The Wine Society Dining Club Newsletter
Burgundy Dinner at Innholders’ Hall
Dress code: Lounge Suit and tie
Wednesday, 18th March 2026. 19:00 for 19:30 hrs. Carriages at 22:15
Innholders Hall, 30 College Street, London EC4R 2RH
For this event we are limited by our round tables to a Hall capacity of 64. Members will be given priority with only two guests initially per member. Please let us know when you book if you want to bring more than two guests and we will let you know if we can accommodate more. So, book early to come and join us for a convivial evening with some spectacular Burgundy wines drawn mainly from our reserves at the Wine Society. At the request of our guest speaker this dinner will now have a dress code of lounge suit and tie. We will postpone our black-tie dinner to November.
Our Guest Speaker, Toby Morrhall, Wine Society Buyer since 1992 looking after Burgundy, Argentina, Chile and Uruguay. Toby started his career as a chef before moving behind the bar. His wine buying career has included a spell at Sainsbury. We will benefit from his deep knowledge of Burgundy wines. The wines Toby has chosen are:
Wine Society Champagne Brut NV
JM Vincent Auxey Duresses Les Hautes 2020
Domaine Dujac Morey St Dennis PC 2014
Domaine du Comte Armand, Pommard Clos des Epeneaux 1st Cru 2010 Domaine Maume Mazis-Chambertin 2010
Chateau Climens Barsac 2016
Fonseca 1994
We have tried to choose a menu to do these amazing wines justice and we are pleased to announce we also have great vegetarian options. The menu is:
Menu
Cornish Lemon Sole Fillet, lime hollandaise Sauce and Wye Valley watercress puree
Medallion of Balmoral venison, gooseberry Spinach risotto, yellow cherryand thyme jus, fondant potatoes creamed, tomato drizzle savoy cabbage roasted mooli
Devon Conference pear tart, almond creme Anglaise and toffee apple ice cream (V)
Vegetarian
Corn and red onion cake with Basil drizzle
Spinach risotto, yellow cherry tomato drizzle
Devon Conference pear tart, almond creme Anglaise and toffee apple ice cream (V)
Drinking wines laid down and well stored is one of the key benefits the Club offers. Toby has carefully crafted a menu to match the wine so please support your Club and come to this dinner.
We are trying a new Livery Hall, the home of the Worshipful Company of Innholders.The innholders were originally known as hostellers, but their name had changed by the time it was incorporated under a royal charter in 1514. The company has, over the years, lost its status as an association of traders and businessmen, instead becoming, as have most of the other livery companies, an establishment dedicated primarily to charity.
The Innholders' Company ranks 32nd in the order of precedence of all the livery companies. Its motto is Hinc Spes Affulget, Latin for Hence Hope Shines Forth, and it is based at Innholders' Hall in College Street, between Cannon Street and Thames Street. The nearest rail and tube station is Cannon Street. A national rail station connecting with the tube on the Circle and District line.
Tasting Notes
We will start with Wine Society Champagne Brut NV. Extraordinarily fine, poised Champagne, made from 50% chardonnay and equal parts pinot noir and pinot meunier. Fermentation in small oak casks and additional bottle-age give the wine great depth of flavour and a long, complex and luxurious finish.
Our white wine from our reserves will be JM Vincent Auxey Duresses Les Hautes 2020 The cool north-east facing vineyard, bordering Meursault, tempers the heat of the vintage. The old vines (70% of which were planted in 1936, and the remaining 30% are 30 years old) lend the wine a natural concentration from the lower yields yet maintain the freshness
The first red Domaine Dujac Morey St Dennis PC 2014.The stand-out wine in a recent tasting of ten Morey 2014 premiers crus, this is excellent. This is made from a number of small parcels of four premiers crus (Clos Sorbé, Charrières, Milandes, Ruchots), resulting in a wine with ripe fruit and a lovely round palate of excellent balance.
Then Domaine du Comte Armand, Pommard Clos des Epeneaux PC 2010. Made from yields of just 28hl-ha, this is a complex blend of different soils and vine ages (approximately 25, 35, 50 and 80 years old) producing a powerful and well-balanced wine with sweet tannins and exquisite perfume. Pommard is no longer a Burgundy bruiser: this is fine and sophisticated wine and one of the best of the Côte de Beaune.
The last red Domaine Maume Mazis-Chambertin 2010 Dark, dense, spicy and opulent Mazis offering a ripe palate with tannins starting to soften. This comes from shallow soils and good vines, namely pinot tordu (a small-yielding pinot which is difficult to train thanks to its irregular, ‘twisted’ growing habits), sourced from three plots which are 35, 60 and 80 years of age.
With our dessert, we will drink Chateau Climens Barsac 2016. Bérénice Lurton`s biodynamically managed property in the heart of Barsac, has produced a stunning 2016: a wine that, according to the Wine Society’s Bordeaux buyer Mathew Horsley, has ‘everything in harmony '. ‘Poise and finesse ' was buyer Freddy Bulmer`s verdict, with the Wine Society’s Wine Champions tasters unanimous in their plaudits for its beautifully balanced, tangy citrusy fruit, intense creamy palate and very long finish.
To finish we have a port, Fonseca 1994. It has the structure of 1977, maybe 1955, probably also 1985. It was a tiny vintage 50 per cent less production than average. Look for fresh raisins, big blackcurrants, huge density and power and fabulous length.
Tickets are priced at £190 for members and £210 for guests. Please book early to ensure your place at this rather special event.
Colin Middlemiss
Honorary Secretary
Dress Code: Lounge Suit and Tie
Dates for the diary:
13th May Tutored Tasting at Bakers Hall
9th June Annual General Meeting and Dinner at Haberdashers Hall
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