LONDON - AN 80 YEAR OLD RIOJA AT MEDLAR IN CHELSEA

I had been looking for a reason to drink this special wine for some time. It came a few months ago, when I was looking through some of my old wines with my friend Mark Walsh, and he said 1942 was the year my dad, John, was born. So that was it......

You can find Mark here, on Instagram @walshjewellery, and at www.walshjewellery.com

John was born in 1942, so this wine was still a grape then. The day we arranged to drink the wine, 23rd July, just happened to be my late Mother's 91st birthday, so this was a joint celebration.

We had started with a couple of beers at the wonderful old Fox & Pheasant Pub in Chelsea. It feels like you are in a pub somewhere on the Yorkshire Moors, rather than Chelsea. Pop singer James Blunt recently bought the pub to stop it from being turned into flats by property developers. So kudos to James.

We arrived at Medlar and settled in for our evening with a bottle of champagne, and after making our food choices, began with

Crab raviolo with samphire, brown shrimp, fondue of leeks, and bisque sauce.

Venison tataki with tosazu dressing, toasted sesame seeds, daikon, radish, and red onion rings.

With a Donnafugata Mille e Una Notte 2019.

Rump of Belted Galloway with café de Paris snails, stuffed portobello, shallot purée and béarnaise

The highlight of the meal, even though the food is excellent, was, of course, the

Bodegas Marqués de Murrieta Castillo Ygay Reserva Especial Cosecha 1942 (D.O. Rioja).

A couple of professional reviews. Parker (97) The 1942 Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial, from a great Rioja vintage, spent a mind-boggling 40 years in American oak barriques before being bottled in 1983. Dark cherry red with a garnet rim offers up a splendid perfume of earth, mineral, lavender, incense, and black cherry. The wine's vibrant acidity has kept it youthful and complete. This is a tour de force. Wine Spectator / James Suckling (92) Lovely deep ruby and brick colour, quite clear. Alluring nose (bit lifted?) with chocolate, spice, light earthy, and dried fruit aromas. Quite round and rich on the palate, with sweet/tart raisin flavours and notes of tobacco, currant, and spice. Tannins resolved, lovely supple texture. Long finish of fruit and spices. The real expert on the evening was our fabulous sommelier, Irene Banet, who hails from Toledo in Spain. She was surprised to see this old Spanish wine at the restaurant.

We then moved on to the desserts.

Warm chocolate mousse and salted caramel tartlet with milk ice cream and candied pecans.

Crème brûlée.

Dulce de leche stracciatella ice cream with a cinnamon beignet

A selection of Cheese.

Medlar has a fantastic, extensive wine list, but on this occasion, we wanted to drink the 1942 with excellent food and have it served in the best possible way. This was achieved with a small corkage charge, which is a great way to drink a special wine you may have at home.

We finished the evening off with a glass or two of Can Vidal Herbes Ibicencan from Ibiza and coffee.

All in all, it was a great evening, and thanks again to all the knowledgeable and very helpful staff.

The menu here is a set menu of six choices per course, priced differently depending on whether you're having lunch, dinner, midweek, or weekend. It is an excellent spot on the King's Road and always worth a visit.

MEDLAR

438 King's Rd, London SW10 0LH

020 7349 1900

www.medlarrestaurant.co.uk

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