You Don't Look a Day Over 699
by
Tamara Lover
5 June 2006
It’s not everyday that you can celebrate the 700th birthday of
anything. In fact, the Mona Lisa seems like a blushing teenager
at only 500 years old. But 2006 marked an important anniversary
for one of the great Châteaux of Bordeaux –
Château Pape Clement.
This vineyard, the oldest named in Bordeaux, harvested its 700th
crop this year (the Château itself is pictured below). But how
do you celebrate a 700-year anniversary? By this time it’s safe
to assume you’ve done all the standards – mariachi band,
juggling clowns, chocolate fountain. Well if you’ve been around
that long you know a thing or two about success – and the
perfectly choreographed, expertly prepared food and wine pairing
at Alain
Ducasse was celebration worthy of the occasion.
As we walked through the doors of Alain Ducasse at the Essex
House we were immediately greeted by a glass of 2004 Chateau
Fombrauge Bordeaux Blanc – a blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Sauvignon
Gris and Semillon – served on a silver tray from a gentlemen in
an impeccably tailored tuxedo. What we loved about this wine is
it had the intense aromas of Sauvignon Blanc with richness on
the palate from the Semillon. This wine paired perfectly with
the cheese puffs, oysters and the puree of wild mushroom soup
that were being passed around. After about three more glasses
and more hors d’oeuvres than anybody should eat, we finally took
our seat at the table.
A distinguished, older French man welcomed us through his
translator. He spoke quickly making it difficult for his
translator to keep up.
Bernard Magrez, our host, and accomplished wine-maker and
owner of Chateau Pape Clement as well many more (32 wineries
around the world), spoke about how honored he was to be a part
of something with such an extensive history. He told tales of
its past and spoke about visions for the future. He expressed
gratitude to America, saying he will never forget how the US has
helped save France’s freedom. He then turned his attention to
Alain Ducasse standing to his right. Margrez praised him for the
excellence that he brings to the culinary world and said how
honored he was to have this important celebration here. Alain
Ducasse stepped to the podium. He did not speak through the
translator and addressed the crowd in thickly accented Frenglish.
He expressed great admiration for Mr. Magrez and for his wine.
It was short and sincere. Which was perfect because we were
starting to get hungry again.
 The
first pairing was an elegantly prepared Poached Maine Lobster
with English Pea “A La Français”. The English peas were cooked
with braised lettuce, ham, baby carrots and pearl onions. This
course was rich and indulgent, and the wine selected, the 2004
Chateau Pape Clement Blanc was the perfect choice to cut through
the richness but had the body to bring it all together. This
wine had pronounced minerality, citrus notes and a soft, subtle
oak aroma.
The next course was Roasted Squab Breast, Confit Legs on the
“Brochette,” served with Fava Beans and Golden Sage. Now up
until this point, we could confidently say we hated fava beans –
turns out we were wrong. Oh so wrong. The fava beans, generously
bathed in sage butter melted in our mouths, and the roasted
squab had a rustic, earthy quality that was alluring and
comforting. A dish this good requires two wine pairings. The
first pairing was the 2002 Magrez Tivoli, from Medoc in
Bordeaux. This elegant wine had notes of gravel, blackberry and
black current aromas with a hint of leather. The second wine,
our preferred pairing for the course, was the 2003 Paciencia
from Toro in Spain. The reason we liked this pairing so much was
the earthy, rustic notes in the wine highlighted those flavors
in the squab. We polished off our glass of wine and made good
progress on the dish. We were nearing the painfully full point,
and we hadn’t even finished our piece of bacon bread (and yes,
it’s that good).
Just when we though we had managed to secure enough room for a
nibble of the cheese course and perhaps just a bite of the
Spring Strawberry Composition with strawberry jam/granite and
Tonka Bean Sorbet – the unthinkable happened…we had to go back
to the office. This was one of those critical moments when you
have to decide what’s more important – income and a roof over
your head or a fine selection of cheese served with 1961 Chateau
Pape Clement. It pains us as we write this. We will probably
regret that we didn’t stay until we take our last breath. But
the experience we had was memorable. We were honored to be there
on that special day to celebrate the history and longevity of an
icon from Bordeaux. So we missed the 1961, no biggie, we’ll just
catch it at the 750th anniversary. Alain Ducasse at the
Essex House, 155 West 58th Street between 6th & 7th Avenues, 212
265 7300.© 2006 Gothamist. Used by
permission. All rights reserved. "Gothamist is a website
about New York"
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