Red light in le Petit Pressigny
During dinner at La Promenade on Saturday night, Xavier Fortin, the restaurant's long-serving sommelier, kindly invited us to visit the restaurant's cellars the next morning around 11am. This gave me time to wander around the village (population: 326 in 2006) and, in particular, to admire the new traffic lights in the centre of the village. These are a traffic calming measure – changing colour as cars etc. approach.
Among the treasures in La Promenade's cellars, there are some very old bottles from the Foucaults (in Chace). The oldest being a 1900 Saumur-Champigny.
Xavier kindly opened a 2004 Muscadet Sèvre et Maine from André Michel Brégeon. Now one of the crus communales it spent five years on its lees. Light to mid-gold in colour this has a richness and complexity that one doesn't normally associate with Muscadet. At the same time it is brilliantly precise and mineral in the finish. A grand vin but not at a grand vin price.
Getting the green light
Among the treasures in La Promenade's cellars, there are some very old bottles from the Foucaults (in Chace). The oldest being a 1900 Saumur-Champigny.
1900 Clos Rougeard, Saumur-Champigny (Foucault)
Xavier Fortin who has been at La Promenade since 1988
2004 Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine, André Michel Brégeon
Xavier kindly opened a 2004 Muscadet Sèvre et Maine from André Michel Brégeon. Now one of the crus communales it spent five years on its lees. Light to mid-gold in colour this has a richness and complexity that one doesn't normally associate with Muscadet. At the same time it is brilliantly precise and mineral in the finish. A grand vin but not at a grand vin price.
The 2004 Gorges is indeed superb. I may have to pick up some more. Can't say I've ever tasted the 1900 Foucault wine though. :-)
ReplyDelete1900 – nor me nor I suspect many people. There can't be many in existence!
ReplyDeleteI am still buying the `01 Haut-Bourg Muscadet for $22 Cdn. Delicious.
ReplyDeleteBob Alberta.
You're a wise man Bob!
ReplyDelete