L'Esprit Champagne Castelnau 'Hors Catégorie'

by Paige Donner

Maybe it's because there's a woman Chef de Cave, Elisabeth Sarcelet, at Champagne Castelnau? Or maybe it's simply because the champagne limited edition by Castelnau designated 'Hors Catégorie' which translates into English as 'priceless' or 'beyond categorization,' is a limited edition unique blend? But there's something about this cuvée that truly makes it exceptional.  

Each of these limited edition release cuvées under the label Hors Catégorie are blended to stand alone. They are not a standard by which other champagnes of the house will be blended, as is the production M.O. in Champagne (with a few exceptions such as Jacquesson).  When Ms. Sarcelet blends this cuvée she does so by selecting only the most exceptional wines in the cellar and then delicately and expertly blends them to bring out only the best individual characteristics of each of the singularly vinified cuvées. Each of these champagnes released under this special label or "cuvée" is made to stand alone. 

What's even more extraordinary is that in this current release of Hors Catégorie, CCF 2067 released on 22nd January, 2018, there is only 5 g. of sugar. But its roundness and its voluptuousness would have even the most expert of champagne connoisseurs guessing otherwise. 

" For this second edition, the spirit of Hors Catégorie is ever present. As its fine bubbles burst we are transported to a universe of spice and vanilla notes. A gentle signature of oak is conferred by ageing for 10 months in Burgundy barrels made from wood from the local Argonne forest, and it is this that gives some smoky notes to the blend. An aromatic complexity develops as the wine opens up with scents of toast, candied lemon and delicate minty notes.  - Elisabeth Sarcelet, Chef de Cave, Champagne Castelnau

Elisabeth Sarcelet, Chef de Cave, Champagne Castelnau, pictured above

According to the tasting notes, the best wines for this release, Hors Catégorie CCF 2067, were selected mainly from Trépail, Villers-Marlery, Montgueux, Vitryat, Riceys and Montagne Ouest. Fifteen % from 2011 harvest and 85% of reserve wine from 2010 (a very good year in Champagne). Aged for nearly a year in oak from Burgundy. 

15% Chardonnay 

40% Pinot Noir

45% Pinot Meunier

3600 bottles. 300 magnums. Produced June 2012. Disgorged May 2017. 

Click Here for the Product Sheet

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Cuvées Sakanti Bali & Kilti Haiti Valrhona Chocolat

by Paige Donner

Can chocolate have cuvées, like fine wines do? That is the premise on which these two new fine chocolate releases are based upon by the Valrhona team of expert chocolate makers.

Valrhona is based in the Tain l'Hermitage region of central France. Most people don't realize it but the likes of famous chocolatiers (Patrick Roger for example) and patissiers (Pierre Hermé for example) source as much as 140 tons of Valrhona chocolate - per year! - for their masterful creations.

Championed by Frédéric Bau, the Chef Patissier and Creative Director of Valrhona chocolates, each year the famed house sources different specific locally grown cacao that has exceptional aromatic qualities. This year those two "cuvées" have been sourced from Haiti and Bali. The initiative was born in 2008 and falls under the name of Cuvées de Sourceur Valrhona. The cacao that is sourced is grown in exceptional terroir, a singular history and rare aromatic qualities.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpU49DnSYHo

Cuvée Sakanti Bali 68%

This year we are delighted by the Cuvée Sakanti Bali 68% that exhibits Fruity and Chocolate-y qualities.  To best experience the aromatic character of this chocolate, close your eyes, open the packet of chocolate and inhale the bananas flambé and roasted caramel scents.

The cooperative in Bali which produces this cacao was discovered by accident in 2013 by Valrhona's 'sourcing expert,' Julien Desmedt. Sakanti means 'glittering' in Balinese and this cacao has an uplifting acidity marked by its fruity notes, followed by intense chocolate with subtle bitter notes.

Fruit associations of this chocolate cuvée:  Banana, grapefruit, mango; Spice notes: frensh coriander  Aromas:  cognac, acacia honey  Dried fruits/nuts: Almonds, pine nuts, mint.

The optimal use of this chocolate is for chocolate bars.

Cuvée Kilti Haiti 66% Fresh and Balanced

The notes here are a beautiful vanilla and wonderful acid balance. Valrhona's engagement with Haiti began in 2010. It was then that they decided to pioneer a project of 38 hectares of quality-grown cacao where the house piloted a regeneration of agroforestry which is based on bio-diversity even on the same parcel of land which allows, too, for more diversification of revenue for the producers.

The word 'Kilti' means 'culture' in Haitian. Often when we think of Haiti we think of images of climactic catastrophe. But there is a lot of richness to be discovered in this land, notably too its cacao.

The tasting notes of Kilti Haiti are a light acidity on first taste, which then yield to beautiful classic chocolate notes with hints of roasted dried fruits and nuts on a base of persistent sweet-bitter.  NOTES: red fruits, pear, citronnelle; Aromas: baked cookies, ginger; SPICES: coffee, vanilla.

Best uses: chocolate bar, chocolate creams and ganache.

For an extra delightful experience, try pairing these chocolates with a range of deep, rich red wines and even other beverages such as saké, beer, tea and sparkling varietal grape juice.

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For more information about this and other Paris GOOD food + wine episodes please see  Local Food And Wine     https://localfoodandwine.wordpress.com as well as iTunes.

All music used is free of rights and royalty-free. Show Intro/ Outro Jazzy Paris background courtesy of BenSound Music.
This episode has been generously brought to you by Paris Food And Wine @ParisFoodWine http://parisfoodandwine.net and also Bordeaux Food & Wine @bordeauxfoodvin http://bordeauxfoodandwine.com

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Episode 36: 2017 Bordeaux, Chef Sylvestre Wahid & Boneshaker Doughnuts Paris

by Paige Donner

Episode 36 Paris GOODfood+wine

For our April in Paris Goodfood+wine show, we take you this month to the city's first freshmade doughnut shop, Boneshaker Doughnuts; we bring you with us on a tête-a-tête with a 3^rd generation Bordeaux château wine expert who tells us about her 2017s just in time for En Primeur; And, lastly, but most certainly not least, you join me for a sit-down with Chef Sylvestre Wahid, the 2-star Michelin chef whose 10-table dining room called Restaurant Sylvestre on rue St. Dominique, offers truly luxury dining and spares no detail in the service, the setting or the cuisine.

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photos by Paige Donner, more on FoodWine.photography

So relax, kick up your feet, pour yourself a glass of whatever is tugging at your taste buds this minute, and join us for yet another episode of Paris GOODfood+wine where we introduce you to some of France's finest wine and food entrepreneurs and experts.

photos by Paige Donner, more on FoodWine.photography

We'll begin the show with Julia Gazaniol whose grandfather purchased Château de Parenchère in 1958. For most wine estates in Bordeaux, 2017 was an especially difficult year, climatically speaking. Many estates lost anywhere from 50 – 80% of their grapes due to late frosts. It was the smallest Bordeaux harvest since 1945. However, as Julia will explain to us in greater detail, the quality remains quite good..

Fresh-baked Paris Doughnuts by Boneshaker Doughnuts on rue d'Aboukir Paris 75002

 

 

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Oh For The Pleasure of Wine...

by Paige Donner (all photos copyright Paige Donner 2018)

There's a new sheriff in town... Or, well that's what it felt like anyway at the brilliant wine dinner hosted by Oenoteam, a wine consultancy based in Libourne, Bordeaux, France.  The dinner was organized here in Paris in the understated chic neighborhood of the 7th arrondissement in the fabulous Atelier Eiffel. The purpose of the wine dinner: to share their joy of wine and a few of their favorite picks with us, members of the press including some of France's most notable wine tasters and critics (Philippe Faure-Brac, Michel Bettane...).

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 SEE PICTURES AND FULL POST HERE

Throughout the evening, the Oenoteam partners - Stéphane, Julien and Thomas -  would catch one or another of us scribbling down tasting notes and, with a wine taster's religious fervor, copying down the name of the estate, the vintage year, the varietal blend and other technical and non-technical details. And they - Stéphane, Thomas and Julien - would gently remind us that the evening, this particular wine dinner, was for the pure pleasure of it. And with Chef Vivien Durand of Le Prince Noir in Bordeaux (1*Michelin) overseeing the kitchens, joy was not in scarce supply.

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It reinforced a TEDX talk I once sat in on where a wine consultant, I believe she was based in Oregon, told her audience that the quickest way to kill your wine buzz is to make it your life's profession. I'm not sure that I totally agree with her, but there have been times, in fact many times, when tasting your way through dozens of new vintages can become something of a chore. Tasting 100 wines all in a row becomes work. And when wine becomes work, the pleasure - doesn't disappear - but it does diminish.

How gentlemanly of them then, to host a dinner for their few dozen favorite Paris-based wine writers and critics for the sole purpose of sharing. Sharing in the real sense - time, delight, conversation, moments spent with like-minded (and some not so like-minded) people.

Laughter. Joy. Wine. Good food.

Before there was instagram, twitter and facebook, this was the real meaning of sharing. Sharing time and sharing experiences. Breaking bread with your fellow (wo)man. Wine, for thousands of years, has of course played a central part in this kind of sharing.

Thank you Oenoteam. Thank you for not killing the wine buzz. But rather for nurturing it - with gentleness, enthusiasm, gentlemanliness and passion shared amongst others,

Another TEDX talk I listened to not so long ago was given by another female wine writer and critic who travels around the world, tasting great wines. She said that wine has kept her humble. To be included in these special moments, with people who have spent generations cultivating vineyards and lovingly putting this nature's elixir into bottles so that it can enjoyed by others, is humbling.

And there is only one response that such an experience evokes, and that is deep gratitude - for all that went into creating such a moment. And for this most divine of nature's gifts, Wine! 

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BOOK Your Perfect Pairings Wine Seminar Today!  

Book directly HERE:  2 hours of tasting and learning all about French wines and which foods they pair best with!

BOOK Today!

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Soupçon de Graman - Crémant de Bordeaux

by Paige Donner

Harvested by hand this dry rosé, full of bubbles which exhibit finesse and fine acumen, makes a good showing for the rising star of Crémant de Bordeaux.

The vines are cultivated in Landerrouat, an appellation bordering on the Southwest of France that is authorized to make AOC Bordeaux, Bordeaux Supérieur and Crémant de Bordeaux.  

This is a Sunday afternoon wine to be consumed with friends enjoying a relaxing time together in a sunny living room or on a garden deck/terrace.  It's also the perfect wine to preface chicken on the bbq which could easily follow this when served as aperitif with some savory-sweet appetizers.

Cépages : Cabernet Sauvignon. Récoltés manuellement en cagettes  .

(Cabernet Sauvignon: Harvested by hand)

A déguster en apéritif et en dessert.

(To enjoy with hors d'oeuvres or with dessert)

Dégustation/ Tasting

Appearance: a beautiful salmon with light pink reflections. The bubbles, as noted, are fine and refined and leave your tastebuds following the vinous notes of the wine.

Nose: Raspberry freshness tempered with a bit of fruitier cherry. When this sparkling edges towards room temperature these notes mellow a bit and become a more generous confiture type profile.

Mouth: Freshness and a fair bit of acidity accents the presence of red (raspberry) fruit in the bottle.

Oeil : teinte parfaitement saumonée avec de legers reflets « pink ». Les bulles sont très fines tandis que la mousse abondante laisse s'épanouir un cordon tout autour du verre, signe de la parfaite élaboration du vin. 
Nez : très expressif et franc annonçant des notes de framboises et cerises fraîches tandis qu'il évolue vers des notes confiturés lorsque le vin se réchauffe. 
Bouche : c'est la fraicheur qui marque l'attaque avec une finale tout en finesse qui finit par révéler des arômes fruités et variés.

IF SO INSPIRED, YOU CAN FIND THIS SUGGESTION OF A COCKTAIL ON THEIRWEBSITE: 

Idée cocktail : Cocktail Suggestion 

Ingrédients :

1 petite louche de pulco citron  / lemon pulco

1 petite louche de cointreau / cointreau one part

1 petite louche de sucre en poudre cristallisé / dash of powdered sugar, crystallized

1 bouteille de crémant rosé 75 cl / mix with the botltle of rose crémant

des glaçons / ice cubes

Verser tous les ingrédients dans une carafe, et ajouter les glaçons. / PUT EVERYTHING IN A CARAFE, ADD ICE CUBES AND MIX GENTLY

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JOIN US FOR A 2+ HOUR WINE + FOOD PAIRING SEMINAR AND TASTING TREK IN PARIS. 

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(The Experience lasts between 2 and 2 1/2 hours)

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Posted in 10BESTwines, Bordeaux Food And Wine, bubbly, Chérie Du Vin, Chérie Du Vin Recommends, chérie du vin top picks, Chérie Du Vin Wine Picks, cherie du vin, Cherie Du Vin TV, Local Food And Wine, Local Food And Wine Tastings & Tours, Local Food And Wine TV, Paige Donner, paigedonner, paris, paris food and wine, paris GOODfood+wine, parisfoodandwine, Rose, wine and food pairing, wine tasting, Wine Tasting Tours, wine tourismTagged Berticot, Bordeaux Food And Wine, Cherie du Vin, Cremant de Bordeaux, Landerrouat, Local Food And Wine, Paige Donner, Paris Food And Wine, perfect pairings food & wine, Rose, soupçon de Graman, sparkling rose, sparkling wine, wineLeave a commentEdit

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Episode 35: Grand Café Tortoni, Chef Arbalaez & Olivier Giraud

by Paige Donner

If there was ever an episode of Paris GOODfood+wine that will make you want to book the next flight to Paris, it's this one.

First up, we have the utterly charming and so very humble, Victoire de Taillac who is the co-owner, along with her husband, of Le Grand Café Tortoni. It's newly opened in the Upper Marais on rue Saintonge and here she gives us the very colorful backgrounder on why every schoolchild in France has already heard of Le Grand Cafe Tortoni.

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BOOK Your Perfect Pairings Wine Seminar Today!  

Book directly HERE:  2 hours of tasting and learning all about French wines and which foods they pair best with! 

BOOK Today!

---

 

Then, we take a little intermission break and speak with a local Parisian celebrity, namely Olivier Giraud. He's the star performer of the one-man show, How To Become Parisian In One Hour. He's amused and delighted audiences since first performing his hour-long routine at the Théâtre des Nouveautés in the Grand Boulevard district of Paris just about 8 years ago now.

 

Lastly, we turn to the Parisian-by-way-of-Colombia young chef, Juan Arbalaez who was so inspired by lemons that he named his newest restaurant Limon. He'll tell us all about that here on the show.

So, get ready for yet another enticing, appetizing, delicious and tempting episode of Paris GOODfood+wine.

 

All music free of rights courtesy FreeSoundtrackMusic.com FunkMe by Mike Vekris and Groovy Paris Jazz by BensoundMusic.com for show Intro and Outro.
To contact Paige Donner for speaking/hosting/producing paigedonner.info
For more info about Paris GOODfood+wine and a complete show lineup go to localfoodandwine.wordpress.com
And our website parisfoodandwine.net
Instagram @paigefoodwine Twitter @parisfoodwine

Listen to Paris GOOD food + wine on :

All photos (where noted) copyright 2018  Paige Donner  FoodWine.photography

iTunes – Paris GOODfood+wine / 

Media Engagements, speaking and collaborations: contact http://PaigeDonner.info