Back from Champagne!!
(updated since I am trying to put in a slideshow!)
The photo above gives an idea of the weather we had. No rain but rather gray. Despite this, we had really nice time. Better than last year ... we found some grapes still ... so we tasted a few from Mercier, Veuve Cliquot, Philipponat, Moet & Chandon ... :-) All photo in this gallery (link).
We stayed in Mutigny (near Epernay) at Le Manoir de Montflabert ... basically a huge castle. To get into our room we needed to go through a secret passage that was so small the partner of my sister-in-law had almost to crawl! Well, he is tall, but even a person as short as me had to pay attention! The place was nice (really like being in a castle) when forgetting the host madame who was every second shouting some sort of welcome to the manoir in an excessively picturesque way.
What did we do? Drive around, eat at french restaurants, drink champagne and visit (once again Reims). First of all, you need to know ... we go there frequently ... therefore, we tend not to act much as tourists any longer. We still enjoy being in Reims. And let's start from Reims ... a nice big city. The main centre has some decent shops and a wonderful Cathedral which is slowly being renewed. Year after year they do something ... let's hope they finish it before I leave this part of the world! The structure is beautiful inside and outside with all the various building around. Not to mention all the wine shops surroundings it (avoid them ... lately they are boosting crazy prices, 460euros for a Clos de Goisses!!! I should put mine on ebay then!). but for us Reims means ... eating a baguetta at Pauls and enoy a nice coffee (with tarts) at Waida's ... the latter is a real treat! The patisserie looks so gorgeous!!!
What about eating out for real. Well, this time we kept it low profile. We went to La Table Kobus on friday night (suggested by the wine writer Tom Cannavan), where I enjoyed oysters followed by a porcini risotto topped with tuna and foie gras ... both simply excellent. Elke took the same main course but a tomato tart to start ... looked tasty! To end a really good Creme Brule' avec Grand Marnier. The place is not that fancy, but the food is really good ... the champagne list not too bad. Maybe a tad expensive (especially when compared to our favourite address Le Foch). Saturday we went to an old place of ours .... Le Vieux Puits. This time it disappointed us. The food was fast, not bad but kind of rushed out and salty. Prices (especially for drinks) way over the top ... not sure we will go back.
And now ... you might ask, what about the wines??? Simply as good as it gets. After few years of going there, we have finally understood that Champagne does not mean Tattinger or Dom Perignon ... that is marketing, not wine. Champagne means visiting small producers and recultant with passion and fantastic not simply french sparkling wine. Our favorite is Francis Boulard, where we spent a good three hours tasting his new 2007 line-up, the new harvest fermenting in the barrel (just 10 days old and a real experince!) and chatting over wine in general. This year I rather enjoyed his 2002 millesime (90) and his Petrea as usual (90). Fine expressions of terroir, balance and respectful wine-making. Bravo Francis!
We also visited (9.30am!!!) Champagne Goutarbe ... where we could only meet with a sales girl and taste their basic Brut, which was rather pleasant (77). But we wanted to taste more ... maybe next time Francis will give us an hand to meet the Mr. Goutarbe!! The third and last producer we passed by was Roger Pouillon ... this time showing wines mostly based on strong vinous personality from Pinot Noir. Decent the basic Brut (73) ... tad too fruity. But really impressve his top cuvee Fleur de Mareuil (90), where the new oak rounds the Pinot Noir and gives the final wine great complexity. Nice really nice.
All good to excellent wines ... superior to all big names (except for Krug and Salon) ... for a fraction of the price (Fleur de Mareuil goes for 21 euros ....). Only problem is ... I have now too much wine for the space ... meaning I need to drink a few bottles very fast ... ich!! :-)
So ... ciao and I go back to my champagne flute!!!
PS: The numbers among brackets is my rating (out of 100).
The photo above gives an idea of the weather we had. No rain but rather gray. Despite this, we had really nice time. Better than last year ... we found some grapes still ... so we tasted a few from Mercier, Veuve Cliquot, Philipponat, Moet & Chandon ... :-) All photo in this gallery (link).
We stayed in Mutigny (near Epernay) at Le Manoir de Montflabert ... basically a huge castle. To get into our room we needed to go through a secret passage that was so small the partner of my sister-in-law had almost to crawl! Well, he is tall, but even a person as short as me had to pay attention! The place was nice (really like being in a castle) when forgetting the host madame who was every second shouting some sort of welcome to the manoir in an excessively picturesque way.
What did we do? Drive around, eat at french restaurants, drink champagne and visit (once again Reims). First of all, you need to know ... we go there frequently ... therefore, we tend not to act much as tourists any longer. We still enjoy being in Reims. And let's start from Reims ... a nice big city. The main centre has some decent shops and a wonderful Cathedral which is slowly being renewed. Year after year they do something ... let's hope they finish it before I leave this part of the world! The structure is beautiful inside and outside with all the various building around. Not to mention all the wine shops surroundings it (avoid them ... lately they are boosting crazy prices, 460euros for a Clos de Goisses!!! I should put mine on ebay then!). but for us Reims means ... eating a baguetta at Pauls and enoy a nice coffee (with tarts) at Waida's ... the latter is a real treat! The patisserie looks so gorgeous!!!
What about eating out for real. Well, this time we kept it low profile. We went to La Table Kobus on friday night (suggested by the wine writer Tom Cannavan), where I enjoyed oysters followed by a porcini risotto topped with tuna and foie gras ... both simply excellent. Elke took the same main course but a tomato tart to start ... looked tasty! To end a really good Creme Brule' avec Grand Marnier. The place is not that fancy, but the food is really good ... the champagne list not too bad. Maybe a tad expensive (especially when compared to our favourite address Le Foch). Saturday we went to an old place of ours .... Le Vieux Puits. This time it disappointed us. The food was fast, not bad but kind of rushed out and salty. Prices (especially for drinks) way over the top ... not sure we will go back.
And now ... you might ask, what about the wines??? Simply as good as it gets. After few years of going there, we have finally understood that Champagne does not mean Tattinger or Dom Perignon ... that is marketing, not wine. Champagne means visiting small producers and recultant with passion and fantastic not simply french sparkling wine. Our favorite is Francis Boulard, where we spent a good three hours tasting his new 2007 line-up, the new harvest fermenting in the barrel (just 10 days old and a real experince!) and chatting over wine in general. This year I rather enjoyed his 2002 millesime (90) and his Petrea as usual (90). Fine expressions of terroir, balance and respectful wine-making. Bravo Francis!
We also visited (9.30am!!!) Champagne Goutarbe ... where we could only meet with a sales girl and taste their basic Brut, which was rather pleasant (77). But we wanted to taste more ... maybe next time Francis will give us an hand to meet the Mr. Goutarbe!! The third and last producer we passed by was Roger Pouillon ... this time showing wines mostly based on strong vinous personality from Pinot Noir. Decent the basic Brut (73) ... tad too fruity. But really impressve his top cuvee Fleur de Mareuil (90), where the new oak rounds the Pinot Noir and gives the final wine great complexity. Nice really nice.
All good to excellent wines ... superior to all big names (except for Krug and Salon) ... for a fraction of the price (Fleur de Mareuil goes for 21 euros ....). Only problem is ... I have now too much wine for the space ... meaning I need to drink a few bottles very fast ... ich!! :-)
So ... ciao and I go back to my champagne flute!!!
PS: The numbers among brackets is my rating (out of 100).
posted by The Food Traveller at 10:21 PM
7 Comments:
Che bel posto il castello dove avete dormito!! Da sogno! Non sono mai stata in quella zona, ma deve essere davvero bella. Per voi amanti del vino e Champagne poi! Buona giornata, Alex
Era economico .... Gites De France. 160 a notte con colazione per la suite con tre camere da letto doppie. Ma nel passaggio segreto :-)
Cosi come per il vino ... non che non mi piaccia spendere, ma ne deve valere la pena. Come sempre la prima volta che siamo andati la' e' quando abbiamo speso di piu' (come veri turisti).
ci sono stata tanti anni fa da quelle parti, ma mi ricordo che avevamo visitato la Mercier, in un viaggio organizzato, che bei posti... e aver da far fuori un bel po' di champagne deve essere proprio un problemone eh? ciao!
Che posti da sogno!!!
Il castello è splendido,come lo è la camera!
Mi piacerebbe molto visitarli(mi salvo il link che non si sa mai!)
Ciao Food!
Bel diario di viaggio. Belle le foto che rendono giustizia a posti incantevoli.Da tenere a mente per quando i figli crescono e li puoi lasciare in hotel mentre tu ti bevi questo mondo e l'altro di champagne.....
Io per il momento posso solo competere con un post pieno di bimbi per halloween mascherati impegnati in un proficuo tuor alla caccia del dolcetto!!!
SEI STATO NOMINATO !!! ;-)
Nominato ?? MForse capiro' meglio quando vedo il tuo blog oggi (tra pochi istanti!).
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