France Flashcards
The Wine Bible by Karen McNeil
Bandol
Bandol is a key appellation of the Provence wine region in far south-eastern France. Created in 1941, the title covers red, white and rosé wines from roughly 1550 hectares (3830 acres) of vineyards around the Mediterranean coastal town of Bandol.
Bandol is most famous for its red wines, which make up the majority of the appellation’s output. These contain a high proportion of Mourvèdre – the appellation rules require at least 50 percent. Using this quantity of such a spicy, powerful grape variety makes for a very characterful wine – one that would be hard to create in any other area of France thanks to the terroir.
Chocolate soufflé
The darker the chocolate is the richer the tannins need to be.
Maison Roche de Bellene
Muersault
2015
Old vines concentration indeed coupled with warm vintage ease for Meursault that’s done more than surprisingly well to not only last but remain openly fragrant for a good long time. A gift of fruit as well, more than anything else and fresh to boot. A top quality parcel gathered and granted best scenario aperture by Nicolas Potel who knows how to grow them and knows how to own them. Cue the Gambler and have a glass for full country AND western enjoyment. Drink date: 2024-2027. Tasted March 2024. Score - 93. (Michael Godel, winealign.com)
Escargots à la bourguignonne
* Stuffed with garlic butter, cooked, served piping hot
https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/escargots-a-la-bourguignonne-233523
Domaine Tortochot
Lavaux St-Jacques (9.53ha vineyard)
Gevrey-Chambertin
1er Cru
2021
Domaine Tortochot Lavaux St-Jacques Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru 2021
A much less expressive, indeed brooding, nose is comprised by notes of both red and dark currant, humus-tinged earth, game and a whiff of herbal tea. There is excellent volume to the bigger-bodied, rich and more powerful flavors that possess slightly better depth and persistence as well. Good stuff and a wine that should repay a decade plus of keeping. Drink: 2031+. Score - 92. (Allen Meadows, burghound.com, Jan. 10, 2024)
Boeuf Bourguignon
* Pearl onions
* Lardons
Domaine Voarick (producer)
Sous Les Roches (vineyard planted in 1945)
Mercurey
2019
This juicy, briskly balanced wine highlights crunchy red-berry and cherry flavors against smoky, charry nuances. Bright in fruit and etched by fine-grained, firm tannins, the lively wine is ready to drink and will likely hold through 2026 [and beyond]. Score - 90. (Anna Lee C. Iijima, Wine Enthusiast, July 1, 2
Charolais Beef
* Named for the town of Charoles in SW Burgundy
* Europe’s top breeds
* Tender, rich flavour
Roasted Charolais
Deux Roches
Les Pommards
Saint-Véran
2021
Lively and fresh, with detailed aromas that vary from lime peel to pear and even passion fruit, all underscored with a suggestion of flinty minerality and a bit of butter and spice. The texture is lively and fine, yet the wine does not lack substance.
Charolais milk - cylinders of Charolais cheese
Charoles is a town 40km WNW of Saint Véran
Olivier Leflaive
Meursault
2020
From 15 plots, more in the bottom, plus some Clous and Vireuils. Pale lemon with stones and ripe white fruit mingling. Riper and fatter on the palate but with a balanced generosity that is even across the whole palate. Still in white fruit, agreeably rounded with just a hint of sandalwood from the barrel to finish. Enough energy to fit alongside the flesh. Score - 89-91. (Jasper Morris, MW, insideburgundy.com, Nov. 2021)
Époisses de Bourgogne
* Runny, stinky, rich
* Town of Époisses
* Slowly aged
* Washed with eau-de-vie Marc de Bourgogne
Eau-de-Vie (French for ‘water of life’, Eau de Vie is a clear, colourless fruit brandy that is produced by means of fermentation and distillation)
Château des Jacques
Clos de Rochegrès Moulin-à-Vent
2021
The deep blueberry nose pulls you into this remarkably ripe and beautifully balanced 2021 Moulin-a-Vent that has what we look for in single-vineyard wines from this appellation. Gentle entry, then plenty of fine tannins at the long, velvety finish where there’s some crushed stone minerality. Drink or hold. Score - 93. (jamessuckling.com, March 20, 2023)
Indian curry
Singapore noodles
Henri Bourgeois
Les Baronnes
Sancerre
2023
For 10 generations, the name ‘Henri Bourgeois’ has been synonymous with passionate precision winemaking. The clay and limestone ridges of Chavignol evoke classic grassiness, gooseberry, grapefruit and mineral tones. Try this with scallops, oysters or tuna steaks.
Crottin de Chavignol
* Goat cheese
* Tangy, creamy, chalky, salty fatty
* French name for goat turd
* Village of Chavignol
Héritage du Cléray
Sèvre et Maine
Loire Valley
2018
Lower end muscadet.
This Muscadet expresses fresh aromas of citrus fruit with pear, mineral and floral notes. The palate is medium-bodied with a creamy texture up front and vibrant citrus fruit flavours. Enjoy it paired with appetizers, shellfish and seafood.
Moules à la marinière
Goulaine
Muscadet Sevre Et Maine
Val de Loire AOP
2018
This wine is made with handpicked grapes, spontaneously fermented and aged for 24 months on its less. The bouquet shows generous aromas of apricots and mango with notes of melon. The flavours are earthy and minerally with apricots and pear bringing a rich balance. Pairs well with shellfish. Score - 17.5 Jancis Robinson.
Buerre blanc on steamed fish from the Loire River
Nantes lamb’s lettuce with a Muscadet white wine vinaigrette
Beurre blanc is an emulsion of half-salted butter and a reduction of white wine, vinegar and shallots. This classic sauce pairs beautifully with salmon, tuna or white fish.
Originated in the 1890s in Nantes, a city in western France close to the Atlantic coast, and was originally called beurre Nantes. According to the legend, a chef named Clémence Lefeuvre (or in some tellings, her assistant) was making béarnaise sauce but forgot to add the egg yolks
Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc
2022
The 2022 Châteauneuf Du Pape Blanc brings another level of precision and focus. Honeyed quince, white flowers, honeysuckle, chalky minerality, and toasted spice notes all define the aromatics, and it’s medium to full-bodied, with beautiful mid-palate depth and a remarkable sense of freshness while staying rich and textured. Score - 95. (jebdunnuck.com, Oct. 30, 2023)
Roussanne blend
Tartiflette
The name tartiflette likely comes from tartifles, the Savoyard word for potatoes.
Based on a traditional potato dish from the Haute-Savoie known as péla and made with a potato called tartiflâ (hence the name)
Potatoes, cream, Reblochon cheese, lardons, onions
Reblochon comes from the word reblocher, which means ‘to squeeze the utter again’.
Made with raw milk from the second milking of three different cow breeds (Abondance, Montbéliard or Tarine)
45% fat content
Washed rind has a light yellowish color. The cheese has an earthy aroma and nutty taste.
Gérard Bertrand
An 1886
Les Aspres
2019
40% Grenache, with the balance split equally between Mourvèdre and Syrah
Scents of fine leather, licorice and black cherries
Medium to full-bodied, supple and streamlined, with an easy flow across the palate and a long, spice-driven finish.
This vintage, it’s my ever-so-slight preference. Drink date: 2021-2027. Score - 91. (Joe Czerwinski, robertparker.com, Sept. 23, 2021)
Cassoulet
Contentious origins: Toulouse, Castelnaudary and Carcassonne
Stew of dried beans, preserved duck (or goose, or partrige) and pork (or mutton) together.
Baked in clay pots called cassoules
[https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/deconstructing-cassoulet-classic-french-stew]
Canneto
Vino Nobile di Montepulciano
2017
Aromas recalling camphor, chopped herbs and blue flower come together in the glass. On the smooth palate, fine-grained tannins envelope raspberry jam, baking spice and coffee bean notes. Drink through 2027. Score - 92. (Kerin O’Keefe, Wine Enthusiast, May 1, 2022)
Rare steak with a Béarnaise sauce
Tarragon, shallots, and white wine vinegar in the Bérnaise
Invented by Chef Collinet, for his restaurant Le Pavillon Henri IV (opened in 1836). Henri IV was from Béarn, France.
Seared scallops with a Mornay Sauce
Mother Sauce: Béchamel
Made by whisking hot milk into a simple flour-butter roux. The sauce is then simmered with onion, cloves, bay leaf, and nutmeg until it is creamy and velvety smooth.
Small Sauce: Mornay Sauce
Add gruyère and parmesan cheese
Scandinavian Scallops
A sophisticated starter for two, this recipe for scallops, leeks and reindeer in mussel sauce comes from Joni Ketonen, the Finnish head chef at Eldr restaurant in Belgravia
https://www.olivemagazine.com/recipes/chef-recipes/scandinavian-scallops/
