<a target="_blank" href="http://www.hatchedsw11.com/">Hatched</a>

189 St John's Hill

London SW11 1TH

BY NEAL MARTIN |&nbsp;JUNE 21, 2024The Food:

Rosemary
bread &amp; Lemon butter

Beef
cheek arancini

Crab
raviolo with tomato bisque; Josper grilled tiger prawns with chili butter; beef
tartare with confit egg yolk

Monkfish
with braised chicory, orange and carrot; roasted venison with savoy cabbage and
red wine jus; Australian T-bone wagyu (1.3kg)

Charred
broccoli and new potatoes 

Pain
perdu with honeycomb and vanilla ice cream

Slow-baked
vanilla cheesecake with passion fruit coulis

The Wines:

<table>
 <tbody><tr>
 <td>2019
 Walter Scott Chardonnay X Novo Vineyard</td>
 <td>94</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>2017 Kutch Chardonnay Trout
 Gulch</td>
 <td>92</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>2017 Ceritas Chardonnay
 Charles Heintz Vineyard</td>
 <td>88</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>2017 Ramey Chardonnay Estate
 Westside Farms</td>
 <td>90?</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>2003 Au Bon Climat Chardonnay
 Nuits-Blanches au Bouge</td>
 <td>86</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>1982 Hanzell Vineyards
 Chardonnay</td>
 <td>91</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>2019 Occidental Pinot Noir SWK
 Vineyard</td>
 <td>93</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>2017 Ceritas Pinot Noir
 Hellenthal Vineyard Old Shop Block</td>
 <td>90</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>2017 Pisoni Estate Pinot Noir</td>
 <td>93</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>2020 Cathiard Vineyard
 Cabernet Sauvignon</td>
 <td>90</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>2016 Pym Rae Cabernet
 Sauvignon</td>
 <td>90</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>2007 Colgin IX Estate</td>
 <td>97</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>2009 Dominus</td>
 <td>93</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>2001 Dominus</td>
 <td>NR</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>1996 Harlan Estate Cabernet
 Sauvignon</td>
 <td>NR</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>1985 Stag's Leap Wine Cellars
 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate SLV&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;</td>
 <td>92</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>1985 Ridge Vineyards Monte
 Bello</td>
 <td>97</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>1980 Joseph Phelps Vineyards
 Syrah Napa Valley</td>
 <td>88</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>1973 Heitz Cellars Cabernet
 Sauvignon</td>
 <td>NR</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>1964 L’Archiviste (Philippe
 Gayral) Banyuls</td>
 <td>93</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>1965 L’Archiviste (Philippe
 Gayral) Banyuls</td>
 <td>91</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>1966 L’Archiviste (Philippe
 Gayral) Banyuls</td>
 <td>92</td>
 </tr></tbody></table>

How do
you wind down after an intense day of blind tasting?

Read
Your Say?

Cocktails
by the pool?

Maybe ambient
music, Music for Airport, Selected Ambient Works Volume II, Kenny G? 

Gluttons
for punishment, straight after the annual Southwold tasting, we troop down to
Hatched to drink more wine. Participants share bottles along a theme, La Paulée
style, sometimes a mature vintage and other times, an alternative region or
country. This year, the theme was California. It’s not my specialty. I never
dealt with the wines in the formative days of my career, and we see far less on
this side of the Atlantic. So, I was intrigued to see what passed muster
because while Californian wines have a strong following over there, they remain
comparatively more niche over here. While the performances of wines were unknown,
one thing that was guaranteed was that owner and chef Shane Marshall
would dish out some outstanding food.<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1718977782644-hatched+shane+%281%29.JPG">Hatched owner and chef, Shane Marshall 

Marshall
previously worked at Tom Aiken and the private club 5 Hertford Street before
opening Hatched in 2017. It is located on one of the main thoroughfares towards
Battersea, one of those bolthole restaurants that you obliviously walk past
unless a wine writer wrote a sentence like: Hatched is one of the best
restaurants in South London…

Hatched
is one of the best restaurants in South London.<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1718977797667-hatched+arancini+%281%29.JPG">Beef cheek arancini <div>It’s
essentially a single room, perhaps a little narrower than the norm, with a
small open kitchen stationed to your right that imparts a sense of bustle and
busyness. You can easily walk over and watch every meal being prepped if you
wish. The décor is spartan, with dark walls, wooden floors, Scandi-style chairs
and tables. Some might find it a bit too spartanly furnished. You won’t
find any cutlery neatly laid on the table - they are housed in drawers under
your table, which I constantly forget. Just pull them out when you need another
knife or fork. Its diminutive size means that it doesn’t take many customers to
foment a lively atmosphere. </div><img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1718977827688-hatched+prawns+%281%29.JPG">Josper grilled tiger prawns with chili butter 

Marshall works with a small team, usually just one or two sous-chefs, plus a couple of
waiters at most. His menu is broadly Modern European, packed with big flavors. Several
dishes are etched on my mind: the succulent beef cheek arancini, those fiery
tiger prawns or that mouth-watering crab raviolo. <img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1718977874344-hatched+raviolo+%281%29+%281%29.JPG">Crab raviolo with tomato bisque 

The highlight?
The heavenly Pain Perdu with honeycomb and vanilla ice cream. It’s basically a
big French spongy brick of loveliness, a guilty pleasure that uses up my entire
calorie ration for the year. I’m not going to analyze every dish. Simply, they
are consistently supremely well executed, a reflection of Marshall’s confidence
in the kitchen. It’s not finicky food or star-bating fare. It’s delicious food
that fills your tummy, delivered with just the right amount of flair. &nbsp; <img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1718977946839-hatched+pain+perdu+%282%29.JPG">Pain perdu with honeycomb and vanilla ice cream 

Let’s
tackle the fermented grape juice because we waded through a trove.We
begin with a series of Chardonnay, not in California but up in Oregon. I fell
in love with Walter Scott’s wines when I covered the region over a
decade ago when I met Ken and Erica, plus their very young daughter. It warms
the cockles of the heart that they have flourished since then (check out my
colleague <a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/wines?term=Walter%20Scott">Eric Guido’s
reviews</a>). The 2019 Chardonnay X Novo Vineyard, which comes from
Eola-Amity, has a subtle reduction on the nose that is actually reminiscent of
a top-notch Mâconnais. The palate is crisp and tensile, quite spicy, with
ginger and orange rind deftly interwoven towards the persistent finish. This
will age beautifully in bottle. It sets a benchmark for the rest to follow… Jamie
Kutch is another winemaker that I’ve followed for a number of years. The 2017
Chardonnay Trout Gulch has a tight and more backward bouquet than the Walter
Scott, with grilled walnut and light sea spray aromas. The palate has
impressive balance and builds nicely with aeration, revealing a mineral core
that defines the finish. What can I say apart from a stylish Chardonnay from
the ever-talented Kutch. The 2017 Chardonnay Charles Heintz Vineyard from
Ceritas is a bit of a let-down. Overtly tropical on the nose with pineapple
and peachy scents, it doesn’t have the class of the preceding Chardonnays. The
palate is, again, a little too tropical for my taste, with guava, pineapple and
mandarin notes, though the finish requires more tension and delineation. Not
bad, but it felt a bit predictable, and I have drunk better. The 2017
Chardonnay Estate Westside Farms from Ramey doesn’t quite knit
together on the nose as I would have liked with beeswax and Conference pears, a
little Muscat-like in style. The palate is much better, with freshly squeezed
lime, nectarine and orange peel with a precise finish. The aromatics let this
down, and I felt duty-bound to put a question mark against my score. <img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1718977976464-hatched+bottle+line+up+whites+%281%29.JPG">The 2003
Chardonnay Nuits-Blanches au Bouge from Au Bon Climat was my own
contribution to the soirée. However, this feels excessively mature on the nose
despite its 21 years. It’s Sauternes-like with dried honey, white mushrooms and
melted wax. It is a bit smudged and lacks tension. The palate has a resinous
texture and displays a touch of oxidation that gradually strangles the finish
and puts you off another sip. Bottles need to be drunk up. Not so for the next
wine! The 1982 Chardonnay from Hanzell Vineyards is a gem. Quite
Bordeaux-like on the nose with orange rind, fresh pear and a hint of chamomile,
this displays remarkable vivacity, considering it is now over 40 years old. The
palate has considerable weight and concentration matched by a keen line of
acidity, hints of marmalade and quince behind the oily-textured, almost
Aszú-like finish. This epitomizes the quality of mature Californian Chardonnay. 

We then
moved on to the reds and a trio of Pinot Noirs. The 2019 Pinot Noir SWK
Vineyard from Occidental hits the mark. A fresh and vivacious nose
reminiscent of the Côte de Beaune, this is packed with cranberry and wild
strawberry fruit. The palate is fresh and vibrant, with lace-like tannins and a
tender and long, slightly tart finish that urges you back for another sip. This
was the first wine that I had tasted from Occidental, and I was impressed. The 2017
Pinot Noir Hellenthal Vineyard Old Shop Block from Ceritas just
lacked a little delineation on the nose, slightly overripe strawberry fruit
mixed with a light smoky scent. The palate is armed with a pleasant sweetness
that disguises the backbone underneath, powdery tannins with a finish that
needs to dial up the tension. Not bad at all, though here it was outflanked by
the preceding Occidental. The 2017 Estate Pinot Noir from Pisoni is
delightful. Dark berry fruit, tea leaves and a touch of wild mint unfurl on the
nose, all beautifully defined. The palate is ripe with a fresh line of acidity
that maintains tension, and after a grippy entry, it dovetails into a tender, Burgundian
finish. Classy.<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1718977995486-hatched+bottle+line+up+%281%29.JPG">The 2020
Cabernet Sauvignon was the maiden vintage from Daniel and Florence Cathiard,
better known for owning Smith Haut-Lafitte. Blackberry, cedar and wild mint
appear on the nose, which is pretty tight initially. I appreciate how this gains
precision with aeration. The palate is youthful and structured, perhaps a
soupçon of Bordeaux in the mix (and why not?) It needs a couple of years, but
there is breeding in this Cabernet Sauvignon. It should give years of drinking
pleasure. It was interesting to juxtapose this directly with the maiden release
from Alfred Tesseron of Pontet-Canet. The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon from
Pym Rae is named after the children of much-missed comedian Robin Williams,
who originally owned the farm. Tesseron respectfully decided not to change it.
I actually tasted this wine three times, here at Hatched and then twice more in
Washington, DC, with Tesseron himself. Cassis and violets on the nose, this is quintessential
Napa, as you would expect. I found it a little flashy, though I have it on good
authority that subsequent vintages are more restrained and complex. The palate
has plenty of blackberry and blueberry fruit, lush in style and thoroughly
enjoyable. Glossy on the finish, I would actually afford this another year in
bottle to lose some of that puppy fat. 

Going up through the gears, we reach the fabulous
Colgin’s 2007 IX Estate. Fresh, vibrant, exquisitely defined and almost
pixelated on the nose, with just a hint of peppermint lurking in the
background. The palate has real weight and heft, yet it is wrapped up in a
lattice of filigree tannins and exudes precision and tension on the finish. I
can be critical of California Cabernet blends sometimes; however, this is up
there with Bordeaux First Growths. After a corked 1996 Harlan Estate (insert
sad emoji here), we move to a pair from Dominus, owned by the Moueix family.
The 2009 Dominus is very classy on the nose, with lifted black fruit,
briary, hints of wild heather and freshly rolled tobacco. This seems to gain
precision in the glass. The palate is beautifully balanced with white pepper-infused
black fruit. It’s a powerful, almost burly Cabernet with a bit of sinew on the
finish that is perhaps atypical for Dominus. Give it another couple of years
because the class is tangible. Sadly, the 2001 Dominus was corked.<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1718978019184-hatched+phelps+%281%29.JPG">The 1985
Cabernet Sauvignon Estate SLV from Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars has a
classical, Bordeaux-inspired bouquet that is, in fact, cut from a similar cloth
to that vintage on the Left Bank. Cedar and wild mint infused the red fruit on
the nose, although curiously, with aeration, it becomes more austere, perhaps
more like a 1986 Bordeaux. The palate is medium-bodied with a ripe, velvety
smooth entry and hints of candied orange peel and menthol, something Cali’ old
school suffusing this Cabernet. With its slightly medicinal finish, this is
just a wine drinking beautifully now. The 1985 Monte Bello from Ridge
Vineyards is fabulous, so fabulous that I parsed it out for a <a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/cellar-favorite-1985-ridge-vineyards-zinfandel-canyon-road-1985-monte-bello-jan-2024">Cellar
Favorite earlier this year</a>. Moving back in time, the 1980 Syrah Napa
Valley from Joseph Phelps Vineyards is a bit ‘dusty ‘n musty’ on the
nose and also shows a touch of oxidation. The palate is missing some fruit at
its core, quite simple in style and hampered by a one-dimensional finish. More
of a curio than something I would be eager to drink. Alas, the much-anticipated
1973 Cabernet Sauvignon from Heitz Cellars was out of condition. (Insert
second sad emoji here.) <img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1718978037998-hatched+banyuls+%281%29.JPG">We
finish with a 2005 Château de Fargues, though I will hold that back from
a forthcoming vertical. There was also a 1965 Banyuls from
L’Archiviste, Philippe Gayral’s venture that I have followed for a decade
now. This bottling from September last year has a tertiary nose with a pungent
fennel scent and a judicious touch of oxidation. The palate is fresh and
vibrant, with candied red fruit intermixed with licorice and cassis, leading to
a more marine-like finish. The 1966 Banyuls has a similar nose to the 1965;
however, here, I found a touch more concentration on the medicinal palate, with
tangy marmalade mixed with clove and thyme towards the finish that lingers in
the mouth—just delicious and incredible value for money. Best was the final
wine of the night, the 1964 Banyuls. Again, this is not dissimilar in
style to either the 1965 or 1966. Still, here, one finds the most freshness and
complexity on the palate with wonderful clove, Seville orange marmalade and
Indian spices towards the finish. Excellent. Did I mention how these wines
represent incredible value? I did? Well, no harm in repeating it. 

Hatched
comes strongly recommended. It might lack the luxurious accouterments you might
expect from a restaurant. You could argue that it is stripped down to the
fundaments: the quality of service and quality of food. Inconveniently, it is
not located close to any tube station, off the beaten trek, so either grab a
cab or give your legs a workout. Trust me, the Pain Perdu alone is worth it. © 2024, Vinous. No portion of this article may be copied, shared or re-distributed without prior consent from Vinous. Doing so is not only a violation of our copyright, but also threatens the survival of independent wine criticism.

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