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Wine List Confidential: Cloisters at Nutfield Priory

12 August 2024 By Douglas Blyde

Douglas Blyde visits Cloisters at Nutfield Priory and finds it to be “not fit for a wine-friendly clientele” – but, despite the disappointment, he does find some silver linings.

“The beautifully gothic Nutfield Priory is lavishly embellished with towers, elaborate carvings, intricate stonework and stained glass,” wrote Square Meal, while the AA awarded Cloisters restaurant two rosettes for its “creative, modern take on country-house cooking.”

Design

Said to be inspired by the Palace of Westminster, this mansion, replete with tower, was built for British cotton magnate and Conservative MP, Joshua Fielden in the 1870s. Ever the life of the party, Fielden enforced a strict regime, forbidding guests from speaking to one another. In 1930, a Liberal Party politician had the bright idea to transform it into a merrier-sounding hotel with a nine-hole golf course, which has since disappeared. Silence triumphantly returned when the army took over the hilltop site as a school for the deaf during World War II.

The Swift suite is one of the better vantages for admiring the fields once part of the estate and the happenings at Redhill Aerodrome and then Gatwick. Its sleigh bed, with ill-fitting sheets, is where Hand & Flowers chef, Tom Kerridge slept the night before us – perhaps for the Pub In The Park in Reigate. There is also a spa, famed for Bruno Paillard Champagne-infused pamper days, or if you are feeling virtuous, nutrition awareness sessions which could lead to tree-bathing and meditation.

While the spa is not without issues – most notably a remarkably shallow pool, out-of-order showers, and faux foliage – it at least attempts modernity. Past a skip in the car park, the core hotel, on the other hand, clings desperately to a dull palette. Furniture, which appears throughout the hotel collection, rather than being tailored to each property, is frayed, dated, and bulky. The window frames in our room, which also boasted a potentially hazardous air conditioning control, are rotting. The organ in the grand hall, a woefully wasted space, is, like the grandfather clock in the landing, forever broken. The whole pile, from cobwebs on the uppers of mullioned windows, to sticky tables, and hazard tape accented forecourt, is in dire need of a deep clean.

Drinks

Predating the new CEO of Hand Picked Hotels, Ignace Bauwens, who joined from Corinthia, by five months, is head of wine, Louise Gordon. Her mission is to oversee the wine lists across no fewer than 21 properties. These range from beachside resorts in the Channel Islands, with its unique approach to alcohol taxation, to the granite mansion in Edinburgh once owned by the family behind Glenlivet.

The Dorset-born Gordon rose from the position of Tesco checkout operative to The Newt, via the wine department at Harvey Nichols, Prism in the City, Clos Maggiore, Covent Garden, and Rib Room at Jumeirah Tower, Lime Wood and Heckfield Place. Combined with the anticipation of changes put in play by Bauwens, and Gordon’s inspiring pedigree, we felt compelled to visit this property, which also played host to a Dom Pérignon event the month prior, led by the illustrious Jacqueline Kobald.

Before Gordon’s tenure, Hand Picked Hotels’ master list was tame, primarily stocked by one indebted supplier with fulfilment issues. Typical of idle chains, they lacked local vineyard selections. Though still not England’s finest, wines now include the keenly priced “Prosecco-style” FITZ (£9/125ml) from Sussex. For four pounds more, Premiere Cuvée Bruno Paillard is a worthwhile upgrade, reflecting a long-standing friendship with the Hands family. Bottles of 2013 Blanc de Blancs Liberte are offered at less than double retail (£164), while still wines by the glass reach to £45 per 175ml for Château Canon 2017.

There is plenty to like by the bottle, with nearly 50 options at or under £50, including Château Saint Benazit’s 2016 Madiran (£34), the 2021 Glup Naranjo by Longavi, a “terpenic” orange Moscatel from Chile’s Itata Valley which spent half a year on its skins (£37), and Super Tuscan, Chiave di Saletta 2016 (£48). The latter is part of a chapter dedicated to Villa Saletta, an estate acquired by the Hands family in 2000, though with roots to 980AD. The 2018 Cabernet Franc was praised by Decanter: “almost apothecary fruits mingle with root spice and forest-like scents of earth and twig.” With minimal mark-up, a magnum of 2015 may be yours for £285.

If not temptingly displayed under fluorescent light in a fridge, Jean Grivot’s Roncières Nuits St-Georges 2009 is seductively priced at £186, while Grand Puy Lacoste 2016 is £140. Sassicaia from the mighty 2016 vintage is also obtainable within reason at £415. Do not book in for super extracted Sauvignon Blancs from Marlborough given Gordon “simply can’t take its acidity after twenty years tasting wine.” Instead, navigate to the library bottle of 2011 Bannockburn Chardonnay from Felton Road in Central Otago (£110).

Preferable to iced tea, a rich selection of sweet wines includes HJ Wiemer’s 2016 Noble Select Riesling from Long Island (£54/37.5cl), with Klein Constantia’s ever-drier Vin de Constance at £150/50cl for the 2017. On the subject of South Africa, Gordon has furthered a flourishing relationship with Creation Wines, extending the lines onto the room service offer – a far cry from the sugary bottled cocktails.

Dishes

Dishes at Cloisters, a tight stone corridor marred by fake gerberas, are overseen by painter and decorator turned group executive head chef, Matthew Ashton (formerly of The Savoy). Alas, alarm bells rang hours before our visit when it was brought to our attention that the venue’s long-term head chef, Alec Mackins, left months ago. Adding to the unease, we were informed that Gordon, facing a longer-than-expected drive, chose against meeting us. We pre-selected dishes for her to pair wines with, but the menu looked less exciting than under Mackins’ tenure.

Gone was the South Coast scallop with osetra caviar, the pressed smoked eel and chicken with apple textures, the hay-baked partridge, and the monkfish with Japanese mayonnaise. Our dinner, booked weeks ago to mark Gordon’s anniversary with the group, would be left to a rudderless team instead. The wine service, crucial to Julia Hands, who bids guests “a magical wine discovery” at the start of the wine list, would be coordinated by email.

Fortunately, aside from bread with greasy herb oil, dinner began well. An attractively presented chicken, leek, and ham terrine with fresh girolles, piccalilli, and tarragon mayonnaise paired pleasantly with the robust, smoky Channing Daughters Scuttlehole Chardonnay 2020 from Long Island. “The minerality is key here,” wrote Gordon, “with the leek and with the tarragon mayonnaise and honey and grain mustard dressing this will have enough structure, but not overpower any flavours.”

Evident in the Romney Marsh lamb rump, the unnamed kitchen captain continued to cook quality ingredients with care. This dish featured bright hummus, juicy raisins, mint salsa verde, a rich jus, crunchy carrots, and clean spinach. It was paired with the vibrant Saletta Giulia from Villa Saletta 2018, a harmonious blend of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon enhanced by oak. At £65 per bottle, it offered exceptional precision and generosity. It left us wondering why the Hands family couldn’t channel the same focus into maintaining this hotel.

With an excellent Surrey Hills chateaubriand, far better than the dispiriting fare at a certain wine-led members’ club, comprising lush tongues of beef, though let down by dull, floury chips, Gordon instructed her colleagues to decant Checkmate Opening Gambit Merlot an hour before. She channelled Wine Enthusiast’s tasting notes for the 2019 Okanagan Valley expression: “Aromas of dark plum, mineral, liquorice, spice, and mesquite [a sort of BBQ seasoning]. Highly-structured red fruit flavours follow, with acid and tannin behind them. Big enough to hold next to the beef, with a touch of acidity to help the palate not be overpowered.”

Sadly, Black Forest gateau was bleak. Resembling Unilever’s Feast Original but far less enjoyable, the tough pudding was diminished by the contrastingly exceptional Howard’s Folly Carcavelos 1995. Gordon’s message noted the wine was “matured in 700-litre oak casks with ullage to enhance oxidation.” Despite being muffled in both a catering-grade port thimble and a flute, the wine’s excellence persevered. It was far superior to the local Love Heart-scented, aggressively carbonated Rondo and Reichensteiner Charmat served with the “Eton tidy.” Though looser in presentation than previous guests had experienced, with unhulled strawberries, the dish was innocent, if incoherent.

We endured a sleepless night filled with corridor parties and disco beats shaking the hotel’s foundations. The next morning, while sipping wilted Matthew Algie coffee, we were greeted by a breakfast scene reminiscent of a seaside holiday camp, with groggy guests shuffling in flip-flops.

Last word

Since stepping into her role as head of wine for Hand Picked Hotels in July 2023, Gordon deserves kudos for her progress in upgrading the master wine list. However, our visit to Nutfield Priory revealed an Everest of tasks to tackle – one which makes Sisyphus’ job look like a leisurely stroll.

For starters, the venue needs a rehabilitation deeper than the shallow swimming pool. The current visible wine storage – padlocked cupboards and a fluorescent-lit fridge – is not fit for a wine-friendly clientele. And thrifty wine glasses, proudly displayed en route to the restaurant, are, forgive the pun, a “pour” decision.

The front-of-house team, though friendly, could use a bit more polish and a lot more hustle in clearing room service trays and tables groaning under the weight of empty dishes. Without serious cash, some TLC, and a dash of creativity, this property risks being mistaken for an unusually attractive airport annexe. Much like the local tank-fizzed wine flaunting a fancy crown on its label, Nutfield Priory pretends to be the pinnacle of British hospitality while serving up only a fraction of its potential.