Les Vignes et les Vins: May 2015

Saturday, 16 May 2015

May 2015 - Sancerre & Pesselieres

Vineyards, Colza and Poppies as the rain clouds gather on the road from Vinon to Sancerre.

The weather was mixed when we were down in Sancerre this May. Clouds most days and some rain but the light was good from time to time.

Working the vineyards by hand.....

...and by tractor.

There were still clouds when we took the dogs for a walk around Veaugues. The trees here mark the road between Veaugues and Crezancy.

The Veaugues vineyards with the village in the background

The Veaugues vineyards, May 2015.

In May little bunches of grapes are beginning to form on the vines

For further pictures of how the Sancerre vineyards look and develop throughout the year click on a link below:

January 2015

February 2015

March 2015

April 2015

During our May visit we also went along to Pesselières which is a small hamlet near Jalognes which has a great mill selling oils and one of my favourite gardens in France.

They were making Walnut Oil the day we visited.

Walnuts are a local product with many walnut trees in the Sancerre area.

The mill stones are replaced about every 400 years. This one was working until 2008.

The end product - Walnut oil.

The beautiful gardens at the Château de Pesselières

It is Iris season.

They have a new walled garden which is brilliant to see in the summer.

Thursday, 14 May 2015

Surf and Turf with Old Bordeaux

To celebrate my birthday in April we had some old and new friends around and opened up some 10, 20 and 30 year old bottles of Bordeaux. With these wines and some other white, sweet and sparkling Bordeaux I designed a "Surf and Turf menu" that Jane willingly executed.

Red Bordeaux wines from 2005, 1995 and 1985

Guests at our Bordeaux Surf and Turf dinner having an aperitif of Cremant de Bordeaux and cheese and anchovy puff pastry sticks.

First course was scallops with crispy bacon and pea purée served with an unusual Bordeaux white made with Sauvignon Gris grapes.

Second course was carpaccio of beef served on a salad of young leaves with rosemary smoked langoustine and caviar. This was served with an exceptional Saint Emilion Grand Cru Classé - a 2005 Château La Gaffelière.

Our menu

Service! The first of our main courses was roast lamb cooked with anchovies and served with a balsamic smear and olive soil. This was matched with our second 2005 - a Château Tour de Pez Saint Estephe.

Everyone enjoying the fine wines!

Second main course was slow cooked beef cheek with an oyster beignet. This was accompanied by a 1995 Saint Julien - a Château Langoa Barton. Very nice. The crispy Oyster was wonderful!

Cheese platter of a local Dreux cheese, a Salers and an Ossau Iraty. With this we had our 1985 Château Ducru Beaucaillou.

One of our guests, Pascal, brought along a yummy orange and chocolate dessert cake which we served with some homemade marmalade and a 1999 Sweet White Bordeaux.

A golden dessert Bordeaux

Our order of preference for the reds with the 1995 lagoa Barton and the 2005 La Gaffeliere coming out top

Thanks to Jane for executing perhaps our best wine tasting dinner to date. An adventurous menu but one that worked! Believe it or not the langoustines and fried oysters worked well with our mature red Bordeaux wines. Be adventurous with your food and wine pairing and dare to beak the rules!

April 2015 - Didier Dageneau, Pouilly & Sancerre

Working in the vineyards at Saint Andelain in the Poiully-Fumé appelation

In April we finally got to go to the Domaine Didier Dageneau which is one of the top Pouilly Fumé producers. Unfortunately, the tasting was spoilt as I was suffering from an allergy to Colza which was rampantly in bloom nearby. However, we bought some of their rather expensive wine and I will get to taste this in a year or two!