Wine List Confidential: Terrazza Bosquet

Douglas Blyde continues his journey along Italy’s Amalfi Coast with a visit to Terrazza Bosquet at the Grand Hotel Excelsior Vittoria, taking in the dishes of executive chef Antonino Montefusco and drinks of head sommelier Natale Sicignano.

Set within the cliff-perched Grand Hotel Excelsior Vittoria – which Michelin hailed as “one of the most iconic hotels on the Sorrentine peninsula” – Terrazza Bosquet delivers a dining experience as panoramic as it is posh, with tables set on a terrace whenever “the weather allows.”

The Telegraph couldn’t resist waxing lyrical about the grande dame’s “timeless glamour,” which lured a roster of legends: Wagner, Luciano Pavarotti, Marilyn Monroe, Jack Lemmon, and Sophia Loren. After dinner, if you’re fortunate enough to retire to a suite, you’ll find yourself enveloped in a décor described by Condé Nast Traveler as ranging between Pompeian antiquity and Victorian splendour, with trompe l’oeil walls, polished parquet floors, and verandas with views of Mount Vesuvius.

And, for those seeking warm Italian hospitality, take note, TripAdvisor’s Anil V celebrated his anniversary with a cake so generously portioned here that he demanded it to be shared with the rest of the dining room. One wonders if the cake had originally been sized for one of the hotel’s former guests – Pavarotti himself.

Design

Set 200 metres from Piazza Tasso and its unrelenting traffic, Terraza Bosquet provides a serene retreat, complete with a dedicated wine-tasting room with a picture window framing the sea. Designed to focus attention on the pleasures of the table, the space is notably minimalist – a striking contrast to the ornate surroundings elsewhere in the property. Tended by six gardeners, the surprisingly extensive grounds are adorned with a wealth of Roman artefacts and ruins. Peter Fiorentino, the current scion, affectionately describes the foundations of one such villa, near the pool, as “a small Pompeii”. The soundtrack appropriately includes On The Sand by Groove Thing.

Drinks

Head sommelier Natale Sicignano, a veteran of fifteen years – nine of them leading the wine programme – presides over a neat, Roman-well-adorned cellar. Options by the glass range from Gambero Rosso Tre Bicchieri winner Rocca del Principe Fiano di Avellino Tognano Riserva 2021 (€20) to Ornellaia 2019 (€70) via Clos du Murger Meursault 2017 from Albert Grivault, of which Jasper Morris MW said, “this could be one of the great domaines of Meursault” (€50), and Jacquesson’s Cuvée No. 745, based on the same year (€35).

From a list spanning two tomes, by the bottle, there is more Jacquesson Extra Brut from the Dizy-based house reaching to the 2010-based No. 738 (€400 per magnum). Other champagnes include Cristal, with 2008 at €1,400 per magnum, and Dom Pérignon P2 1998 (€1,200). Examples of Italian effervescence include Ca’ del Bosco Annamaria Clementi 2013 (€210), and Ferrari’s centenary bottling, Riserva Bruno Lunelli 2006 (€1,300).

Pigato from 2013, with its Tin Man evoking label (Bruna, Riviera Ligure di Ponente U Baccan) is the cheapest bin, which, at €45, could be intriguing to order just to see how it is ageing, while at around twice mark-up, the most exclusive bin is Domaine Liger-Belair’s La Romanée Grand Cru 2020 at €15,000, priced, presumably, to deter diners from uncorking it too young.

Of the abundant collections gracing the list, there are ten vintages to 2013 from the dolomitic-limestone caves of Marisa Cuomo, Costa d’Amalfi Fiorduva, eleven of textured Villa Bucci Verdicchio dei Castelli de Jesi Riserva to 2007, six examples to 2003 of Gravner Ribolla Gialla, seven vintages to 1999 of Ca’ del Bosco Curtefranca Chardonnay, ten of Mastroberardino Taurasi Riserva Radici to 1997, and fifteen of Montevetrano to 2005 (€220), dubbed “the Sassicaia of the South” by Robert Parker. At the top end, expressions of Sassicaia stretch to 1999 (€1,200), while Massetto unfurls to 2013 (€2,000). Redigaffi 2014 is obtainable at a decent €260, meanwhile.

From France, there are verticals to 2001 of Coulée de Serrant, incarnations of Silex, Dagueneu to 2013 – five years after the founder’s fateful plane crash (€360), while from an alcove of Petrus, the 2015 will set you back more than a new Fiat Panda (€11,000).

From outside Italy and France, the 2014 Wachau Loibner Torken Smaragad from Austria’s Weingut Knoll 2014 is a bargain at €80, while from Slovenia, Majan Simcic’s Brda Ribolla Cru 2016 is super-kindly priced at €50, with the 1989 dry Rivaner from Markus Molitor no doubt offering bravura at €160. Offering outstanding value is Tondonia Rosado Gran Reserva 2009, Lopez de Heredia at €70. From the new world, a seemingly forgotten bottle of Famille Bourgeois Marlborough Clos Henri 2013 Pinot Noir would be interesting to try on account of its slumber (€70), while Opus One 2013 is close to twice mark-up at €1,100,

And don’t overlook the Limoncello Spritz, crafted by Colin Field, former Ritz Paris bartender, at La Pergola bar, using lemons from the hotel’s own grove – a cocktail for those who enjoy their zesty aperitifs with a dash of history.

Dishes

Though we received the least extravagant “Greatest Hits” menu, executive chef Antonino Montefusco nonetheless managed to dazzle, especially with canapés. Served over two delightful rounds, accompanied by the noble Palazzo Lana Riserva 2011 Éxtreme Blanc de Noirs Franciacorta, these included an extraordinary wafer which captured the essence of a local red shrimp as if it had been pressed in a flower press, and a reverent homage to Swiss chard, including gnocchi swathed in an almond perfumed sauce. The bread selection also wowed: brittle, plankton-studded sticks, generously filled, airy croissants with cold cuts, and, served in a jewel box, a herbal loaf inspired by an ancient Pompeiian recipe, thankfully far more appetising than the fossilised, blackened version displayed at the actual ruins.

Federico Graziani’s incisive Mareneve 2019, a blend of Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Grecanico, Chenin Blanc, and Carricante harvested 1,200 metres above Sicily, sparkled with acidity, proving a functional match for what proved to be the dish of the day: “Incipit,” a Carpaccio of red shrimp. Here, an illusion of apple – secretly filled with burrata – rested beside a preposterously fragrant raspberry.

Then came “Tribute to Pollock,” a playful, smoke-kissed creation of pasta bites, smoked potatoes, chives, and intense caviar. It looked more like a minestrone than a Pollock frenzy but delivered intense flavours. Its pairing, Erminia 2004 Fiano d’Avellino, had waited 18 years in tank – though its label leaned toward the surrealist end of the spectrum, reminiscent of Dali.

In Federico De Majo glassware, chosen to enhance aromatics, the Piccolo Daliamaris 2022 from Friuli delivered a Friulano and Ribolla Gialla blend from vines up to 80 years old, matured in lightly toasted barrels from the favourite cooper of Jean-Louis Chave. This wine was paired with gurnard “acqua pazza” dressed in a coat of vegetable scales. We were encouraged to alternate bites with raw garlic bruschetta. Though wild given its strong flesh, and undeniably fresh, the gurnard didn’t quite spark the excitement of previous moments.

As if to recapture our attention, Chef Montefusco himself presented the “Sorrento lemon Fantastique” tableside – hulled lemons filled with silken, melting yoghurt nestled in a cloud of dry ice (an emerging theme for posh places along the Amalfi coast), alongside a dainty lemon-on-the-vine crafted from white chocolate.

Last word

In an intriguing twist, Sicignano – a subtle, almost spectral presence throughout the meal – left the final dish senza pairing. Nor did a single red wine make an appearance, despite his professed, ardent love for Barolo and Barbaresco. Whether this was an intentional cliffhanger, we were left in suspense, with a lingering thirst for the reds that never were…

Best for

• Canapés, bread service, and petit fours
• Classic and new-wave Italian wines
• Historic, clifftop haven-like setting

Terrazza Bosquet – Grand Hotel Excelsior Vittoria, Piazza Tasso, 34 – Sorrento, Italy; terrazzabosquet@exvitt.it; T. 39 081 877 7836; excelsiorvittoria.com

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