86 review

Eighty-Six is the kind of restaurant where you’d expect to find the cast of Made in Chelsea knocking back Martinis, nibbling on a Cesar salad and bitching about their love rivals on a Wednesday night.

So suited is it to the manicured, perma-tanned, braying bunch, that it has featured in various episodes of the “structured” reality TV show as a setting for the cast’s catty confrontations and cocktail-swilling debauchery.

The restaurant, which opened in its current guise in November 2010, is set in a converted, three-story Georgian townhouse at number 86 Fulham Road; a space once occupied by the somewhat less salubrious Cactus Blue on a stretch of the Fulham Road known as The Beach, due to the toned, tanned denizens seen sashaying up and down it in Twenty8Twelve dresses, beige Chihuahuas named Fluffy and Coco peeping out of their “amaze” Louis Vuitton totes.

Founded by posh party boys George Adams and Charlie Kearns, who cut their teeth at tiki nightclub Kukui in Oxford and the Coco Club in Swiss ski resort Verbier, affectionately known as Fulham-sur-neige, Eighty-Six initially lassoed Mark Broadbent of Bluebird fame as head chef, though Frenchman Simon Levy, previously of Koffmann’s at The Berkeley, has since taken over the reins, giving the menu a decidedly French kiss. Stylish modern European food is the order of the day, ticking trend boxes from foraging to retro classics en route.

Venison carpaccio

Despite its somewhat frivolous location, the owners are serious about serving well thought out dishes made with fresh, seasonal ingredients. Prettified by designLSM, the team behind the breathtakingly beautiful Galvin La Chapelle, the three-tiered venue begins with a well-stocked, dimly-lit bar on the ground floor.

An industrial spiral staircase leads to a lounge area filled with framed pictures of besuited, bushy-tailed, tweed-clad badgers, foxes and ferrets, while on the top floor, the gold-panelled restaurant filled with Hollywood flash bulbs is crowned by a mirrored ceiling – add pink Champagne on ice and you have an Eagles hit, and more gold than Michael Phelps’ medal cabinet.

Our buff, bronzed waiter, Cedric Martinez, with glinting brown eyes, raven hair, immaculately clipped stubble and abs you could grate white truffles on, is fresh from LA, having recently caused controversy in reality TV show The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.

Striking up a conversation about the besuited animals adorning the walls, Cedric reveals he used to have a ferret called Tequila. My six-foot-seven Finnish dining companion and I begin our meal with an amuse bouche of herb-flecked goat’s cheese on a supermodel-thin bruschetta served with a seasonal strawberry puree. Kudos to the chef for the addition of strawberry, which added welcome sweetness to the salty cheese.

Veal chop

A starter of venison carpaccio, truffle oil, pea shoots and parsnip crisps is indecently moreish, the ruby red, razor-thin slithers of meat umami rich and silky on the palate, enhanced by the crunch of the parsnips and lifted by the earthy aromatics of the salad – like diving into a freshly rained on vegetable patch with a knife and fork.

A sweet and meaty second starter of foie gras, duck rillette and blood orange marmalade teased the taste buds, the audacious addition of marmalade freshening the intensely rich and velvety foie gras, adding zip, zing and citrus zest to the dish, which featured a rogue fold of uninvited ham, while adroitly cutting through the fat.

The wine list is small and perfectly formed, featuring the likes of exciting English white Chapel Down Bacchus, and a selection of Bordeaux classed growths from the notoriously tannic 1986 vintage, including Château Mouton-Rothschild, Haut-Brion, Pichon Lalande, Cos d’Estournel and Leoville Barton.

Mark-ups on the majority of the wines are incredibly fair. I opt for a £38 bottle of the bright, fruit forward Koura Bay Blue Duck Pinot Noir 2010 from the Awatere Valley in Marlborough, New Zealand, which had a lobster rather than a duck on the label and delivered a dense, vibrant, black cherry-filled mouthful, with hints of Oriental spices, licks of salt and a liquorice finish.

Koura Bay Blue Duck Pinot Noir

My main – a swan-white hunk of pan-seared halibut, arrived atop scallop and crab ravioli in a white wine sauce. Though beautifully cooked, I develop food envy at the sight of my companion’s Herculean veal chop glinting in the half-light, its delightfully juicy interior, the colour of a flushed cheek, melting in the mouth.

The accompanying, chunky, chicken salt fat chips are exemplary – crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. Green-eyed, I order a bowl of my own while nibbling on a modest but sensational side of sesame-doused Asian veg.

Room must be made for pudding – or, more specifically, for the Brandy apple tart drizzled with vanilla anglaise fashioned into exquisite folds of feather-light pastry that shatters like glass with a delicate tap of the spoon, revealing a base filled with warm toffee sauce so comforting, I’m tempted to ask Cedric for a blanket and a bedtime story.

Instead, he brings me a small glass filled with the golden elixir that is Château Giraud Sauternes 2008, which rewards with a honeysuckle nose and a dried apricot, acacia and peach palate.

Brandy apple tart

At times appearing like a nightclub masquerading as a restaurant, the funky house soundtrack is unapologetically loud, though perhaps this is a thoughtful touch, so the beautiful people merely have to pout and pose in their beloved’s direction rather than converse.

In an apt twist of fate, on my way out I clock Richard Dinan from Made in Chelsea cross-legged at an outdoor table, loafing in suede loafers with a trio of perfectly preened friends. Masked by a mop of blond hair, I glance in his direction and he seems pleased at the recognition, almost as if he’d parked himself by the entrance in a deliberate bid to get laid in Chelsea.

Eighty-Six, 86 Fulham Road, London, SW3 6HR; Tel: +44 (0)20 7052 9620

Vin de Constance to take on Sauternes

South African estate Klein Constantia’s new managing director is on a mission to pit its flagship sweet wine – Vin de Constance – against the best wines from Sauternes. “We want to benchmark ourselves against the best sweet wines in the world and go up against the likes of Château d’Yquem in the quality stakes,” Hans Astrom told the drinks business during a visit to London this week. Astrom plans to achieve this by focusing on strict selection: “We’re averaging around 15 hectolitres per hectare for Vin de Constance, which is incredibly low, so our prices will have to reflect this leap in quality,” he said. 

“We’ve started picking the Muscat de Frontignan berry by berry, so no sub-standard grapes sneak into the wine. We want to separate the good eggs from the rotten eggs,” he added. Astrom is unafraid of getting rid of wines from the estate’s portfolio if he doesn’t deem them good enough. “We’re discontinuing our Riesling next year for exactly that reason. I’d rather have a few high quality wines that a load of mediocre ones."

To assist his quality quest, he’s enlisted the help of go-to viticulturalist Rosa Kruger, who has worked for the likes of Eben Sadie, Solms-Delta and Rupert and Rothschild. 2012 will be the estate’s latest harvest in 30 years. “All the Muscat for Vin de Constance is still hanging on the vines a month later than it should be, it’s a risk, but if it pays off we’ll have one of the most concentrated wines we’ve ever made.” The company is expecting an abundant harvest this year, resulting in around 30,000 bottles of Vin de Constance compared to last year’s 10,000.

“Despite its name, the yields for Vin de Constance are very inconstant and vary hugely from year to year.” Astrom was made managing director of the company in January by new owners Charles Harman and Zdenek Bakala. Once voted Sweden's best sommelier, before joining Klein Constantia he was general manager for Hess Family Estates. Now installed, he’s keen to shake thing up, believing the family-owned company had become complacent.

“It’s easy for family companies to relax and fall into routines. It’s better now it’s not South African-owned. The new owners wanted a cage-rattling renegade and I’m on a mission to wake up the sleeping beauty, blow the dust off and restore it to its former glory,” he said. One of his big aims is to build up the Vin de Constance back catalogue by buying back old bottles at auction. “The farm didn’t save any wines so I’m having to buy back our liquid history. We’ve managed to get hold of a few bottles from the 1800s,” he revealed.

Astrom reports surprising levels of interest in Vin de Constance in France, given its own supply of Sauternes. “I have people writing to me every day wanting to taste Napoleon’s favourite wine. The Napoleon connection is a great sales driver for us,” he admitted. The French emperor was said to have drunk Vin de Constance every day in the week leading up to his death. Klein Constantia lies in the Constantia valley – the oldest vineyard region in the Cape. 

Seely seeking second Burgundy property

Christian Seely, managing director of AXA Millésimes – owners of Château Pichon Baron and Domaine de l’Arlot – has revealed he is on the hunt for a second Burgundy property. “I’m acutely looking to add a second Burgundy estate to our portfolio, but it’s very difficult,” he told the drinks business at the Pichon Baron 2011 primeurs tasting last week. Seely also admitted that he is looking to buy in the New World, but wouldn’t elaborate on where.

With regards to the 2011 vintage, he said the majority of people who tasted at Pichon Baron were “pleasantly surprised” by the quality of the vintage. “There hasn’t been the euphoria of 2009 and 2010, but people seem pleasantly surprised by the quality of Pichon 2011, perhaps because expectations weren’t very high. Not all 2011s are good, but those who picked well made lovely wines,” he said.

Seely also revealed that he is using increasing amounts of Semillon in his dry white, S de Suduiraut, from Sauternes estate Château Suduiraut. “My big aim is to make a dry white from the Sauternes region that tastes like Sauternes. We predominantly use Semillon in our sweet Sauternes, so it makes sense to use it in “S” too. We’ve made a few experimental bottles of 100% Semillon and it’s utterly delicious, so I know I’m on the right track,” he said.

“The fear is that with a majority of Semillon in the blend it won’t age well, but I know that it will. Unfortunately, it will be hard to increase production to supply demand as the only way to make it well is to use grapes destined for Suduiraut,” he added. Comparing the 2011 Sauternes vintage to the acclaimed 2001, Seely described the wines as “very rich, with high levels of residual sugar and botrytis, but super fresh, with lovely complexity and depth.”

Over at Château Pontet-Canet, owner Alfred Tesseron said that being biodynamic didn’t necessarily make it harder for him during the capricious 2011 growing season. “It’s all about your approach – being biodynamic, you have to always be one step ahead and work on a prevention rather than cure basis. 2011 was a difficult vintage, but every year presents different challenges. The weather was very up and down, so we had no room for manoeuvre,” he admitted.

Tesseron revealed his main reason for going biodynamic was for the positive affect it has on the taste of Pontet-Canet. He is currently exploring the effect of egg-shaped fermenters on the maturation process. “A lot of Bordeaux wines are over-oaked and I’m looking to find the right balance. I chose the fermenters for their breathability rather than their egg shape, but it’s too early to say whether I’m pleased with the results,” he said.

Cazes and Lurton to lower their prices

Sylvie Cazes, director of Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande, has admitted that prices for the Bordeaux 2011 vintage will have to come down to a reasonable level. “Prices must come down, but it’s a case of what’s reasonable – we’re looking at 10-15%”, she told the drinks business at the château’s en primeur tasting last week.

“Our 2010 prices were up 10% on 2009, so there’s no question we have to come down as 2011 isn’t as spectacular a vintage,” Cazes (above) added, emphasising that she wants a quick campaign this year, and for prices to be released in time for Vinexpo Hong Kong at the end of May. Despite being in the shadow of 2009 and 2010, Cazes is confident about the quality of Pichon 2011: “It has good acidity, wonderful freshness, good structure and depth,” Cazes said, admitting that the secret to success in 2011 was avoiding over-extraction.

She compared the vintage to both 2001 and 2008, describing it as softer than the former and more concentrated than the latter. “Sorting was vital to success – we had our team picking berry by berry,” she said. As to whether the Asian market was losing interest in Bordeaux, Cazes is unconvinced: “People say the Chinese are moving on to Burgundy and the Rhône but we’re expecting a swarm of visitors in the next two weeks. “They’ve latched onto the fact that primeurs runs for three weeks and are visiting either side of the main week,” she said.

In Sauternes, Pierre Lurton (right), director of Château d’Yquem, revealed the superb quality of 2011 Yquem was the “big surprise” of the vintage. The abnormal weather conditions in 2011, including a rainy August, lead to a rare burst of noble rot creating fully botrytised grapes. “Our 2011 Yquem is better than both 2009 and 2010. The wines have 145g of residual sugar but retain amazing freshness and balance,” he said, comparing the vintage to both 2001 and 2005, and describing the wines as having “the purity of a diamond.”

In terms of pricing for the reds, including Château Cheval Blanc, which he also runs, Lurton agrees that they must come down. “2011 is not the same story as 2009 and 2010 – a different positioning is needed. The Bordelais should lower their prices by at least 20-30%,” he admitted.

Château Guiraud awarded organic logo

Grand Cru Sauternes Château Guiraud has been awarded the Agriculture Biologique (AB) farming logo – France’s national logo for organic products since 1985. As reported on thedrinksbusiness.com, The 2011 vintage will be the first Grand Cru Sauternes to carry the logo, and one of the only châteaux in the Bordeaux 1855 classification to be certified organic. Products carrying the logo must contain more than 95% organic components, and be produced within the EU.

The château started to experiment with organic farming 15 years ago and today uses no artificial pesticides, fertilisers or herbicides in the production of the sweet wine. In 1996, fed up with constant chemical treatment of his own private 15 hectares of vineyards, director of the property Xavier Planty decided he wanted to work differently. Learning the ropes with a 12ha vineyard, he suffered a number of setbacks, but working alongside an agricultural engineer, he began to regenerate the soil with liquid manure to replenish the grassy vegetation that grows naturally around vine stock.

“Rather than feed the soil with fertiliser, we feed it with bacteria; it’s easy to go bio,” Planty said. “Illnesses such as mildew are closely monitored, and with weather conditions known up to a week in advance, treatment can be giving preventively. It’s incredible to see how the fauna and flora have returned,” he added. An insect census of Château Guiraud’s 100 hectares of vineyards found 635 different varieties, compared to fewer than 200 in “conventional” vineyards.

To help expand biodiversity, 3.7 miles of hedges have been planted to help protect insects and feed them in spring. The multiplication of insects which feed on vine predators has allowed Planty to dispense completely with insecticides since 2004. While Guiraud was the first Bordeaux grand cru to experiment with organic growing, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Château Fonroque was first to win the organic label in 2006.

The Aquitaine region is the third largest in France to experiment with organic vineyards, behind Languedoc-Roussillon and Provence in southwestern and southern France respectively. Aquitaine now has 300 organic-certified estates and 400 working towards certification. Organic vineyard area in France doubled between 2007 and 2010, then increased again by 28% between 2009 and 2010 to 50,268 hectares.

Chinese names for Bordeaux revealed

Christie’s auction house has unveiled an official translation of the 61 châteaux in the 1855 classification, after a year of discussions with the estates. As reported on thedrinksbusiness.com, all but four of the châteaux have approved the Chinese translation of their names.

“We have confirmation from all but four châteaux that these Chinese translations are the agreed names for the whole Chinese speaking world,” said Simon Tam (above), Christie’s head of wine in China. “We are trying to make wine as accessible as possible for our clients. Language is the first barrier and we want to break down those barriers,” he added.

The auction house worked with châteaux to agree on a Chinese translation for the 61 estates. Though a small number of châteaux, including Cos d’Estournel, have decided not to take a Chinese name. The translations have been published on a poster (right), which will be unveiled to the trade during the 2012 en primeur week.

The posters will also be given to Christie’s clients and journalists. Tam is hoping that other auction houses and the wider wine trade will adopt the official translation. Christie’s is working on similar translations for properties in Sauternes, the right bank of Bordeaux and Burgundy, which it hopes to release later this year.

William Curley interview

Wine and the City catches up with master chocolatier William Curley to get his opinions on wine and chocolate matching, and find out about his latest project: recreating classics like the Jaffa Cake and Bounty bar.

Wine and chocolate matching with William Curley

With Chocolate Week in full flow last week, I was invited to a wine and chocolate matching event with master chocolatier William Curley, hosted by Quintessentially Wine at Curley's Belgravia shop.

Much has been made of wine and chocolate matching, and I was keen to hear from the master chocolatier as to whether he thinks there's anything in it.

Eight pairings were put forward, with wine writer Matthew Jukes picking the wines, and Curley the chocolates. Interestingly, only one of the eight wines was sweet. Jukes begins by telling us he's bored with the cliché that chocolate can only be matched with sweet wine, and tonight aims to prove that dry wine can pair equally well.

I admire his risk taking, and championing of daring pairings, but as I scale down white wine heavy list, I wonder whether he'll be able to pull it off. First up we try Ayala NV Champagne with a thyme & Scottish heather honey chocolate. Elegant and smooth with herbal notes, the chocolate is very pleasant, but I'm not wowed by the Champagne match.

Next up is a JJ Prum, Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spatlese 2007, paired with a jasmin choc. The wine has an intensely limey, slate-like nose, but the white flower and honey notes on the palate mirror the jasmin in the chocolate, bringing the pairing into balance. I'm hopeful for what's to come. The second of the still whites is an Etienne Sauzet La Tufera Burgundy 2008, paired with a wonderfully textured Piedmont hazelnut chocolate. While the mineral and citrus notes in the wine don't echo those of the chocolate, the hazelnut seems to bring out the brioche and wild honey notes in the wine. The best match so far...

Moving on to the reds, we try Curley's best seller, and the chocolate all chocolatiers are judged by: sea salt caramel, with a slightly mismatched garriguey Roussillon 2008. We then munch on a mint chocolate paired with a 2005 Parker Terra Rossa Cabernet Sauvingnon from South Australia's Terracotta-soiled Coonawarra region.

This is easily the best pairing of the night. The minty, medicinal, black currant fuelled wine is the epitome of what a Coonawarra Cab should be. Decadent and velvety on the palate, it fuses effortlessly with the chocolate, that attacks the palate pleasingly with a blast of fresh mint.

The penultimate pairing is inspired: 2006 Rene Rostaing Cuvée Classique from the Cote Rotie with a szechuan pepper chocolate. The peppery Syrah becomes even more pronounced after a bite of the chocolate, bringing the pepper to the fore from the savoury, gamey flavours. Last up we are treated to a sweet wine: 2006 Clos Dady Sauternes, matched with William's take on the Jaffa Cake.

Sipping the Sauternes and nibbling the Jaffa Cake, all the flavours intertwine until the one becomes indistinguishable from the other. The tangy marmalade in the wine perfectly compliments the orange in the Jaffa Cake. It occurs to me why chocolate is traditionally matched with Port, Sherry and Sauternes, and not dry wines. The pairings work. They make sense. There's a synergy there, a harmony, a fusion of flavours. I'm all for daring pairings, and pushing the creative envelope, but sometimes tradition wins out over innovation.

Foie gras and wine

Foie gras is like Marmite: you either love it or hate it. I love it. There's nothing quite like it. Eating a well cooked piece of foie gras is a semi-religious experience. The creaminess of the texture, the rich, delicate flavour and the way it melts on the tongue is indescribably divine. It's the nearest you can get to sex in food form.

Head chef Olivier Ripert of Le Bouchon Breton brasserie in Old Spitalfields Market is clearly in the 'love it' camp. For the month of November he has devised a menu of five seasonal starters showcasing the versatility of foie gras. Each of the dishes has been paired with a different wine, from Champagne to the more traditional Sauternes.

Never being one to turn down a challenge, I headed to the BB on Wednesday night to take on the whole menu and see which wine pairings worked best, bringing along a chef friend for an expert opinion. We were greeted in true Gallic style by a tall red-headed waiter, who appeared to glide across the tiled floor like a swan. Guiding us to our table, he thrust two glasses of Henriot Champagne - supposedly the Brut 1998, into our hands. After a whirl and a sniff we couldn't work out how this 11-year-old was still so ebullient and youthful. It also seemed to lack the complexity one would expect from vintage Champagne.

The swan soon returned with a further two glasses under his wing. 'This is the 1998' he said triumphantly, placing the flutes on the table in a graceful swoop and gliding off in the direction of the kitchen. The nose showed wonderful maturity and elegance, with an attractive honeyed bouquet and a crisp, rounded palate. It proved an excellent match for the foie gras brioche pairing - the toasty notes in the Champagne complimented the toastiness of the brioche, while the crispness of the Champagne lifted the dish, which could have easily come across too rich. We were off to a promising start.

Still only halfway through course one, we were presented with wine two: Clos Lapeyre Jurancon Sec Vitage Vielh 2005 , which had a zingy nose of freshly squeezed lemons and limes tempered with honeyed notes. Fresh and zippy on the palate it showed both the complexity of age and vigour of youth. Dish one was quickly cleared to make way for course two - Mille Feuille of foie gras with caramelised apple in a Calvados sauce. It was another great match - the apple in the rosti enhancing the citrus in the Jurancon, which had a lovely lip-smacking limey freshness. The foie gras was cooked to perfection - rich and creamy, it paired deliciously with the sweet apple in the dish, while the acidity in the wine cut through the fat brilliantly.

Without noticing, our Champagne had been swept away and replaced with two glasses of liquid gold - Castelnau de Suduiraut Sauternes 2004. Sauternes has always been considered the ultimate pairing for foie gras, its waxy sweet mouthfeel complimenting the rich creaminess of foie gras. On the night it proved the most disappointing match, paired with foie gras and ox tail terrine in a Sauternes jelly. The Sauternes was not necessarily at fault; the ox tail dominated the dish and the foie gras got completely lost. On its own the Sauternes was charming - with marmalade, apricot and orange peel on the nose and a smooth palate of white flowers and honey, but the match fell flat - the sweetness of the Sauternes jarring with the savoury ox tail.

Slightly deflated by the mismatch, we looked forward to dish four - Cassoulet of foie gras with cepes, butternut squash and spinach presented in a tiny black Le Creuset dish. The sommelier had chosen to pair it with Qupe Bien Nacido Cuvée Chardonnay Viognier 2007. Fresh, young, lively and acidic, it cut through the fat of the foie gras and lifted the dish wonderfully. We were both in raptures over this sublime combination - the mushrooms worked so well playing second fiddle to the foie gras in this symphony of flavour.

Four courses and five glasses of wine down, I had to try and find some room for the finale - Tagliatelle of girole mushrooms and foie gras, paired with Vincent Dureiul-Janthial Rully 1er Cru Les Mazieres 2005. The wine was delicious, with a crisp, fresh, apply nose and a rich creamy mouthfeel. Before I'd got my fork into the pasta, the swan had returned with a black truffle the size of walnut. He began shaving slithers onto my plate with vim, treating the truffle with the nonchalance you would a hunk of Tesco Value Cheddar. Of course I didn't want him to stop, so I refrained from lifting my hand until I could no longer see the pasta from beneath the sea of black. Diving in, it proved the epitome of what a good foie gras experience should be - an intense flavour sensation that makes you tilt your head back and close your eyes in the pure pleasure of it all.

Perhaps the beauty of foie gras lies in its exclusivity. The fact that it is saved for special occasions adds to the allure - a taste remembered that you long to experience again. How many days is it until Christmas?