Todd French, who is running the Wine Berserkers forum, has offered me to be their very first wine guest. Wine Berserkers is currently considered to be one of the most prominent wine discussion boards on the internet. This event is a great opportunity for me to connect with Dom Pérignon fans from all over the world, but also to discuss with participants who might not be as familiar with Dom Pérignon. All questions are therefore welcome and I will do my best to answer as many as I can! For more information please visit the announcement thread on Wine Berserkers, where everything is explained in more detail. I hope to see you there!
Posts Tagged ‘Connecting’
The Drops of God
Last time I was in Japan a few weeks ago I had the opportunity to meet the authors of Kami no Shizuku / Les Gouttes de Dieu (literally: The Drops of God). Better known under their pseudonym of Tadashi Agi, Mr & Ms Kibayashi (brother and sister) have an enthusiasm for wine that is simply fascinating. Our encounter, rahter solemn at first, soon turned into a lively conversation about their works, now famous the world over. I understand they are on a mission to introduce the Japanese public to a world of fine wine, while respecting the traditional aspects of Japanese culture—during our conversation they even compared the vintages of Dom Pérignon we were tasting with various kinds of kimono belts!
I was under the impression they wanted to learn more about Champagne—while it appears there have been few references to this region in their writings so far, I can only hope this will change… With their manga Yuko and Shin Kibayashi have succeeded in putting wine at the center of attention, and delivering arcane considerations about wine into the mainstream. They have been acclaimed by Decanter magazine and others as creating one of the most influential wine publications ever, distributed internationally with over 6 million copies sold. Bravo!
2002… Part 02!
From my presentations all around the world I can easily tell that our 2002 vintage has generated high expectations. I feel more excitement than apprehension at this point, especially given the feedback I received! The wine will become available to wine lovers worldwide in September-October. The 2002 Dom Pérignon is already very approachable and inviting, more open than previous vintages at the same stage thanks to the ripeness of the fruit. Many tasters praised its richness which they felt was rather Burgundian in character.
I remember that the 2002 vintage was shaping up perfectly over the summer, until the very end of August when the rain started to fall. At the time it brought back memories of 2001, when everything was going smoothly until the rain arrived… and never stopped. Fortunately the fate of the 2002 vintage was different: everything went fine, with the rain stopping after a few days, and maturity levels being very high, sometimes even close to being overripe for some of the Chardonnays.
The release of a new vintage is the climax after years and years of hard work, both in the vineyard and in the cellar, and the critical acclaim received so far is a special motivation for our teams and collaborators to keep pushing the envelope, as I like to say. The US wine circles have already commented, and the UK press will be sure to follow in the coming weeks.
The Wine Advocate coined a No Guts, No Glory! title to describe our current releases, and I think they captured our intent and spirit very well. The Wine Spectator was equally praiseful (A Grand Slam for Dom Pérignon in 2010), as well as the Wall Street Journal. As a conclusion I would like to share with you some of Ray Tuppatsch’s impressions in his great account of a fantastic dinner held in NY with his group of Champagne aficionados. Passion, like wine, is best when it’s shared!
Master Tseng
I’ve known Master Tseng for quite a few years. Mrs Yu Hui Tseng is a Master of Tea, following the Chinese tradition, and of the Gongfu tea ceremony (Gongfu Cha). She is also famous for being the first (and only) woman to become a Master of Tea. I had the opportunity to work with her on the Seven Sensualities series of dinners to accompany Dom Pérignon vintages 1998, 1999 and 2000—dinners which deserve their own entries, by the way. I am grateful to her for bringing me into her world: the world of teas and especially the highly sought-after pu ers. Master Tseng comes from Taiwan, which became during the 20th century the sanctuary for the age-old tradition of Chinese tea ceremony, but she regularly explores all the terroirs of mainland China. She was the first Master of Tea to settle in Europe, and more specifically in Paris, where she established her tea cellar and store (La Maison des trois Thés). She explained to me that she chose Paris because of the French culture of gastronomy and appreciation of delicacies—including fine wine! La Maison des trois Thés is also a tea library, offering very rare teas (e.g. from the 19th century, from single trees or extremely old trees, some of them more than a thousand years old) to connoisseurs, willing to pay a premium for this exclusivity.
Coming back to the Seven Sensualities dinner for the launch of 2000 Dom Pérignon, we selected three teas, all of them magnifiying different facets of the wine: the first one called Ba Da Chun (from the pu er sheng cha family), from the 2007 vintage, young and vibrant; the second one called Chen Yin, vintage 1992, from the Guang Dong province, a very rare tea, intense and complex; and finally another pu er sheng cha from the 1990 vintage, mature and tactile. Talking with Master Tseng, I have come to understand that there is so much in common between wine and tea, all the way from the terroir to the appreciation: indeed for the ancient Chinese, tea was a drink supposed to satisfy the senses as well as the soul. She follows tea from the plantation to the cultivation and harvest, followed by the selection, production (including sometimes fermentation!) and the aging process. She also pointed out that pu ers, much like wines, are categorized by vintage and region of production—and also sometimes counterfeit! The quality of storage is as crucial as for wine: strict control of temperature, humidity or air flow is necessary. Tea and wine have been consecrated by their respective culture; tradition is key, and Master Tseng and I embrace it as well as modernity. As China is increasingly opening its doors to a world of fine wine, I hope that the rest of the world will be eager to discover the amazing depth and quality of Chinese tea.
Side by Side
Chef Philippe Rochat and myself share a trait of character: we have always enjoyed keeping pushing forward and taking risks. This was therefore not a big surprise when I discovered what he had decided to organise for my first ever presentation of 2002 Dom Pérignon and 1996 Dom Pérignon Œnothèque: a dinner at his restaurant in Crissier near Lausanne (3-star Michelin L’Hôtel de Ville) with representatives of all the top restaurants in Switzerland. This was quite an act of confidence, as we all know that the judgment of one’s peers is always the toughest.
The menu was fantastic, and two dishes stood out for me, both paired with the two expressions of 1996 Dom Pérignon side by side: the original Vintage release and the upcoming Œnothèque—first, green asparagus from Pertuis and Imperial Ossetra caviar, followed by a stuffed morel with an Agaricus mushroom reduction. Both dishes were not only highlighting a difference in aromatics (nutiness versus minerality), but also revealing the whole philosophy of the Œnothèque: the same assemblage from the same vintage, yet two wines so distinct in terms of sheer intensity, mouthfeel, integration of characters and complexity.
 |
 |
Photo: J.-M. Curien
Upcoming auction
Dom Pérignon Rosé Œnothèque: the vintages 1966… 1978… 1982… 1985… 1988… and 1990 will be available at a special auction in collaboration with Sotheby’s, to take place in Hong Kong on 21 May 2010. These six vintages complement each other to offer a broader perspective of Dom Pérignon Rosé, testament to the unparalleled ageworthiness of this wine.
Pierre Lurton and Serena Sutcliffe MW have organized a sensational sale of Châteaux Cheval Blanc and d’Yquem and they asked Dom Pérignon to join this “Treasure Direct from the Cellars” auction. As you know the 1990 Dom Pérignon Rosé Œnothèque in bottles is already available commercially—however for the release of older vintages and larger formats our choice is to go through auctions. I have known Serena—a world class wine expert and a fantastic ambassador for Champagne—for more than 20 years: it is of course a pleasure to embark on a project with her again.
Enthusiasm for Champagne at auctions has never been so high: I can even say it is the most significant phenomenon in the world of wine auctions in the last few years. I am proud that Dom Pérignon has been a pioneer, contributing largely to this recognition: we are going even further with this new exclusive sale. The bottles offered come directly from our cellars, which is at the same time a pledge of quality and authenticity: wine amateurs can be assured that the provenance of the bottles cannot be any better!
And as a teaser, let me conclude with my personal notes on 1966 Dom Pérignon Rosé Œnothèque: 1966 was punctuated by some remarkable events, which in the end had little effect on the harvest. Winter freezes caused only very minor damage. Chlorosis affected some sectors, but the flowering went smoothly. It was followed by a number of hailstorms between May and August. The harvest began on September 22 in good conditions, with the grapes in perfect health. The wine breathes and radiates a wide spectrum of notes in which tea and meringue blend with roses and spices. Its body is light and silky, supremely elegant; everything about it is precise, agile and clear.
Nakagawa-san
Discovery is the essence of travelling. As I was in Kyoto at the end of January, I met Shuji Nakagawa who took me into his own world. Mr. Nakagawa is a Master of traditional Japanese woodcraft. He is walking in the steps of his father, Kiyotsugu Nakagawa, promoted to “Japan National Treasure” in 2001 for his craftmanship. Mr. Nakagawa is particularly gifted at crafting Oke, the traditional wooden Japanese bucket (for example bath buckets). I was visiting him because he had crafted a Champagne cooler for Dom Pérignon… made out of wood!
I was senstive to our commonalities: the respect of tradition, the transmission of techniques and savoir-faire, the fact that nature and time are important factors in our achievements. This is a natural way for Dom Pérignon to support Japanese traditional craft. Mr. Nakagawa is one of the chosen few with a license to buy the Koyamaki grown in the Japanese Emperor’s woods. The Koyamaki is a precious pine tree wood, from one of the oldest tree species in the world. It is a natural thermal insulator, very light, and also offers high insulation from humidity: a perfect combination of properties for a cooler which can safely find its place on a tatami mat. The wood staves, of a singular white color and surprisingly grainy texture, are carefully prepared and assembled so that no external element is used to tie them together, in the same way a cooper would work. The structure is reinforced by three metal rings. Mr. Nakagawa explained to me that the unique, harmonious curve of this cooler was inspired by the shape of the Dom Pérignon bottle. He had to build a new block plane as well as other tools specifically to create this handmade, limited edition Champagne cooler.
The skill and patience required to make one of these artifacts are simply amazing. I consider it far more than a cooler: it is Nakagawa-san’s personal interpretation of Dom Pérignon, a real work of art.
 |
|
 |
 |
The Name of the Rose
After the series of Silk Road dinners in Japan, Italy, the United States and the United Kingdom in the last couple of months, one dish generated significant enthusiasm among our guests: the rose Turkish delight (loukhoum) ice cream, created by Pascal Tingaud. There is a story behind this delicacy.
I first collaborated with perfumer (and wine lover) Thierry Wasser in 2003 at the occasion of an atelier held in Japan with Georg Riedel on the theme of the Dom Pérignon nose. The correspondences between our two universes — we are both devoted to the art of assemblage — strengthened our friendship in the following years. This paved the way for a closer relationship between Dom Pérignon and the prestigious perfume house Guerlain (the oldest in France) when Thierry became the successor to Jean-Paul Guerlain in 2008. As Thierry was preparing the launch of his latest creation, Idylle, in the spring of 2009, we discovered troubling similarities between the Bulgarian roses featured by the perfume and the bouquet of 1996 Dom Pérignon Rosé. We asked Pascal to design a recipe to complement both 1996 Dom Pérignon Rosé and Idylle, at the launches in Tokyo and Hong Kong. He came up with the idea of this ice cream, selecting a specific, high quality variety of loukhoum, sourced directly from Istambul: smaller and harder than usual, it provides a singular texture and unctuousness to the dessert. The sensuous pairing with Dom Pérignon Rosé turned out to be so spectacular that we decided to include it in our Silk Road dinners.
The Silk Road
The Silk Road, the Spice Route… These words evoke long journeys, exoticism, freedom, caravans following their own rules from India to Morocco—the perfect theme for a dinner setting the stage for the release of 2000 Dom Pérignon Rosé and the launch of 1990 Dom Pérignon Rosé Œnothèque.
Let’s go behind the scenes to discover how this event came to life—I hope this will inspire you and make you look at Dom Pérignon from a new perspective.
Ever since the project in Kyoto I have kept elaborating on dinner experiences to highlight the many facets of each wine and to create as many sensations. Going far beyond conventional food-wine pairing, they create a mysterious and poetic atmosphere conducive to an ultimate goal of sensuality. Pascal Tingaud, the chef de cuisine at Dom Pérignon, has been contributing to the project for the past ten years. Pascal travels with me and prepares these dinners, whatever our destination. This sometimes leads to rather exciting situations involving a mix of great logistics and total improvisation!
As you can see below from the menu, I tried to stay as open-minded as possible. Formalism was kept to a strict minimum: I did not feel restricted to a vague “starter-main course-dessert” structure, nor to specific regions. Rather than unity of time or space, I aimed at embracing different cultures: the menu is based on unpretentious generous traditional dishes, selected to respond to the wine and to build a steady progression through the meal. Each wine has its own story to tell: my role was to listen, interpret the images and ambiances that it evoked and translate them into an exploration of the cooking treasures of the Orient.
The Mezze, served with 2000 Dom Pérignon Rosé, bring us from one end of the Silk Road to the other, with both classics (Baba Ghanoush) and rarities (Watermelon Curry from Rajasthan). Each dish has its own role to play, its own dialogue with the wine: carrots and ginger to amplify the fruit; a salad of beetroot, orange and cinnamon to shape a contrast of textures. The couscous, prepared with sea bass and rose petals and served with 1990 Dom Pérignon Rosé Œnothèque, plays with the paradox of amplitude and precision. The Harira soup (a celebration of the end of Ramadan in North Africa) surprises with its caressing concentration and lightness. The sweet dishes, particularly the rose Turkish delight (loukhoum) ice cream, magnify the onctuosity and sensuality of the wine. A seamless conclusion to the journey? We simply have to accept the rule of the ancient caravans: no step is ever final, the journey is all that counts.
|
MEZZE Sautéed herb salad with hot pepper and preserved lemon Beet and orange salad Watermelon Curry — COUSCOUS Couscous voilé à la rose SOUPE Essence d’Harira au carvi — DOUCEURS Rose Turkish delight (loukhoum) ice cream |
Nostalgia
Kyoto is a very special place and I am always struck by how vibrant this city feels. It offers unparalleled opportunities for empathy and emotion to one who comes with an open and available state of mind.
This story starts in 1996 when I first met Chef Murata (of restaurant Kikunoi). One year later, we decided to organise a series of dinners in the heart of Champagne (at Château Saran), around the theme of Kaiseki—the traditional culinary art form originating in Kyoto. Kaiseki considers the meal in its globality: covering all the fundamentals of Japanese cuisine, strongly committing to the season, carefully balancing all the elements (taste, texture, colors…) and stimulating all of our senses. When trying to pair Kaiseki cuisine with Dom Pérignon, it was important for me to leave behind my westerner bias for the perfect food-wine pairing. Our ambition then was very different: the same wine would be served over the whole dinner, with the aim to reach unity, not on a dish by dish basis, but for the entirety of the event. The integrity and purity of the meal were paramount values to be respected, which meant the wine had to find its supportive role. Dom Pérignon was a vector underlying the whole meal, concluding with rice and green tea (ocha).
Even years later it is still complex for me to assess the extraordinary influence that these dinners had on my vision of Dom Pérignon. Their inspiration ranges from the specific (e.g. a better understanding of the tactile properties of Dom Pérignon) to the generic and fundamental (my personal quest for harmony and aesthetic). They imbued subsequent events with a sense of the theatrical. Even more importantly, it offered me a privileged contact with Japan, a memory of intimacy and complicity that I cherish to this day. I was delighted to visit Kyoto again recently to discuss a future creative project…
With Chef Murata in cellar, Hautvillers.
- Behind The Scenes10last : A Tale of Two 76s
- Reaching Out8last : Invitation To Discussion
- Looking Back3last : The Name of the Rose
- Looking Forward6last : 2002 Dom Pérignon
