Rathfinny at the Ritz
The Ritz are showcasing Rathfinny's new set of releases this month before they are made generally available in June. Having missed out on last year's releases altogether, I was keen to go along and give them a try.
There are three wines from Rathfinny available to try at the Ritz by the glass (or by the bottle) - the two new releases (the Rosé 2016, the Blanc de Noirs 2015) as well as the Blanc de Blancs 2014 which was released last year. I tried the latter two.
First, the Blanc de Blancs 2014. Pale coloured. Light, elegant, gentle fragrant citrus (I agree with the yuzu) on the nose. Slightly austere palate, some mineral quality. Lower dosage wines seem to be the house style at Rathfinny, and this has 4 g/l, unusually low by English standards, putting it into extra brut territory. I'm always a bit concerned with English blanc de blancs that the acidity is going to be overwhelming, and you'd think that would be more of a risk with lower dosage - but here I think it is kept well in check - the end result is dry, but not tart.
There are three wines from Rathfinny available to try at the Ritz by the glass (or by the bottle) - the two new releases (the Rosé 2016, the Blanc de Noirs 2015) as well as the Blanc de Blancs 2014 which was released last year. I tried the latter two.
First, the Blanc de Blancs 2014. Pale coloured. Light, elegant, gentle fragrant citrus (I agree with the yuzu) on the nose. Slightly austere palate, some mineral quality. Lower dosage wines seem to be the house style at Rathfinny, and this has 4 g/l, unusually low by English standards, putting it into extra brut territory. I'm always a bit concerned with English blanc de blancs that the acidity is going to be overwhelming, and you'd think that would be more of a risk with lower dosage - but here I think it is kept well in check - the end result is dry, but not tart.
The bubbles felt quite loose. I wonder if this had perhaps been opened a little while, and may have therefore lost a bit of its fizz. Wines by the glass can be a mixed blessing in this sense.
Next the Blanc de Noirs 2015 - 65% Pinot Noir, 35% Pinot Meunier. Colour wise it's almost a pale rosé (although possibly that was influenced by the lighting in the bar). I agree with wild strawberry from the producer's tasting notes - one of my favourite red fruit notes to find in wine. Again restrained, elegant, mineral - with the same dosage here at 4g/l. Good mouthfeel - tighter bubbles than the first wine - zingy red berry character on the palate. Moreish. This is a great wine, and I'm excited to see this trend toward lower dosage English sparkling wines develop.
The service was very good, as you'd hope at the Ritz.
Here's the card with the lineup of Rathfinny wines the Ritz currently has on offer - it was nice to see there was one of these on each table in the Rivoli bar.
Comments
Post a Comment