story that someday soon I ought to tell here.
PS a quick google search fails to enlighten me as to the collective noun for hoteliers, but it has thrown up these posibilities - an asylim of hoteliers (promising), a bed of hoteliers (appropriate) but my favourite - a charm of hoteliers.
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