2017 – Two fine meals: La Route du Sel (Le Thoureil) + Vincent le Cuisinier (Ingrandes de Touraine)

 The Zéro version of Bouvet's Cuvée Tresor 

– blend of Chenin and Chardonnay: very good the Zéro dosage works well 

Made a good apéro

This is a post celebrating two excellent lunches: the first on Friday 10th February at La Route du Sel (Le Thoureil) and then on Tuesday 14th at Vincent le Cuisinier (Ingrandes de Touraine).   


La Route du Sel (Le Thoureil)
We had lunch with Juliette and Patrice Monmousseau of Bouvet Ladubay. Juliette's sister Marie is the owner and chef here.  

 Crab salad 

 

 One of the day's specials – langoustine à la plancha – delicious!

 Pigeon 

Sole

Two small taster puddings – 

chocolate above and cherry below

2014 Turonien, Alexandre Monmousseau, Vouvray

from Juliette's and Marie's cousin 

enjoyed with the crab and langoustine

Bouvet Trésor Rosé 

served with the dessert but really 

much better on its own 

Vincent le Cuisinier

Mise en bouche 

 

Very good wine list both of Loires and wines outside the fabled valley

2009 Chablis Premier Cru, Vaillons, Dauvissat – just lovely 

 

Vincent's version of ouef en meurette

The chef's paté

 

Tête et langue de veau

Generous cheeseboard for two

Olivia's dessert

Château Suronde – Quarts de Chaume – changes hands

 

From ampelio 

Kathleen Mareels – Van den Berghe

Château Suronde in Grand Cru Quarts de Chaume has been bought by Kathleen Mareels – Van den Berghe. In 2010 she bought Château Minière in Ingrandes de Touraine (Appellation Bourgueil). Since then she and her husband (Sigurd) have made very considerable investments to improve the property and the vineyard.

This should be an exciting new departure.  

Inauguration of Vincent le Cuisinier's Caveau Richelieu

 

 Le discours de Vincent  

 

Last night we were invited to the inauguration of Vincent and Olivia's Caveau Richelieu, a huge cellar that runs under their wonderful restaurant in Ingrandes de Touraine. 

 Benoît Simon 

 

 All the way from the Minervois to taste good Cabernet Franc!

 Just desserts

 Stock for the restaurant 

 Marie Evrard, conteuse

 Vincent's personal cache of wine – securely locked

(above and below)

 

Richelieu 

2015 Loire: photos of flowering in Ingrandes (AC Bourgueil) + a snail's pace

Cabernet Franc in flower at Lamé Delisle Boucard (AC Bourgueil) today

Getting towards the end of the flowering process with the nascent grapes already visible 

Until today the 2015 flowering in the Loire had been blessed with very good conditions – warm sunny days. Towards the end of last week the forecast for this week was for the fine, sunny weather to continue to at least this coming weekend. By Monday this had changed with some unsettled weather forecast for today. Unfortunately today was decidedly wet with afternoon temperatures falling by the best part of ten degrees on previous days. The weather is due to improve tomorrow with temperatures in the high 20s forecast.

The flowering in Bourgueil is well on so today's poor weather should have little effect. Whether it will have affected areas east of Tours where the flowering is less advanced remains to be seen, although one day's poor weather shouldn't matter too much, especially as it has been very dry and the earth could do with some rain.    

 
 

A snail's progress 

Although wet cold weather doesn't suit the vines, especially during flowering, it can make snails very happy as this one demonstrates busy climbing up a vertical step in the rain. 

Château de Minière (Ingrandes de Touraine, AC Bourgueil) Portes Ouvertes: 6th-7th December

Château de Minière 

Minière: Cabernet Franc 2014

Les samedi 6 décembre et dimanche 7 dimanche 2014

SAINT NICOLAS REVIENDRA AU CHÂTEAU DE MINIERE à Ingrandes de Touraine

Programme :

De 14h00 à 18h00

Dégustation des vins du domaine

Animations et ateliers pour les enfants : « Je fabrique mon hôtel à insectes pour l’hiver » en compagnie d’Agnès Robineau, maraichères bio.

A 15h00 précises

Arrivée de Saint-Nicolas qui amènera des surprises pour les petits enfants qui ont été bien sages. Soyez à l’heure !

Selon la tradition nous servirons quelques gourmandises belges : chocolats, spéculoos, bonbons, …

Ce sera également l’occasion de visiter le domaine et notre boutique où vous trouverez plein d’idées cadeaux pour les fêtes de fin d’année.

Merci d’avance de confirmer votre présence avec le nombre d’enfants pour les ateliers : contact@chateaudeminiere.com ou tél. 02 47 96 94 30

2014 Loire: can you tell the difference between a chicken and a bunch of grapes?

 

 

News from Ingrandes-de-Touraine

Philippe Boucard (Lamé-Delisle-Boucard) and Vincent Cuisinier de Campagne have issued a challenge – can you tell the difference between a bunch of grapes and a chicken?

 

- Mercredi 8 octobre, vendange au "Clos des Poules"

A Ingrandes-de-Touraine, 250 poules ont été installés en janvier dernier pour gratter le sol du clos des poules (http://alimentation.gouv.fr/des-poules-dans-les-vignes-de)

 

Le "Clos des Poules" sera vendangé ce mercredi 8 octobre et le public est invité à y participer avant de partager un déjeuner d'automne chez "Vincent Cuisinier de Campagne"

Date : le mercredi 8 octobre, à 8h30.

Lieu : 19, rue de la Galottière, 37140 Ingrandes-de-Touraine.

Tarif : 15 € par personne.

Réservations  au 02 47 96 17 21.

 

Vincent: il reste que 249 poules maintenant...

Vincent Cuisinier-de-Ingrandes – le poulet flambé and other stories

La chauffe forte!!

Around midday on Friday we dropped in on Vincent Cuisinier-de-Campagne (née Simon) in Ingrandes-de-Touraine to take some shots of him preparing lunch as well as a chicken dish for the evening service. 

 Take one chicken reared in the vineyard 

beside the restaurant

Some thyme before slow, gentle cooking in the oven

 Les poulets au four

 Slow cooked snails – nicely juicy and not tough

 Mise-en-bouche

Still life in the kitchen fireplace