Awards and citations:


1997: Le Prix du Champagne Lanson Noble Cuvée Award for investigations into Champagne for the Millennium investment scams

2001: Le Prix Champagne Lanson Ivory Award for investdrinks.org

2011: Vindic d'Or MMXI – 'Meilleur blog anti-1855'

2011: Robert M. Parker, Jnr: ‘This blogger...’:

2012: Born Digital Wine Awards: No Pay No Jay – best investigative wine story

2012: International Wine Challenge – Personality of the Year Award




Sunday 22 October 2017

Anecdotal evidence in Montreuil-sur-Mer....

 Hotel Hermitage @Montreuil-sur-Mer

Anecdote


Yesterday needing to drop off a friend at Tours airport for an early afternoon flight before heading north and back to the lunatic asylum (UK), we decided that instead of doing the whole trip in one as we normal do we would stay overnight @the Hotel Hermitage in Montreuil-sur-Mer.

Our comfortable room cost 80€  – not expensive for the comfort. We chose to dine in Anecdote, the restaurant attached to the hotel. This restaurant is run by Alexandre Gauthier of La Grenouillère at la Madelaine-sous-Montreuil. Gauthier fils took over from his father-Roland, who had run the restaurant La Grenouillère since 1979, at 2003. In 2014 he bought the premises that now houses Anecdote, which then opened in early 2015. 

Gauthier sees Anecdote featuring 'la cuisine de mémoire', which it does with dishes like Tarte Tatin, Crèpes Suzette and other traditional dishes. There is, however, a very creative side to the cooking as we discovered and enjoyed last evening.   

We started with a glass each of white both from the Midi – I took the 2016 IGT Saint Guilhem le Désert, Dame Jeanne Blanc from Bergerie & Capucin. This is a blend of Chardonnay and Viognier. Carole went for the 2013 IGT Cuvée Finesse from Cazal Viel in Saint-Chinian. This is a blnd of 60% Sauvignon Blanc, 25% Chardonnay, 10% Viognier and 5% Muscat Petits Grains and in the past has been criticised for being a little sweet. This was not the case with the 2013 vintage, which was crisp and remarkably fresh for a white wine from the Midi.

After our glass of white we chose the 2015 arbouriou, Côtes du Marmandais from Elian da Ros. This is a wine made from a grape variety that is local to South West France. It's a wine to enjoy now with all its exuberant, youthful black fruits.

 2016 IGT Saint Guilhem le Désert, 
Dame Jeanne Blanc from Bergerie & Capucin


 2013 IGT Cuvée Finesse, Cazal Viel in Saint-Chinian


 Cheese sticks with our apéro white


 Very inventive cauliflower and smoked haddock first course 


 Fantastic oysters with cucumber jelly 

Veal 

Perfectly cooked Angus beef steak with a pepper sauce

2015 abouriou, Côtes du Marmandais, Elian da Ros

 Crèpes Suzette










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