DiscoverVin Left Bank vs Right Bank Dinner at Bistro Vue

As part of the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival DiscoverVin hosted a food and wine dinner at Bistro Vue on Tuesday 5 March 2013.  Welcome to Earth was the theme for this year's festival.  The earth nourishes us - it's the source of all our food and wine.

DiscoverVin presented wines to highlight the contrasting terroirs of the Left and Right Banks of Bordeaux. Succulent Merlot based wines from Right Bank producers Chateau Dassault 2006 and Chateau D'Aiguilhe 2008 grown on the clay/limestone plateau of Saint Émilion and Castillon. Rich Cabernet based wines from the Medoc on the Left Bank of the deep gravel beds of the Gironde Estuary (Vivens 2005 and Amiral de Beycheville 2008 ).  

Melt in your mouth Slow cooked Flinders Island Salt Bush Lamb

The four course menu produced by Chef Chris and the Bistro Vue team was inspired by classic French dishes from the Bordeaux, given a modern twist.  Produce from the Vue Group gardens of Burnham Beeches in the Dandenongs featured on the menu.

 

 

Bordeaux DInner in Brisbane

Following on the heels of successful dinners in Adelaide and Melbourne it was a great pleasure to hold a Bordeaux dinner in Brisbane on October 25th. This time we went to local favourite and award winning French restaurant C'est Bon in Wollongabba. Part of the charm of this restaurant, apart from the great food and wine, is the friendly and quintessentially professional front of house staff led by Celine Damour. As usual they made everyone welcome and the evening ran like clockwork. Thanks to Celine, Anthony, Sandrine and the team!

The evening kicked off with an amuse-bouche of salmon and goat cheese "tartare" which was a perfect foil with our favorite  cru classé  dry rosé from Provence- Domaine de la Croix 2010.Following that the dinner followed the theme of New Bordeaux showcasing 2 fabulous whites matched to a classic dish of monk fish in a white wine sauce. The soft acidity of the Chateau Haut-Peyrous Graves 2009 and rich complexity of the Tour des Gendres Moulin des Dames Blanc 2009 (both semillon/sav blancs) were great matches. There was a lot of discussion about which one people preferred and it seemed to be a split decision. Both are drinking beautifully well. Several people made comments like "the best semillon/ sauvignon blancs that I have tried".

Then onto a great main course of rack of lamb moist and just pink in a red wine sauce, matched with spaetzle (to soak up the delicious sauce!) and some beautifully presented seasonal vegetables. We enjoyed 3 red wines which showed off the Merlot based wines of the right bank versus the Cabernet based wines of the red bank. Chateau D'Aiguilhe 2008 one of the "rising stars of Bordeaux" (and recently shown on the cover of Decanter magazine) is a great example of the opulence of the right bank Merlot based wines. Tourelles de Longueville 2007 is a great example of a "second label". A wine made from the younger vines to at Pichon-Longueville Baron to the same exacting standards as the "first label", intended to drink young and representing great value for money. The third red was from the ever reliable Chateau Lanessan. From the 2004 vintage it is starting to show some integration of the fruit and tannins and is a great example of how the reds of the left bank can develop with a few years of clearing. These 3 red wines all impressed for their purity of flavours, class and finesse.

Desert was a pear poached in red wine served with  a lovely calvados sabayon and cinnamon ice cream matched with the incredible Chateau Le Pradey Sainte-Croix-de-Mont 2008. This is a lovely dessert wine. Luscious fruit (stone fruits, tropical fruits and and some citrus notes,) excellent mouth feel and sweetness but a lovely non-cloying dry finish. Lots of excitement amongst the diners who had not previously had a Saint-Croix de Mont wine before. This is an excellent appellation facing the famous vineyards of Sauternes and Barsac just across the Garonne river.

To finish some excellent cannelles de Bordeaux. Crunchy on the outside, moist and gooey in the middle. Not easy to get right. Well done Anthony!

All in all DiscoverVin had a great night. and it was a pleasure to collaborate with Celine and her team. There was a real "buzz' and energy in the room.  It was a pleasure to meet some new customers and to see them enjoying the food and wines and see their excitement and pleasure form enjoying good food, great new wines and great conversation. 

Next up it will be Sydney's turn to enjoy the wines of New Bordeaux, matched to the cuisine of Fix St James in Sydney and hosted by another consummate professional- Stuart Knox Sydney Morning Herald Somelier of the Year 2012- to look after us. Details of the dinner can be found here.