25

Mar

Drink Jura now and forever!

Throw a bunch of sommeliers, chefs, foragers and winemakers in a 40-person bus for a weekend and you’re bound to have a pretty incredible time.

When forager Stéphane Meyer a.k.a. “Le Druide” popped his head through Frenchie a couple of weeks ago and asked me if I wanted to haul ass down to the Jura to taste some wine, forage some leaves, eat some good cheese and taste a 150 year old Vin Jaune, the answer was unequivocally yes.

Next question: how many could I bring along? Greg and wife Marie (who recently integrated Frenchie’s team as his highly efficient partner in the creation of Frenchie to Go) joined the fun as well as another newbie: Caroline Loiseleux (great friend and ex-sommelier at Itinéraires). We all made our Saturday-morning grasse matinée sacrifice to head down to Gare de Lyon, discover Jura and spend some time with our peers.

To name a few, there was all of Terroir d’Avenir’s crew, sous-chef of Sergent Recruteur Daniel Baratier and girlfriend Charlotte Arnaud who heads up the floor at l’Arpège. Astrance’s Pascal Barbot and longtime sommelier Alexandre Jean (we call him Réjean) were game as well. We shared our TGV seats with La Dernière Goutte’s Juan Sanchez and one of his Semilla chefs.

Once in Dole, after a 30-minute drive, we hit up the cellars of François Rousset and started to taste. Vintages flew by as François calmly poured 1994 Vin Jaune (19 years of aging) and listened to our guesses. It was fresh and vivid, with bright flavors of passion fruit, lemon zest, nuts, figs and truffle. His wines are never heavy and atypical of what you’d expect of Jura Vin Jaune. Réjean comments, “These are the Vin Jaunes that make people who don’t like Vin Jaune love it!”. François’ father was a teacher but kept making wine on the side as his family had for a long time for their personal consumption. Then François took over and set up in 2007 in Nevy-sur-Seille right under Château-Chalon.

He is a very discreet man and is still very unknown. It is a shame because his wines are fantastic. His style is very pure and extremely drinkable. He remarks to me in one of our conversations when I ask him why he thinks his style is so atypical that “a paramount factor of wine quality in Jura is the cellar and its situation“. The yeasts that live in the cellars and are responsible for the veil of yeast on the vin jaune and allow it to carry on years with no topping up play a major part in the product obtained. The situation of the cellar and its ventilation, temperature difference and general humidity level is also a unique “terroir” factor to the final result.

Next stop, famille Serret’s beautiful home lies atop Château Chalon and was the stage of our Saturday lunch.  The chefs start opening bags brought from Paris and get cooking. Creamy foie gras, pastrami, bacon, gambas and miso mayonnaise, juicy hot dogs, Yellow Landes chicken put sous vide with Spérule Odorante and then cooked over an improvised grill, homemade terrine, and the list goes on.

Surrounded by all these food and wine lovers, I couldn’t help but feel so thankful… and then the sun came out.

After downing a couple of bottles of Overnoy’s Poulsard 2011, some went for a walk through Château Chalon but I opted out for a well-needed afternoon nap in on of the Serret’s many rooms. I was dreaming of Comté, morrels and tender Landes chicken when I was awoken by a call from Greg informing me that they were tasting 150 year-old Vin Jaune from the Serret cellars and that he knew I’d be pissed if I didn’t get to. Good man!

Monsieur Serret had pried out of the vestige of his cellar a unique and incredible bottle pre-1860s that was identified as such because of the shape of the bottle.

As the sun went down, we tasted history in a glass. The colour was ochre with flecks of black (probably dead lees that were completely oxidized) and the nose held notes of dried apricot, lemongrass, figs and black truffle that quickly vanished. Even for the minutes its grace lasted, we tasted something that no one alive when it was bottled ever lived to try.

Sometimes humility comes in the form of a 62cl clavelin.

The trip ended with a day of work on Sunday and a flash-tasting of over 150 wines produced by 30 natural winemakers at Le Nez dans le Vert. As well as tasting wines, we took advantage of Olivier Grosjean’s presence to get a signed copy of his collaborative book “Tronches de Vin” that simply ROCKS!!!!

Breakdown of our tasting

Julien Labet is at the top of his game with the delicious Fleur de Savagnin 2011 and his Chardonnay En Billat 2011, both crisp, mineral with vivid acidity that are heading straight for our wine list at Frenchie.

Jean-François Ganevat still has nothing to sell but that’s old news. If you do manage to get some wine, Grusse en Billat 2012 was superior to Grands Teppes 2012 by a mile.

Jean-Pascal and Peggy Buronfosse (in Rotalier next to Fanfan) are getting better and better as the wines gain in minerality, acidity and overall complexity.

We spent some time fawning over Pascal Clairet‘s wines particularly his Fleur de Savagnin 2010 and his Chardonnay Les Corvées sous Curon 2010 both incredibly fresh, crisp and pretty wines.

We enjoyed Domaine de la Borde Julien Mareschal‘s wines particularly his Arbois Pupillin Chardonnay “Caillot” 2010 that was both deliciously salinic and very reasonably priced. The vines are on limestone soils exposed south with a 30% slope at 550 meters.

Another heartthrob was Domaine des Marnes Blanches‘ Géraud Fromont who makes delicious pure Côtes du Jura Chardonnay “En Lévrette” 2010 that is aged 18 months in oak vats and could easily pass for a Burgundy Chardonnay from the Côte de Beaune. It is on limestone soils sprinkled with Gryphaea which is a fossilized shell and adds a great deal of minerality to the wine. Think Chablis but oakier.

Let’s not forget dreadlocked hippy Étienne Thiébaud from Domaine des Cavarodes. His Arbois Savagnin Pressé 2011 is beautiful and slow to reach Paris but thankfully we are patient.

Even though Philippe Bornard is notorious for being a ladies man and I wouldn’t go home with him, his Arbois Pupillin Ploussard 2005 La Chamade was the bottle I wanted to wake up to.

57 days ago Short URL

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12

Sep

My reconciliation with rosé

Forget plopping an ice cube in a cool glass of rosé to freshen it up, I was never really excited about the colour in general and least of all when it came to wine. I always thought “Why drink rosé when I can have a good white?”.  But after my trip to Provence this weekend, all my a prioris have been properly shattered.

Allow me to explain.

After almost two years at Frenchie, I have come to notice that my wine-ordering is dictated by the weather: in summer I order more rosé, crisp whites or light reds and in winter, more tannic reds and richer whites. I also don’t think of stocking much rosé over fall and winter since it’s mostly a “summer thing”. As true as that is, I have recently tasted a 1993 rosé from Domaine de Terrebrune and the experience has left me dumbfounded. I never thought a rosé could carry such a striking minerality and tertiary aromas that would make for great pairings. It was, of course, not any rosé.  Terrebrune was my favorite tasting in Bandol: the wines’ incredible minerality is due to a unique terroir ex-sommelier Georges Dellile discovered and fell in love with in 1963. He spent years restoring what is today 30ha of vines around Ollioules. These unique and rare soils are from the Trias era, are limestone-rich with a characteristic brown clay that inspired the name of the domaine. The vine roots plunge deep down in this singular terroir and convey to all the wines at Terrebrune an incredible minerality and finesse rare in Bandol wines.

The biggest selling point of my trip to Provence was definitely our boozy sunday lunch at Domaine du Gros Noré. To say that Alain Pascal and his incredibly energetic and lively daughter Fanny know how to host a group of wine-lovers would be the understatement of the century. Before his son Alain took over the domaine and started bottling his own wines, Honoré Pascal would send most of it to the coops. In honor of the man who tought him work well done and love of wine, Alain baptised his Domaine Gros Noré, a nickname his father acquired because of his imposing stature and big heart.

We arrived at Alain’s after a great tasting at Domaine Tempier that put Bandol on the map. Kermit Lynch, who had helped organized our tastings at the various domaines, informed us that we were expected at noon at Gros Noré’s for a quick tasting and then welcome to join them for a typical provençal déjeuner du dimanche. What I had not realized was that this lunch was going to forever bind me to Provence in an irremediable way. After Alain walked us through his various cuvées and had us taste the delicious brut de cuve grape juice (not yet fermenting) that would be next year’s Rosé, he asked if I wanted to taste the 2011 Rosé now or just have it with food. Kermit suggested we just get on with it and go out in the sun. Indeed, trying that rosé in the dark cellar would have been a shame now that I think back. It was a moment wine. That doesn’t mean I wasn’t objective, it means that I was about to drink that wine in a setting it deserved to be in and fit so perfectly.

Alain had set up a fire right on the ground in the middle of the vines. On it was a deliciously smelling pan of rosemary adorned sizzling mussels (the sound will make your hungry) cooking only in their juices. The smell was intoxicating and the sun was shining. I took a swig of that rosé and, in that moment, it was the best wine I’d ever had. As I looked around at all the hearty people drinking the same wine as me, I knew they must also feel this.

Among the bottles, there was a delicious Meursault Perrières 2001 by Roulot but I actually preferred the Gros Noré Rosé and that says a lot… I realized then and there, you can taste and judge all you want, but imagination is also part of experiencing wine and using it more while tasting is a dimension I had not yet understood so fully.

The famous Violet

While we were waiting for the mussels to cook, Alain brought out violets. The rock-like, ugly but delicious crustaceans are actually dubbed “water figs” and taste like oysters but are in texture, closer to mussels. The violets were incredible and as we all huddled around, licking our fingers, sucking out their tender flesh, I was glad to have that rosé nearby to wash down the delectable sea taste. The mussels came next and were set directly on the table after the violet’s carcasses were discarded. We plunged back in. Rosé glass tucked under my arm, salty juice running down my face and fingers working fast to pluck the perfumed mussels, this was hands-down the high point of the trip. Well… perhaps second to watching Fanny Pascal jump in the pool while taking a swig out of a bottle of rosé!

We then made our way to the set table where Alain brought over the lamb shoulders, cooked over rosemary branches freshly picked from his garden. This was provençal by excellence and watering it down with some Gros Noré 2000 was simply divine. The magnum of Clape’s Cornas 1995 also found a good place at the table.

The afternoon ended by the pool, cooling down when the sun became too harsh, sipping rosé and chatting with the group.

I could definitely get used to this!

Vive la Provence!

251 days ago Short URL

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18

Jul

Who are you?

My first question and the one I continuously ask to anyone who tells me about their most recent great wine experience is this: who is the winemaker?

Who made the wine? Who tended the grapes and vines? Who made decisions that affected all the steps that led to the result in the glass I am pouring?

This person, overlooked too often in favour of the varietal, the appellation (AOC), the region, is, in fact, the true essence of any wine.

When I peer into a glass of wine whose producer I have never met nor heard of, I always try to imagine how they are. More often than not, the wine is a very accurate reflection of the person who deeply cared for it.

Among the many winemakers I have met and whose wines I love, I think firstly of Elisabetta Foradori and her 100% Teroldago Vigneti delle Dolomiti IGT “Granato” 2002. The wine is 100% made with the indigenous Teroldago grape that is genetically related to Syrah and isn’t particularly easy and attractive in its youth. Rather, it is a wine that tends to be discreet on the nose, rather full and with firm tannin on the palate. But when vinified with love and aged patiently, it is a splendid and inspiring wine. The client for which I poured it a couple of nights ago is a fervent lover of discovery and always asks me to pick something he’s never had before. He described it as “classy and elegant, velvety and powerfully inspiring “. Without knowing it, he actually described Elisabetta. Everytime I have met this woman, it has been a blend of sheer pleasure, calm happiness and a strenght of character. Her estate, that lies in the Trentino Alto Adige, is farmed biodynamically and she has started experimenting with amphoraes.

WINE MADE FOR MEAT: I paired Elisabetta’s Granato with the duck breast, broccoli purée, zucchini and cherry dish at Frenchie.

Another notable winemaker that highly resembles his wines is Emmannuel Lassaigne. He makes bright, crisp, unique and tense wine in Montgueux, an area that is a little bit of a black sheep of Champagne. A little east of Troyes, Montgueux is isolated from the rest of the Champagne vineyard, but it is blessed with highly chalky soils ideal for Chardonnay. Manu welcomed me to his winery a lazy sunny Sunday afternoon and we tasted all his vins tranquilles straight from the cask. The wines were delicious: crisp, rich and mineral with bright notes of lemon, peach and honey. He is also experimenting aging his wines in cognac, vin jaune and burgundy casks to see what results the wine transpire. Like his wines, he is a multi-faceted man: he has a strong character, isn’t afraid to say what he thinks, but beneath is a wonderful, generous, hilarious and talented human being.

To say I love his wines as much as I love the person would be an understatement. We finished the tasting with a magnum of Colline Inspirée, a wine that I poured by the glass at Frenchie last year as he had yet to bottle it in 750ml. Now that he has, I am bound to order more.

THE WEDDING CHAMPAGNE: I picked Manu’s  “La Colline Inspirée” as the Champagne to be served at chef Marchand’s wedding. 

Of all the winemakers I have met, Valérie Guérin has struck me to be one of the most tenacious, smart and caring ones.

The wines are tense, smooth, concentrated and great. It was a friend and brilliant sommelier, Caroline Loiseleux, who introduced me to them. I was immediately smitten. Valérie’s Domaine des Mille Vignes is in the AOC of Fitou and Rivesaltes and its 12,5ha are farmed in “culture raisonnée” (interventions only when necessary. She produces all her wines with micro-yields (9 to 25hl/ha) on high density plantings. One goal is to maintain concentration so the wine can age well. My favorite wines she makes is her least pricey one: Vin de Pays de l’Aude “Chasse Filou” 2011 (100% Grenache Noir, vines 30 years old). With only a thousand or so bottles made per year, they litterally fly out of her cellars at the speed of light! The yields remain low and the work is as meticulous as her more pricey cuvées. It is a worthy and value-full discovery.

WINE BAR BEST-SELLER: ”Chasse-Filou” is one of Frenchie wine bar’s bestsellers and pairs great with the Speck from Alto Adige laced with old balsamic. 

307 days ago Short URL

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03

May

Éloge de la délicatesse

Il est environ 17h00 et le fond de la deuxième bouteille du déjeuner nous guette. D’ailleurs, c’est le seul inconvénient à la Villa Mas: les bouteilles s’enchaînent à la vitesse de la lumière qui reflète parfaitement l’azur de la mer à 25 mètres de nos Havaïanas et de nos verres Zalto légers comme l’air.

Sirotant allègrement, nous ne sommes pas les seuls à profiter d’une des plus belles carte des vins d’Europe: Lionel Gauby et Clotaire Michal, nos voisins, semblent avoir accumulé plus de flacons que nous en cette fin d’après-midi. Convivialité oblige, nous terminons le déjeuner pour mieux commencer l’apéro avec eux. La valse classique s’impose quand une carte des vins de cette ampleur est présentée à une ribambelle de personnages aussi amoureux du vin: les bouteilles déferlent et se retrouvent vite vides et en bonne compagnie.

Parfois on est juste au bon endroit au bon moment…

Lionel brandit soudain une bouteille et nous verse des verres successivement en déclarant “Ce vin n’existe pas“. En effet, c’est une production infime qu’il a baptisé “El Tuco” en l’honneur de son chien récemment décédé. C’est un moment un peu nostalgique mais beau.

L’homme assis à ma droite a un sourire timide et ému en goûtant “El Tuco”. Il évoque l’émotion, le sentiment, le ressenti et l’importance de ce qu’il y perçoit. Je le regarde avec tout l’émerveillement qu’il mérite. Cette première impression n’est que reconfirmée au fil des minutes et plus tard encore au restaurant étoilé qu’il a participé à hissé au rang du deuxième meilleur restaurant du monde selon le classement médiatisé de San Pellegrino (paru la journée avant notre repas).

La délicatesse de Josep Roca m’a profondément touchée. Il n’est pas toujours facile de rester sur la voie de la simplicité et de l’humilité. Parfois on est pressé, on a des rendez-vous, on oublie de prendre le temps d’écouter et de ressentir. On peut facilement s’éloigner de ce qui est important.

Credit: El Celler de Can Roca site web

Josep, lui, écoute attentivement afin de comprendre ce qui pourrait rendre heureux. Pour cela, bien sur, il faut du temps. Au Celler de Can Roca, ils en ont. Ils sont au-delà de vingt en salle et surement autant en cuisine. La valse est mesurée et paisible.

On le sent dès qu’on arrive: la conspiration du bonheur. C’est une séduction tranquille et calculée qui laisse toutefois place à la spontanéité. Chacun semble à l’aise dans cet environnement gentil et épuré ou faire plaisir et partager une cuisine inspirée, inspirante et étonnante donne vraiment, vraiment, vraiment envie d’y retourner. Et c’est exactement ce que je compte faire.

Restaurant Villa Mas.
San Feliu de Guixols (Girona)
Passeig San Pol 95
Téléphone 972 82 25 26

Gagnant: carte des vins incroyable à tous petits prix, produits frais du marché et de la pêche à Palamo, accueil connaisseur et sympathique, vue sur la mer imbattable.

El Celler de Can Roca
Can Suyer, 48
17007, Girona
Téléphone 972 222 157

Gagnant: menu exquis et étonnant, service attentionné et délicat, vins uniques et accords parfaits, décor paisible et comfortable.

382 days ago Short URL

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22

Apr

Enter: Agapé Substance

Let’s be clear, there is nothing like it in the city right now and with reason: David Toutain and Laurent Lapaire are the gastronomical darlings of Paris.

There was so much talk around why Agapé Substance didn’t get the star(s) they seemed so predestined to receive in February just before the controversial red guide hit bookstores.

Did they deserve what they didn’t get? Who will ever know? More importantly, who cares? As I learned, stars don’t insure a stellar experience… Agapé Substance should definitely not feel cold-shouldered… They have no star to envy when all their clients leave the place with so many in their eyes.

The food is as precise as ever, the service dance is mastered, smiles everywhere, the bathroom has a warming seat and oscillating jets to massage your derrière, the bar stools are plush albeit reserved for those with no back problems, the iPad wine list is ecological. The selection is naturally oriented: Philippe Valette, Philippe Pacalet, Gianfranco Manca, Le Coste, Anselme Selosse, Emmannuel Lassaigne. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to drink Gianfranco Manca’s Sardinian wine especially since they are virtually impossible to find and I had never tried the listed cuvée: Kussas Intrendu a Manu ‘eretta, 100% Cannonau (Grenache). The wine took a moment to open up but after half an hour in a carafe and a cool-down, it was splendid.

Agapé Substance is essentially a cooking lab where the patrons are lab rats and Toutain is the mad (super-talented) scientist. The knowledgeable waitstaff make their way around twenty or so happy and willing victims that crowd the tiny space. They pour clear and perfumed potatoe skin consommé out of test tubes onto perfectly tender gnocchi and seared foie gras. They place in front of you a sea urchin topped with a decadent coffee foam that tickles the tongue and enchants the senses. A Toutain classic that is one of the most poetic and genuine odes to mushrooms that has yet to hit my palate: his pieds bleus poêlé and chestnut crumble.

I will not list every bite I had because there were over twenty, but I will say this: rarely have I eaten so well and felt perfectly full and satisfied at the exit.

Notable is the return to the restaurant scene of Sofian Aït-Bouda who used to be the sommelier at Restaurant Spring. Considerably softened up and knowledgeable as ever, the wine pairings were spot on.

Some have said that Toutain‘s style is intellectual. I disagree. I think it is the perfect blend of a genuine emotional intelligence and refined technical ability.

The result is incredibly touching and the risk-taking is inspiring. A force to be reckoned with.

Agapé Substance

66 rue Mazarine 75006

Tel: 01 43 29 33 83

http://www.agapesubstance.com/

Open Tuesday to Saturday for Lunch and Dinner


394 days ago Short URL

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09

Mar

Bientôt dans une librairie gourmande…

Avoir eu pignon sur rue au-dessus du Frenchie, avec 22 mètres carrés à droite au deuxième étage, aucune lumière solaire et une micro-douche, ça aurait pu déprimer une optimiste comme moi.

Credit: Les Éditions Alternatives

Heureusement, l’an dernier, Greg travaillait sur son livre.

Vous savez… celui qui sort très bientôt?

Un de ces samedis, alors que je préparais le café matinal, je jette un coup d’oeil par la fenêtre et voilà Greg et Harry Cummins (ami complice et sous-chef du Frenchie) en pleine préparation d’une alléchante côte de boeuf d’Yves-Marie Le Bourdonnec sur un BBQ en pleine rue du Nil.

Trois minutes plus tard et deux étages dévalés, nous sommes assis tous les trois autour de cette délicieuse pièce de viande accompagnée de la juteuse et puissante Barbera d’Alba “Cascina Francia” de Roberto Conterno 2008 sous l’objectif bienveillant de Djamel Dine Zitout, photographe extraordinaire.

Credit: Les Éditions Alternatives

À la demande de Greg et avec l’aide précieuse d‘Aurélien Massé, le sommelier qui dirige le bar à vins du Frenchie, nous avons tenté de penser à des accords qui pourraient accompagner chaque plat du livre. Tous les vins présentés sont des vins de vignerons en lesquels nous croyons et avec lesquels nous avons déjà travaillé au Frenchie. Ce sont bien sûr des lignes directrices pour encourager les lecteurs à sortir des sentiers battus autant avec la cuisine qu’avec les vins (ou bière, ou saké…).

Ce 22 mars, ce travail culminera avec la parution du premier livre de Greg: La Cuisine du Frenchie at home.

Vous le procurer? En nous rendant visite au Frenchie ou en le commandant ici:

=> placedeslibraires.fr
=> librairiedialogues.fr
=> chapitre.com
=> amazon.fr
=> fnac.com

Les nouvelles de la parution en anglais ici.

438 days ago Short URL

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08

Mar

In the footsteps of giants

For many sommeliers, wine lovers, and curious foodies, Paris is undoubtedly the logical epicentre for oenological discovery, great wine bars, and overall accessibility to France’s hidden treasures. It being my new home, I am inclined to agree. However, my last trip to Montreal reawakened my curiosity for the wealth of amazing and unique wines out there. Wines that are carefully and lovingly made all over the world, and who never make it past the blockade of French powerhouses that dominate the French market with an iron vine grip.

Now before I get pelted with stones, I believe that the best wines in the world are made in France; thousands of years of winemaking history, royal decrees, careful zoning and geological analysis done by very patient monks, and many factors that came together by chance and wisdom, combined with an inimitable “terroir” (yes, that word again!) have made French wines what they are today.

I am lucky to have the chance to work and cooperate with some very knowledgeable and gifted French sommeliers who are in many respects savvier than I when it comes to French wines. This being said, I am awestruck when I speak of my love for Piedmont wines made with the Nebbiolo and Barbera grapes, and blank stares rebuke me as though I was speaking of an unknown elixir lost to time.

It is unfortunate but understandable: France seems to simply have such a vast influence that the French themselves are overwhelmed by their own product and are also taught to believe that there is no need to look beyond their borders in order to find greatness.

In Quebec, it is a governmental agency, the SAQ, which controls all the wines bought and sold in the province. Albeit not always popular, it does boast a completely international selection of wines, many of which I have sampled in the last few weeks.

Case in point: the Sicilian wines of Tenuta delle Terre Nere in Etna (Etna Rosso DOC), made from the nerello mascalese and nerello cappuccio grapes that grow on the burnt slopes of the still active Etna volcano, offer a unique blend of fresh fruits and a wild, rustic, untameable feeling that I have not found elsewhere.

Chablis and oysters? Classic and delicious! Change it up and try a Greek Assyrtico from Santorini! The fresh, crisp and salty flavour of these incredible wines remind me of cold sea brine after a wave collapses into the unyielding rock.

Assyrtico vines growing in the arid soils of Santorini.

Sauternes and blue cheese… booooring! Also from Kefalonia, Greece, this delicious sweet muscat made by Sclavos could rival many Sauternes, Alsatian and Loire valley sweet wines. It has depth, sharp minerality and a swirling citrusy finish that make you want to take another sip…and another bite! Rinse and repeat.

I could go on and on…but I will end on this unseemly note for a smoked mackerel or trout, always a tough pairing…but try it with this Austrian Grüner Veltliner made by FX Pichler. It combines notes of smoky peat and an almost oily texture (granted, it’s funky on it’s own) but it acts as a great vessel when paired with smoked fish and vegetables.

The reality and added appeal is that these wines are usually offered at a fraction of the price their French counterparts go for. En plus, they make for very spicy and animated blind tastings and table talk, especially at French ones!

Many French customers that visit the restaurant and trust me to select wine for them are pleasantly surprised when I pull out foreign wild cards. They appreciate these border-crossing discoveries and have come to expect the unexpected. I just wish these wines had a bit more wiggle room in this market of French titans. But that’s just me.

Contribution by NICOLAS SMITH

Nicolas Smith is the Maître D’ at Spring Restaurant and occasionally (often) drinks wine (not just French).

439 days ago Short URL

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05

Mar

Léngué: les jeux sont faits

“Léngué est une fleur sauvage qui pousse dans les rizières” m’informe la femme du chef Katsutoshi Kondo, ancien de L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon.

Le Léngué est un des premiers Izakayas à Paris et un équivalent du bar à vins français, du pub anglais ou du bar à tapas espagnol. On y va pour boire un coup (de saké, de bière, de vin) après le travail pour se décontracter ou  y passer la soirée entière autour d’un assortiment varié de petits plats alliant simplicité et précision.

Kondo a plus d’une corde à son arc: formation de chef et de  sommelier, il se promène en salle et salue les clients souvent installés confortablement devant des grands crus de Bourgogne et de Bordeaux à prix tout petit.

Attablé devant un Meursault de Coche-Dury, Shinichi Sato, chef du Passage 53, semble un habitué des lieux.

Rien de surprenant quand on jette un coup d’oeil à cette audacieuse carte des vins qui vante les grands noms de Bourgogne comme Coche-Dury, Roulot, Dauvissat, Raveneau, Lafon, Rousseau, Domaine de la Romanée Conti sans compter de vieux Bordeaux habituellement nichés dans les étoilés dont Léoville Las Cases, Pichon Baron, Pichon Comtesse, Pontet-Canet et tous des millésimes entre 1954 et 2002! Ça nous fait reprendre espoir de boire un bon vieux Bordeaux d’avant l’ère de la standardisation du goût.

Grâce à la formule “Dernière Bouteille” qui est garnie de choix incroyables provenant directement de la collection personnelle de Kondo, pourquoi ne pas s’offir une bouteille d’Aligoté 2009 de Coche-Dury à 88EUR ou bien goûter le Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Cazetier 2006 de Rousseau à 165EUR? Si c’est une occasion spéciale, on vide la tirelire et on se paye La Tâche 1974 à 1274EUR ou on ne s’emporte qu’un peu avec Pontet-Canet 1989 à 120EUR…

Seul bémol: si l’une des bouteilles présente du bouchon ou autre défaut, vous perdez le pari, le plaisir et votre sourire.

La salle est chaleureuse et garnie de poutres, le service en tong est particulièrement attentionné, compétent et mignon.

À goûter absolument au menu: le saumon grillé, California rolls, les boulettes de poulet, tofu à la japonaise, gyoza aux légumes, poulpe au wasabi.

Mais attention… le dessert glace est un peu banal et si vous êtes fan de vins naturels, vous ne trouverez pas ici votre bonheur.

Restaurant Léngué

31 rue de la Parcheminerie 75005

+33(0)1 46 33 75 10

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442 days ago Short URL

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05

Feb

La vénération du vin

Vous y mettez les pieds et déjà ça se ressent: des tableaux qui évoquent des éclaboussures de sang et j’hallucine Dexter assis sur les banquettes rouges devant des nappes blanches parfaitement éclairées pour favoriser la dégustation. Les verres Zwiesel sont élaborés par Enrico Bernardo lui-même, qui d’ailleurs, tout sourire vient vous saluer et vous souhaiter la bienvenue chez lui.

Nous voilà à Il Vino, Mecque sommelière.

Tous les serveurs sont sommeliers. Et pas n’importe lesquels: meilleur sommelier du monde en 2004, Enrico s’entoure des meilleurs sommeliers d’Italie (parmi lesquels son chef sommelier, Matteo Ghiringhelli nous a particulièrement impressionné).

On ne parle pas de sommeliers qui ne sauront qu’à moitié répondre à vos questions.

Non, ici on les imagine connaissant l’exposition et la typologie du sol de chaque climats des 562 premiers crus de Bourgogne, pouvant vous réciter tous les millésimes qu’Yquem a décidé de ne pas faire et leurs raisons, l’accord parfaits sur des artichauts, jusqu’à la provenance exacte d’un café éthiopien dégusté à l’aveugle. Ils ont une notion bluffante des vins italiens (mes petits chouchous aussi), une ouverture d’esprit, une finesse et une humilité rarement trouvée sur Paris dans les restaurants plus guindés.

Ici, les mets accompagnent les vins et non l’inverse. Le vin, c’est la pièce de résistance.

Enrico ayant travaillé derrière les fourneaux, il donne une attention toute particulière à l’accord mets et c’est franchement réussi.

Ceci me fait penser qu’il est clairement préférable que le chef porte au vin un réel intérêt pour participer concrètement à ce qui s’accorde bien avec sa cuisine.

Au Frenchie, Greg et moi testons souvent les accords et c’est toujours enrichissant d’avoir son avis car c’est lui qui a créé la composition du menu et donc il perçoit certainement des saveurs que je ne ressens pas nécessairement (et vice-versa).

 À Il Vino, tous nos vins sont servis à l’aveugle. Étant du métier, nous sommes ravis. Rien de plus amusant que de tenter de deviner quel cépage, régions, millésime, vigneron est responsable de ce que nous buvons. Cependant, tout le monde autour de nous a l’air d’avoir droit au même traitement: c’est-à-dire que les verres remplis sont disposés sur la table et les sommeliers laissent les clients découvrir. Puis ils en parlent avec eux et leur montrent la bouteille une fois les devinettes partagées.

J’adore ce concept que je pratique souvent. Surtout quand les clients me disent de leur choisir quelque chose – je cerne leurs goût rapidement et j’essaie de leur faire découvrir un vin qui sort de leur zone de confort. Si ils me disent adorer le Pinot de Bourgogne, je sors un Nerello Mascalese ou un Frappato sicilien ou bien un Pinot Noir d’Oregon.

À l’aveugle, on est moins influencé par le facteur “étiquette” qui n’est ni plus ni moins qu’un gage de qualité.

 

Voudrait-on dépenser 80 Euros sur un tee-shirt Lacoste si il n’y avait pas le petit crocodile dessus? On pourrait penser la même chose d’un vin: quel pourcentage du prix est attribué à la “marque” du vigneron? À l’aveugle, on peut vraiment décider si on aime le vin pour ce qu’il est.

Parmis les découvertes de la soirée: 

 

 

Le Crozes-Hermitage “Les Saviaux” de chez Lucie Fourel sur 2010 dégusté dans un verre noir et d’une finesse inouïe. On a passé au moins dix minutes à débattre de la couleur allant d’un blanc italien avec macération pelliculaire jusqu’à un rouge sicilien. Cette syrah est légère et soyeuse à souhait!

 

 

Autre surprise, un piémontais déguisé en toscan! Le délicieusement fruité et gourmand Langhe Nebbiolo de Giorgio Pelissero sur 2007. Une explosion de saveurs rustiques et légèrement fumées. Incroyable avec le colvert dans son jus.

 

 

Une pincée de féminisme: quand même que les garçons sont tous charmants, il serait sympa de voir des femmes en salle ou était-ce leur jour de repos?

471 days ago Short URL

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28

Jan

To taste or not to taste?

Recently, Lettie Teague came to Paris and visited us at Frenchie. She later wrote an article that discussed wine service.

I hadn’t really given the topic much thought even though I did go through a one-year intensive sommelier class during which I was informed again and again of the “proper” etiquette around wine service.

However, rules are meant to be bent!

So what is the proper wine etiquette around wine service exactly?

Cellarnotes.net sums it up this way: 

1) talk to the person at the table that is holding the wine list and wants to order a bottle (the host)

2) get the bottle and present it to the host

3) open the bottle at the table on the right-hand side of the host

4) present the corkscrew to the host for their inspection

5) have the host try the wine

6) should the host believe the wine needs to be carafed (young wines) to let it breathe or decanted (older wines) to seperate the deposit from the wine, do so gracefully.

7) pour the wine to the ladies clockwise from where the host is sitting then to the rest of the gentlemen, and then to the host. BUT if there is a guest of honor at the table, that person should be poured for preceding the ladies.

Let me be clear: this whole procession bores me to death.

I picture a server in a black bowtie and a tastevin bending him forward using outdated formalities that are not fresh or exciting in any way.

Here is my version of wine service.

1) Interact with the table about the wine list and what they are interested in.

2) Make sure that a budget is clearly voiced by either of the people present and offer suggestions when asked (90% of the time).

3) Get the wine from the cellar, open it, smell and taste it to make sure that it is not corked, that the temperature is right for service, that it does not need to be carafed or decanted.

4) Present the wine to the table and pour each person sitting there a little taste. While they are tasting, tell them about the domaine, the soil and the philosophy of this particular winemaker.

I guess tasting every single bottle I sell might seem like a lot especially since I sell between 24 and 36 per night.

The reasons I do so are twofold: checking for cork and other defaults and service temperature is one of them.

But the other, and I feel, the more important one, is to keep the pulse on the evolution of the wine list. 

Wines are alive. They evolve with time. And not just year to year but sometimes even week to week, day to day. Many winemakers I’ve met have told me this. But until I tasted my wines regularly, I couldn’t be sure. Now I know. And it’s true. That is also why I have opened my mind up to tasting wines over and over again even when I didn’t like them at first.

Usually, this allows me to stay on cue when clients ask me questions about a certain wine on the list and I can actually tell them with certainty: “I opened this Geantet-Pansiot Gevrey-Chambertin yesterday and it was supple and fruity and fresh. The Chambolle-Musigny of the same producer and same year is closed right now. Here is the better pick.” I think that is the real added value.

The other fun part is to make sure that everyone at the table is involved in the wine tasting (Fact: not everyone cares). Nothing is more boring that sitting at a table during the wine service and stare at that one person who will decide the rest of your evening’s drinking fate with just one head nod.

479 days ago Short URL

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