Champagne

Tuesday 01/09/09

 

OMG its September already! Less than a week left!!

After freaking last night about train, I manage to purchase 4 tix in my wicked French, all sorted!!

 

Get off at Epernay, check straight in (to my first ever 1* hotel, 30euro a night, ooh baby), catch bus to mesnil-sur-oger.

 

Upon arrival I stroll the town and find CLOS DE MESNIL. 

Hahaha I sneak in over the fence and eat the grapes, pluck the leaves. Amazing. I then get escorted out by an old French guy…apparently I’m not supposed to be in there or something J Wine adventure of a lifetime.

 There are tiny champagne houses everywhere, some of them are just peoples houses, using the front room for tasting.

 

I have lunch at Restaurant le Mesnil.

In 1.5 hrs I manage to do the 5 course deg with a half bottle of claude cazal’s grand cu blanc de blancs.

Amuse of parmesan gougeres & blini w sardine parfait

Beef tartare with capers, olives, parsely, not much spice but smooth and elegant.

Next a shit vegetable and octopus tian (cold) with a pepper cracker and some basil.

Tuna on a olive oil and olive potato mash…decent, if slightly uninteresting.

Cheese – livarot, comte, roquefort, some mad goats thing from jura

Profiteroles with marc de champagne ice cream and choc sauce and wild mint

Bargain, elegant room, cheese trolley, slow but proper service (only 1 girl on the floor!)

 

Next to Salon (!!!!)

I Interrupt the director of Salon-Delamotte in a meeting (oops) and he shows me through to the ‘visitors entrance’. Must’ve missed the sign.

There a French hottie shows me around the cellars. Highlights -

An Aussie flag sits next to the French and European in honour of my visit J

We go through the cellar and see all the old stock, back to 1945

Tasting room – old labels

Upstairs at Aine Salon’s house, the founder of the house

Into the garden – biggest patch of salon grapes in mesnil

Then the tasting – 4 x delamotte wines plus 97 salon

Fucking rad

 

Finish up and wander around mesnil – chat to a local old fella, stroll thru vineyards

 

Back to hotel then out for din dins – only starred place in town is closed, so the next best is…table de kobus

 

Turns out to be pretty awesome.

 

I enjoy Jacques Selosse ‘initiale’ (at a steal) – first taste of selosse wines. All I can say is - try them now. They are amazing. This grand cru blancs de blancs offers fig, honey, treacle, daisys, almonds, then intensifies as the air gets into it – grilled bread and nuts. The texture really gets me tho…strange. Not at all elegant – must be deliberate? The initial attack is swept away by a burst of froth?? Then you are left with your mouth coated with flavour, like the beach after the tide recedes. Amazing.

 

I have a 4 course ‘menu decouverte’

 

Foie gras terrine with fruit laden brioche and a sweet apple compote. Above this is a salad of artichokes and tomato salsa. Yes the two elements are disparate, so I eat them separately. A strange dish, but I enjoy it nonetheless.

 

Then my main of ‘fleur de bar’ (bar cod in the shape of a flower). The fish is curled into a cylinder, then wrapped in a thin brik pastry shell, to resemble a flower. Inventive and preety, the fish is delicious, served on a bed of cocoa infused risotto (!)

 

Fromage frais (soft camembert thing) with line of olive tapenade and a vinegary salad. Strong and a little rich.

 

Shit cake thing at end – a stale tasting raspberry sponge, cream, kirsch cherries, meringue – it is utter balls.

 

So 3 out the 4 were cool, pity about the dessert.

 

Drag my belly home. These last few days are going to do me in….in the next 3 days I shall consume 10 michelin stars, taking  the total to 17 *** * ** ** ** *** *** **