Lalit: The Latest Hotel In India To Hop On The Private Labels Bandwagon

Often, when presented with an elaborate wine list in a restaurant, the diner is strained to narrow down an option for the occasion especially if (s)he is pressed for time. The experience is not different from a “child in a candy shop” and it has nothing to do with the level of wine knowledge.

Private labels come to the rescue. Sourced exclusively for the restaurant, these wines are chosen to match best with the cuisine. These are the go-to wines, in case sommelier’s advice is not on hand. Private labels are created for the buyer using some custom inputs (brand, design, etc.) at the winery, and are not available elsewhere. In addition to this exclusivity, the supply chain from vineyard to table is short (no intermediaries) and the wines should arrive in an optimal condition.

All of this is done to offer a better wine experience for the guests at the restaurants, which has been designed with them in mind.

The Lalit Hotels have recently introduced a private label offer of French wines at the New Delhi property. These wines have been sourced from Domaine de la Pigeade (DDLP) located in the foothills of Mont Ventoux in the south of the Rhône Valley. DDLP is a member of the Vignerons Indépendants de France (Independent winemakers of France) Association that promotes best practices for self-sustaining operations by small and independent winemakers. DDLP is a small wine house that produces all wine from their own vineyards, under very tight quality control.

Mr. Keshav Suri, Executive Director, The Lalit Hotels supported this endeavour. Charles Donnadieu, the Corporate Wine Sommelier for The Lalit Hotels, hopes to deliver the very essence of the region (where he grew up appreciating these wines with family and friends) to his guests by incorporating its cultural aspects around lots of interesting stories.

Charles Donnadieu, Corporate Sommelier Lalit Hotels, in the walkaround cellar at Lalit New  Delhi

“The first instance of a private label in India was when a reputed French winemaker created a personal label for one of the doyens of Indian hospitality,” recalls Ravindra Kumar, the very seasoned General Manager - Corporate Food & Beverages at The Lalit Hotels. “At The Lalit, we have created this exclusive private label experience for our esteemed guests where the wines are sourced directly from the producer. Not only are they as fresh as they are in the winery, but at an affordable price as well,” he adds. At this time, the wines will be available only in The Lalit New Delhi – the other properties in Bangalore, Mumbai and Kolkata will have to wait a bit more.

The best goblet forward

Charles took me around the restaurants in The Lalit New Delhi to show how the private labels list has been offered. At the signature pan-Indian restaurant “Baluchi”, a flight of three wines (50ml each) have been paired with Indian breads – ₹ 1000++. At “The Grill Room” the panoramic 28th floor restaurant, a set three course menu (see image) was being offered with a choice of a glass of wine from the two on offer – ₹ 2500++ till 31st March 2016. A quick and affordable fine dining experience without having to stress too much about making the right choice. As I sampled this menu, Charles told me that they will continuously be innovating on such offerings and present the wines in different configurations.

Gourmet offerings with the wines at "The Grill Room"

The wines: 

(Prices indicated by bottle/by glass, taxes and service charge extra)

VDP Vaucluse Petits Grains de Folie 2014  (₹ 4200/800) 

Served at: The Noble House (Asian Cuisine) 

A fruity off-dry white wine with medium acidity, even though Charles told me that the residual sugar is below 9 g/l. The wine is from Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains, a varietal known for its aromatics and a luscious palate.

AOC Ventoux Les Sables 2014 (₹ 3500/700) 

Served at: Baluchi (Indian Cuisine) 

An easy drinking light-medium bodied red wine from Grenache, Carignan and Syrah varietals. Smooth tannins, red fruit notes and medium finish.

AOC Vacqueras 2012 (₹ 5000/1000) 

Served at: The Grill Room (Continental Cuisine) 

A blend of the classic Rhône GSM (Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre). A full bodied red wine with good structure, blackberry/ cassis flavours and a lingeringly spicy finish.

AOC Beaumes de Venise 2013 (₹ 6000/ NA) 

Served at: The Grill Room 

A delightful vin doux naturel (wine made from grapes naturally high in sugar) from the Muscat Blanc. 

An aromatic dessert wine with the right balance of sweetness and acidity – the key criteria of a sweet wine. Ripe apricots, figs and citrus notes are accompanied by a touch of spice.

The pours ahead

Does The Lalit plan to introduce more wines, maybe from different countries, in this private label collection? Both Kumar and Charles are conservative on this front, and they feel that the program has to be validated and fine-tuned by the guest response. Charles also shared with me that a retail space was being established to enable guests to take their preferred bottles home.

In the meantime, the guests at The Lalit can look forward to promotional activities like in-house wine tours and wine dinners that are planned around these private labels. The first one is already happening in New Delhi on 28th May 2016.

(This is the blog version of my article first published in vino india)

The one thing you must do at Bordeaux

A visit to Bordeaux invariably implies venturing deep inside vineyard territory, getting a close view of the vines, and of course the opportunity to taste umpteen wines. But amid all the vineyard fervour one tends to overlook the latent beauty of the ancient Bordeaux Ville that beautifully dovetails the old world charm with modern day conveniences.

The enchanting  Miroir d'Eau at Place de la Bourse

The sixth largest city in France, Bordeaux town gives an impression of a story book world where the daily affairs go on with poetic fluidity and where you could look forward to meeting your sweetheart on a bicycle with a basket full of fresh flowers!  From the impeccably maintained tram that takes you in a jiffy to the Centre Ville  bustling with activity without being overcrowded, to a promenade down the expanse of Place de la Bourse with its famous Le Miroir d’Eau, (The Mirror of Water) Bordeaux City has more than a handful of options to engage the exuberant visitor. But what would be that one thing for a wine fan, without which his trip may well fall short of accomplishment? In my opinion it would be  a visit to Bar à Vin – a destination well known for its enviable collection of Bordeaux wines at prices that won’t make you recalculate your finances!

The entrance to Bar à Vin

The expansive interiors of Bar à Vin

Bar à Vin is situated in the Maison du Vin which is an 18^th Century building housing the Conseil Interprofessionnel des Vins de Bordeaux (Bordeaux Wine Council) and its associated establishments. The bar is at the ground level of the building with spacious setting and contemporary seating around wine bottles symmetrically organised into high walls that also act as giant partitions. As I went there alone, my preference was to occupy a place at the bar counter in order to get the advantage of the bartender’s company- a pretty mademoiselle who could communicate in English. Soon enough, my hostess presented the menus for wine and food whereby the geek in me got cracking straightaway. The wine menu had a selection of around 30 wines and I was told that this list was updated frequently to keep the varieties flowing. Major considerations for me while ordering the wines were:

• ·         Must try the famous Bordeaux Clairet- a wine that is difficult to find elsewhere.
• ·         Explore a type that I had not sampled in the estates during the previous four days.
• ·         A  Sauternes towards the end.

 I thus, narrowed down on the following:

·         2011 AOC Bordeaux Clairet- Château Penin.

·         2006 AOC Bordeaux Supérieur- Château de Reignac Grand Vin.

·         2009 AOC Sauternes- Château Haut Bergeron.

Blue cheese platter with Bordeaux Clairet

To pair up the above wines, I ordered an Assiette des Fromages Bleu (Blue Cheese Platter) for a price of 6 € that had three cheeses- Fourme d’Ambert, Bleu de Bresse and Bleu de Pyrénées . The tasting experience went as under:

The Wine menu

2011 AOC Bordeaux Clairet- Château Penin

Price per glass (150 ml): 2 €

Grape: Merlot

Clairet is the genre of wine placed in between the Red and Rosé due to its level of tannin and colour extraction being between the two. It is a casually drunk wine, the majority of which is consumed in Bordeaux itself (since it is supposed to be drunk young) and has been exported to neighbouring England since 18^th century. Château Penin is situated in the Graves region on the left bank of Dordogne river and produces mainly Merlot dominated wines .

Tasting notes

A bright and translucent ruby colour with aromas of red fruits- prominent being raspberry and red cherry. On the palate it was juicy and savoury with a light-medium  body and balancing acidity.  It best accompanied the creamy and buttery Bleu de Bresse which is a blue cheese made from cow’s milk and produced in  Bresse, Burgundy.

2006 AOC Bordeaux Supérieur- Château de Reignac Grand Vin

The Food menu

Grapes: 75% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon

Price per glass (150 ml): 2.5 €

Bordeaux Supérieur is a notch higher in quality than generic Bordeaux wines- in that the grapes come from better notified areas. Château de Reignac is an estate on the western side of Entre Deux Mers (meaning Between Two Rivers) region otherwise famous for its crispy white wines. The ‘Grand Vin’ indicated on the label indicates it as one of the top offerings from the estate but it is not of relevance as regards formal classification system of French wines.

Tasting Notes

Deep ruby red colour with aromas of red fruits and oak. On the palate it was fruity with plums, cherries and black currant. The body was full with a light oaky finish. Went extremely well with all the cheeses but more particularly with Fourme d’Ambert that has a mildly sharp and nutty flavour.

2009 AOC Sauternes- Château Haut Bergeron

Grape: Semillon

Price per glass (150 ml): 6 €

The Sauternes region towards south of Bordeaux  is famous for its micro climate that promotes formation of ‘noble rot’ - a favourable fungus that causes concentration of grape sugars)  on susceptible grape varieties and Semillon happens to be one of those. The other grape varietals that can be used in Sauternes wines are Sauvignon Blanc and Muscadelle.

Tasting Notes

 A deep golden colour with an intense honeyed nose. Full bodied with medium acidity and flavours of tropical and dried fruits. The wine complemented the Bleu de Pyrénées made from sheep’s milk that had strong flavours. Good acidity level of the wine also managed the creaminess of Bleu de Bresse well.

To summarise the total experience, it was a wine trance of sorts where I just let my senses take-over time and again for a surrealistic feel- only to get intermittently awakened for taking down notes and clicking photos for posterity. For a total price of 16.5 € (plus a 5 € tip to the gracious hostess who provided me with knowledgeable company) it was a rare ‘value for money’ experience that spoils you for choice.

My trip to Bordeaux could finally be called accomplished!

With the gracious bartender

This article also featured in Spiritz Magazine Dec 13 issue

Beau-jolais!

With yet another harvest season commencing in the vineyards of Europe it's nostalgia time for me, with memories of the last year's harvest   in the picture perfect vineyards of Beaujolais. The region has such cult status that it needs no introduction to true lovers of wine, however,a brief background would definitely be in order to fill the gaps in knowledge, whatsoever, of this famed wine region.

The rolling slopes of Beaujolais with Mont Brouilly in the distance

The name 'Beaujolais' has its genesis in the word Beau (French) +Jugum(Latin)  meaning “Beautiful 
Hill”.  Located towards south of Burgundy in France, Beaujolais is synonymous with mostly  young wines noted for their unmistakable fruity character and low tannins , making them easy drinking and flavourful . Majority of the wine in Beaujolais is made from the red Gamay grape varietal, though there is a miniscule 1% Beaujolais Blanc made from its famous Burgundian cousin- Chardonnay.

The history of Beaujolais is quite interesting as it represents a success story of a grape that was once looked down upon by the people in power. In the 13^th century, the Duke of Burgundy branded Gamay as ‘disloyal and harmful to human beings’  just  to favour  Pinot Noir that was considered the  grape of nobles. This partisan treatment banished Gamay from the Burgundian vineyards until 19^th century post French revolution. Beaujolais however remained resilient and developed Gamay to the extent that Beaujolais Nouveau is now an enviable marketing paradigm, with the wine being released for consumption less than three months from harvest!  For quick details on Beaujolais wines, see snapshot at the end of this post.

I visited Beaujolais when the harvest for the year was about to begin and  the vineyards were flush with berries.  Arriving at Belleville sur Saône which is the nearest railway station 30 minutes by train from the major French city of Lyon I was received by my host  Aurélien Fiardet, Export Manager at Terroirs Originels , a Cooperative with 25 independent estates managed by the winemakers themselves. Without losing time we drove straight to the first of the vineyards situated at Côtes de Brouilly and my harvest experience started pronto! Winemaker after another, the experience went as follows:

Domaine Emmanuel Fellot

Wines : Beaujolais Nouveau, Beaujolais Villages, Beaujolais Blanc and Côtes de Brouilly.

The bonhomie during harvest

This was my first engagement at Côte de Brouilly where I was to participate in the harvest. I was lucky to arrive at the  vineyard when the harvesting team was on a short break with some delectable wines and cured meats including the famous French Saucisson.  Emmanuel introduced me to the team amid the culinary pleasures and thereafter lost no time in handing me over a harvest bucket with a pair of clippers and a seasoned team member  to guide me on picking the right berries. What followed was pure harvest bliss that I had been dreaming -of, in order to qualify myself as having “been there and done that”!

I sampled Emmanuel’s  Vielles Vignes 2006 Beaujolais Villages at the vineyard itself  and found it absolutely delightful with a mouth filling juiciness and flavours of red fruits, flowers and spice.

With Winemaker Emmanuel Fellot

Domaine Robert Perroud

Wines : Brouilly, Côtes de Brouilly and Beaujolais Nouveau

Berries leaving for the winery

One of the founding members of Terroirs Originels who continues to be an active helmsman till date, it was amazing to note how Robert  continued being involved in his estates to the minutest of details and is yet able to fulfil his responsibilities towards the Cooperative to the hilt! I spent the major part of my stay at Beaujolais with Robert- from the harvesting at his Côte de Brouilly estate to accompanying the grape laden trucks to the winery and further-on till the vinification. During the lunch with his team, Robert explained about the varying styles of his wines and how the different terroir across short distances enables him to produce interesting wines with remarkably distinct characteristics. At lunch I sampled all his wines with a delectable yet simple spread . During the lunch, Aurélien’s slip of tongue calling the Tomato Pie as Pizza, was greeted by uproarious laughter by his French mates citing his prolonged American association !

With winemaker Robert Perroud and the harvest team

 

Vignobles Laurent Gauthier

Wines : Morgon, Chirouble, and Beaujolais Villages Rosé

The steep slopes of Côte du Py (Morgon)

Taking a break from Brouilly, my next stop was at the famed Cru of Morgon where Laurent Gauthier lives and deftly manages his estates that date back to 1834. The first on agenda was to visit  his steep vineyards of Côte du Py (Morgon) -  the sheer beauty of which  more than made up for every drop of the harvesting sweat!  We thereafter headed for his tasting room where I could see spools of labels intended for the 2012 harvest. We sampled the 2010 and 2011 vintages, with the flavours ranging from floral and fruity to powerful and racy. His Rosé, described in his words as an “Iron Fist in a Velvet Glove”  courtesy  its sophisticated yet robust character, is  a runaway hit in the US market. Laurent’s love for terroir was clearly reflected in his wines that presented uniquely discernible traits.

Vignobles Lucien Lardy

Wines : Fleurie, Morgon , Moulin-à-Vent and Beaujolais Villages

Wines tasted at vignobles Lucien Lardy

Another founding member of the Terroirs Originels , Lucien Lardy has a diverse portfolio of wines. Monsieur and Madame Lardy accompanied us to their  vineyards at Fleurie and Moulin-à-Vent where I again took charge of a clipping tool and bucket to get up close and personal with the grapes.

The wine portfolio of Lucien Lardy also  includes a Beaujolais Blanc and to my surprise- a Crémant (sparkling) wine made using the Methode Traditionelle (secondary fermentation in bottle). We tasted all of these in his elaborate tasting room and once again, the diversity of wines was well embossed.

This concluded my short but fulfilling experience of harvest and it was time to bid Au Revoir to

My host Aurélien Fiardet
sampling wine at Vignobles Lucien Lardy

Beaujolais. My experience concluded with Aurélien showing me around the massive facility of Georges Dubœuf- the biggest marketer of Beaujolais wines, and a familiar name of the wine world.  Getting dropped by Aurélien  at my hotel in Lyon further afforded me a great view of the countryside abundant with rolling hills canopied by a pristine azure sky. The Beaujolais charm continues to stay with me nonetheless.

And finally- wines of three winemakers  I visited (Emmanuel Fellot, Robert Perroud and Lucien Lardy) have been selected by Jancis Robinson,MW- the demi Goddess of wine world- as the best wines from the region. It thrills me no end to believe that some of the grapes gone into making these may well have passed my hands !

Beaujolais Snapshot

Total Cultivation area : 23000 hectares under two  departments- Rhône-Alps and Saône-et-Loire (Burgundy).

Average Annual Production :  8,25,000 hecto litres (133 million bottles)

Exports : More than 40% exported to around 135 countries

Wine Style : Charecterised by Carbonic Maceration that extracts more fruit flavours and less tannins.

Wine Style	Characteristics
Beaujolais Nouveau	Young and fruity wines best consumed within a year of production
Beaujolais Supérieur	Same as Beaujolais Nouveau but with more alcohol percentage
Beaujolais Villages	Wines produced with grapes produced in better notified areas, closer to the prestigious slopes of Cru Beaujolais.
Cru Beaujolais	10 classified areas that produce complex, variedly styled and and many age worthy wines. These areas are- Brouilly, Chénas, Chiroubles, Côte de Brouilly, Fleurie, Juliénas, Moulin-à-Vent, Morgon, Regnié and St-Amour.

This article appeared in Spiritz magazine Sep 13 issue

My French Wine Odyssey: Champagne Michel Gonet

 Beauty lies in the eye of beholder and so every individual has  personal preferences. Maybe this is the reason some people prefer a wine that is complex and long lived, while others go for  an easy drinking  version that could be consumed soon after bottling. This theory of preferences crossed my mind as I entered the beautiful maison of the Champagne house Michel Gonet that takes a lot of pride in its specialisation of Blancs de Blancs- and has a definite loyal clientele for that. Located astride the celebrated Avenue de Champagne in Epernay that is dotted on both sides with famous names from the world of Champagne,  Michel Gonet undoubtedly has its position of pride in the milieu.

The Champagne house  established in 1802 by Charles Gonet has  40 hectares of  vineyards – majority of them being in the  Grands Crus of Cotes des Blancs region known for its affinity to the Chardonnay grape varietal. The house also grows around 20% of their total production as Pinot Noir (red grape varietal) that is used for tinting their Rosé Champagne and also to produce a vintage cuvée. Apart from Champagne, the Gonet family owns nine wine estates in Bordeaux that produces different styles of Red and White still wines in varying styles and are managed by the other siblings of the current Gonet generation.

The lovely interiors of Maison Gonet

 Coming to our visit, it was a pleasing sight as we entered the typical French villa beset with large and ethereal glass windows and wooden flooring, shod with luxurious carpets at the right places. There were colourful Champagne bottles adorning the visitors’ lounge that we clicked for posterity while waiting for Madame Sophie Signolle, daughter of Michel Gonet and the Charge d'Affaires at the Champagne house. Soon enough, we were escorted to the adjoining dégustation room where the first wine for tasting was already resting in the chilling bucket. 

The tasting proceeded as under:

Michel Gonet Millésimé  1998 Grand Cru Brut

Grapes: 100% Chardonnay

Alcohol : 12%

This wine won the Medaille d'Or (Gold Medal) in Concours d'Epernay 2003- an annual competition of Champagne wines. It was great to start our tasting with this wine as it was a delicately flavoured luxurious wine with a fruity nose and a creamy palate. The lingering finish lent it an extra edge and versatility to be used as an aperitif as well as a gourmet wine.

Michel Gonet Grand Cru Brut

Grapes: 100% Chardonnay

Alcohol : 12.5%

This pale gold wine with green tints conveyed its youthful nature from the outset. It was confirmed on the nose and palate as well, with its mineral and floral aromas and fresh fruity flavours. An excellent accompaniment with sea food!

Michel Gonet Brut Reserve

Grapes: 50% each Chardonnay and Pinot Noir

Alcohol : 12%

The only  wine from MG stable other than Rosé  to contain a Pinot Noir blend. It was but natural for me to like this one because of my strong inclination towards Blanc de Noirs and its blends. The wine poured with a restrained but powerful mousse and a discreet ring that was a treat to watch. It had a complex nose of citrus fruits, red berries and toasted bread. The palate was tremendously fruity with excellent structure and a smooth lingering finish. A powerful Champagne that can very well stand up to robust food like  roasted lamb while at the same time gentle enough to handle sea food.

Mme Sophie Signolle presenting the
Cuvée Prestige 2001

Michel Gonet Cuvée Prestige 2001 Brut

Grapes: 100% Chardonnay

Alcohol : 12%

Greenish gold in colour with an abundant mousse and fine persistent bubbles. The pedigree of being a prestige cuvée showed with a powerful, fruity and honeyed nose. On the palate it was refreshing with flavours of plums, honey and nuts. A delectable wine you can sip  as an aperitif to light up the occasion!

Michel Gonet Cuvée Prestige 2004 Extra Brut

Grapes: 100% Chardonnay

Alcohol : 12%

Extra Brut is drier than Brut- in that the residual sugar content in the wine is much lesser.This wine received the Silver Medal at  the Chardonnay du Monde 2010 competition- an annual fixture to judge best Chardonnay based wines .

The wine was medium gold in colour with a very expressive nose of ripe pears, dried fruits and bread crust. On the palate it was mouth filling and creamy with good acidity to balance the fruit. A decent long finish makes it a good gourmet wine.

The Oak aged Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru

Thus concluded the wonderful tasting session led by the passionate winemaker in Mme Sophie Signolle who highlighted the Champagne house's emphasis on the traditional way of wine making yet adapting to modern technology, to produce high quality artisanal wines. They have also embraced a pesticide free organic ecosystem to retain the naturally fresh character of their wines.
Sure enough, we found the  wines to be fresh, minerally, pleasingly complex and some of the best Blancs de Blancs we tasted during our Champagne stay.

The traditional shellac sealed closure 

We could however not get to taste their oaked Blanc de Blancs with a traditional shellac sealed bottle closure due to only one bottle being available at that point of time, and Sophie needing to preserve it for further showcasing during the day. I however took  photos of the bottle since it was interesting to note how Dom Pérignon- the inventor of Champagne would have sealed the 'stars' he tasted in  the wine way back in the 17th century.

And the sparkle  has stayed on since then.

All Wines French and Beautiful !

When several people from different professions get together, the interest has to be common- and tasting wines could easily be counted amongst the best of these! At a recently concluded event called Bienvenue that I hosted  in association with Eau de Monsoon restaurant at Le Meridien New Delhi, the enthusiasm of the guests was palpable by their timely arrival despite the infamous VIP movements on Delhi streets ( It’s a different matter though, that my pesky exhortation in the preceding days was forgiven by the guests rather graciously)! That the occasion was the national day of France (called Jour de Bastille) lent a special festive air to the soirée and I cleverly used it to fulfil my long standing ambition to be a history teacher- albeit an indulgent one.

The evening started with a palate awakening aperitif and a visit to the walk around cellars at the restaurant.  Next was the serious yet fun tasting experience that was accompanied by a ‘terroir feeling’ presentation. A brief word about the tasting room at Eau de Monsoon- the space is replete with illuminated tables, cascading water on glass facade and ample room  for the pre-requisites of wine tasting. And so it happens to be one of my favourites  to conduct an effortless  wine tasting!



A part of the spread (R-L) Tapas,
 Dessert and Cheese Platter

The menu for the tasting comprising of Antipasti, Tapas, Assorted Cheeses and Dessert, was  finalized after several sittings with the staff at Eau de Monsoon - so the conduct was pretty simple and all  brass-tacks. This is how it went:

Wine # 1

Jean Claude Boisset AOC Mâcon Villages 2007 

 A medium gold colour and aromas of ripe stone fruits (peaches, apricots) and a citrusy whiff. A light bodied crisp dry and minerally palate and a medium finish. Went well with most of the finger food on offer and creamy cheeses (Brie, Camembert, Danish Blue)

The wines for tasting

Wine # 2

J Calvet À  Bordeaux AOC Graves 2006

Light Lemon with green reflections. A mix of fruit and vegetal aromas with strong bell pepper and sweet spice  on the nose. Dry and medium body palate with just the right acidity.  Ideal accompaniment with asparagus & artichoke Tapas as well as the olives in the Antipasti. Also paired well with other food on the platter as also the cheeses, especially the Danish blue.

Wine # 3

La Rochetière  AOC  Brouilly 2007 


Assiette de Fromage (Cheese Platter)

 Brouilly has a special place in my heart since it is the appellation where I harvested the 2012 crop  with some distinguished producers during my stay in the region last autumn. The innately fruity character of Beaujolais wines often manifests in the form of a juicy and rounded mouthfeel and this time too there was no exception. Aromas of red cherries, strawberries and a little spice added to its overall charm. I still would not advice it to be paired with the smoked Salmon( as the youngest guest in the gathering affirmed)  but it was a pleasure with all other fingerfood on offer. And of course, hors d’ouvres could well be easy turf for this wine.

Wine # 4

Le Nez

Baron Philippe de Rothschild AOC Bordeaux Mouton Cadet 2010

The most famous brand of Bordeaux lived up to its expectations when I heard several ‘wows’ at the first sip. Deep ruby with a subtle garnet rim and pastry shop aromas (chocolate, vanilla et al) this firm yet gentle, fruity yet restrained wine is an epitome of man’s skill in the consistency of blending.The wine was a hit particularly with the cheeses and the Egg and Caviar Tapas.



Wine # 5

J Calvet À  Bordeaux AOC Sauternes 2008 There are dessert wines and then there’s Sauternes. The

Perfect occasion to receive my DELF A2 Diploma
 in Langue Française

name itself evokes respect and the pairing with the crumbly and lush peach and pear tart was anything but coincidence! The lovely medium gold wine with a bouquet of apricots, quince and honey had a wonderful medium bodied feel on the palate with flavours of honey,nuts, liquorice and apricots. The lingering finish ensured a perfect reminiscence of the just concluded tasting!

The most encouraging part of the soirée was the enthusiasm of attendees towards a typically international format of wine tasting-  where tasing measures of wine were served in a fluid sequence amid passionate discussions without the need to be politically correct- and to think that we get fixed up on the notion of Indians being aloof of wines! 

Prenez le Vin s'il vous plait!