Tags
Chateau de Sancerre, L'Espalier restaurant, Louis de Sancerre, Sauvignon Blanc, vegetarian cooking, White Wine
Four years ago, we drank this wine during an unforgettable dinner at L’Espalier in Boston. I remember the impeccable service, the rarefied, exquisite food, the female sommelier, and the long finish of this extraordinary sauvignon blanc. After we got home, I ordered a bottle to keep for a special occasion. It must have cost $30 or $40 at the time. Now it seems that this wine is not to be found. Lately we have been turning over the stock in the cave du vin and trying to drink up everything that might be going over the hill. According to the label, we were several years too late on this one.
Not to worry. Opening it, I noticed a good bouquet of mango, pear and lemon. Yet the real test is in the mouth, since older wines will sometimes retain a great scent but lose their backbone. This one still possessed plenty of acid, mellowed a bit with pleasing notes of vanilla and, unusually for a sauvignon blanc, lots of tasty oak. The flavor brought back memories of the vegetable degustation at l’Espalier, and the finish was gratifyingly long. Coincidentally, we returned to L’Espalier in mid-August, though we chose the wine pairings instead of ordering a bottle. They no longer had Connétable in the cellar.
At home, we drank our Chateau Sancerre with a much humbler repast. I sautéed some rapini with kalamata olives, and served it with a baked potato enrobed in a sauce of Greek yogurt, Dijon mustard and white vermouth. Throughout the meal, we kept exclaiming at how good the wine was. It was that kind of bottle.
Chateau Sancerre has a long, illustrious history. From the medieval structure, the fourteenth-century donjon is preserved, though the current chateau dates to the nineteenth century. It is now owned by Marnier-Lapostolle, the company who produce Grand Marnier. The “Cuvée de Connétable” is named for Louis de Sancerre, who was named Connétable (“Constable” or First Officer of the Crown) to Charles V in 1397.
That wine sounds beautiful. I will never forget the first time I tried a Sancerre, can’t remember it’s name. Nigh on fifteen years ago. And a bit of added kismet we just finished a bottle of Domaine des grosses Pierre’s Sancerre. Around $22.00 Australian. (On a normal ‘no wine night’ as well….very naughty….)
I’m a sauvignon blanc lover in all its forms, but Sancerre seems to be something special! I’m trying with great difficulty to get my “normal night” down to one glass…
I love reading your posts about fine dining and good wine. It’s so far out of my realm of experience. Most of the restaurants I go to have plastic cutlery. On the plus side, you do get a little plastic toy with your meal. I bet you don’t get that at your fancy-schmancy restaurants.
No, indeed. The fancy-schmancy joints drain your wallet and they don’t even give you a plastic toy. As vegetarians we can’t really eat at places where plastic toys are on offer, so we do most of our cooking at home. I used to love Taco Bell nachos, but the Long-Suffering Husband convinced me to give up the nasty habit!!
Is your husband a vegetarian too? Wonderful! As a vegan all I can eat at most fast food places is the fries but oh how I love them! How long have you both been vegatarian?
It’s been more than 20 years now. I used to really love McDonald’s fries, but then there were all these stories about them being flavored with beef, so I said, “no more fast food fries.” It’s true that a really good fry is heavenly. And onion rings. I’m working on a post about onion rings… how long have you been a vegan?
I’ve been a vegetarian on and off since my mid teens but I only became a vegan four years ago after reading Jonathan Safran Foer’s “Eating Animals.” I eagerly await your post about onion rings, which I assume will include a recipe?
No recipes, it’s one of the things I figure that a restaurant can do much better than I. I don’t have a deep fryer, and if I did, I would probably gain 20 lbs or more in short order… it’s hard enough keeping myself off the potato chips. I find that as I age, I’m less interested in sweets and more in salty, savory carbs.