Let Us Entertain You

Bob & Nathalie & Sacha came over for dinner. For aperitif, we had the Freesia Blanc that I picked up earlier...and it's a hit.  (http://daveswinedomaine.blogspot.com/2009/11/la-cave-des-arceaux.html). Out on the balcony, enjoying the sunset, drinking a good wine… it’s one of life’s great pleasures.

Michèle prepared grilled salmon with a Madeira sauce and fresh cèpes (porcini), red rice from Camargue, and a side of asparagus. Wow, it’s amazing what she can do in an unfamiliar and poorly equipped kitchen! We bought the ingredients in different places. We got the salmon at one of the major chain grocery stores. The cèpes and asparagus were bought at Les Halles, the market that’s in the centre of the old city; we bought a selection of cheese there as well. We picked up the wine at two different shops: the Freesia Blanc at La Cave des Arceaux and the other wines we bought at Maison Regionale des Vins. And the dessert is from a little bakery that’s less than a five-minute walk away.

With the salmon, we had a wine from Domaine Jean-Baptiste Senat called, “Mais ou est donc ornicar” 2008, AOC Minervois (Trausse). Minervois is in the western part of Languedoc, about 150 kilometres west of Montpellier. The 2008 is a blend of Grenache, Cinsault, Mourvèdre, and Syrah, with aromas of red and black fruit, earthiness, thyme, and liquorice. Almost full-bodied and soft tannins. WOW, it’s a great match with the mushrooms and the Madeira sauce. Jean-Baptiste Senat is a certified-organic producer. If you’re wondering what an “ornicar” is, well, before you go running for your Larousse, it actually doesn’t mean anything. Mais Ou Est Donc Ornicar is a mnemonic phrase of the French conjunctions (mais, ou, et, donc, or, ni, car).

With the cheese, we followed up with Domaine D’Aupilhac 2006, Coteaux du Languedoc Montpeyroux, Producer: Sylvain Fadat. Montpeyroux is 40 kilometres northwest of Montpellier. Medium-bodied and with more tannins than the wine from Minervois, this wine is a blend of Mourvedre (30%), Carignan (28%), Syrah (25%), Grenache (12%), and Cinsault (5%). Aromas of blackberries, tar, and dried herbs. Another biodynamic producer!

Delicious food, good wines, great company…a wonderful evening.