Revisiting Curnonsky's Famous Five

8 October 2018: This was a very special dinner. At Arcane Restaurant in Hong Kong, our host had invited nine friends to revisit and assess Curnonsky's famous white wine classification from the 1930s. Born Maurice Edmond Sailland in 1872 in the town of Angers, France, Curnonsky became a most influential food and wine writer of his generation. He was voted "Prince of Gastronomes" by Le Bon Gîte in 1927. In the 1930s, Curnonsky declared the following to be the world's top five white wines: Montrachet, Clos de La Coulée de Serrant, Château Grillet, Château Chalon and Château d’Yquem. And of course they were all French!

The chef had curated a very thoughtful and daring menu to go with the white wines. We were fascinated by the thought of pairing Château d'Yquem with Wagyu rump steak and a blue cheese fondue.

As we were 10 people, we had two wines instead of just one for each of Curnonsky's famous five. 

Château Grillet:

For this monopole appellation of 3.8 hectares based on 100% Viognier, we were served two vintages: 2006 and 2013, ie one pre-Pinault acquisition and one post. Château Grillet has long been a wine of great repute, and has featured in the collection of famous personalities. Thomas Jefferson visited it in 1787 and the inventory of the cellar of Château de Malmaison, residence of Empress Joséphine de Beauharnais, first wife of Napoleon I, featured 296 bottles of this wine in 1814. This property remained in the family of Neyret-Gachet between 1827 and 2011, when it was sold to François Pinault, also owner of Château Latour in Pauillac, Bordeaux and Domaine d'Eugénie in Vosne-Romanée, Bourgogne.  The property was awarded the appellation d'origine contrôlée in 1936.

Planted on steep slopes of the Rhone Valley and over 76 terraces supported by stone walls, the vines average 45 years. Detailed vineyard analysis has allowed each lot to be separately vinified, whether in oak or in tank. Ageing in French oak barrels for 18 months, with around 20% new oak.

2006 Château Grillet: a perfumed bouquet of honeysuckle, ginger and dried apricot. A voluptuous wine of intensity and concentration, with the soft acidity highlighting the succulence of the wine. Long finish. 17/20

2013 Château Grillet: by comparison, this wine showed a taut mineral core despite the relatively moderate acidity for the grape variety. The signature pear and apricot note was subtle, underscoring the youthfulness of the wine.  I particularly liked saline finish which gave the wine much needed freshness and a point of difference leading to the dry finish. I find it a very much more linear and precise expression of the appellation. It went particularly well with the dish of lightly smoked mackerel with herb mayonnaise. 18/20


Clos de La Coulée de Serrant:
Next we had the Clos de La Coulée de Serrant, a 7-hectare appellation in the Loire Valley, based on 100% Chenin Blanc, exclusively owned by the Joly family.  Vines were first planted here in 1130 by the Cistercian monks.  Declared the 'golden drop' by King Louis XI, this wine has enjoyed a very long reputation. Planted on steep slopes on thin (20-40 cm) topsoil above a red schist bedrock, the vines are oriented S/SE, with an average age of 30-40 years. The yield is around 20-25 hl/ha, compared to the permitted 40 hl/ha for the appellation.  The harvest takes place over a long time allowing the pickers to pick the grapes with the most colour maturity and presence of botrytis. The objective is to allow the grapes to express the most minerality.  Aged in 500 litre barrels, with no more than 5% new barrels. The Joly family has been practising biodynamics since 1980 and all the vineyards of the family have been fully biodynamic since 1984.

1996 Nicolas Joly, Clos de La Coulée de Serrant: The wine revealed a deep amber-golden hue. The bouquet showed maturity and complexity of toasted hazelnut, bruised apple, with caramelised notes. There was a marked level of volatile acidity. Depending on the taster's sensitivity, this VA either enhanced complexity or reduced enjoyment but it certainly gave the wine a fresh lift to the palate and finish. 16.5/20

1997 Nicolas Joly, Clos de La Coulée de Serrant: The wine showed a bright golden colour.  An attractive bouquet of honey, stewed apple, dried fruit and herbal notes. It was an opulent full-bodied wine, boasting a richness that was deftly balanced by vibrant acidity.  There was a chiseled minerality that filled the core of the wine. A wine of understated finesse. Very long finish 18.5/20

The pairing was less obvious for me as the Alaskan King Crab had a lightness to it, whereas the wines were full-bodied, though with heightened acidity.  The spiciness of the gazpacho essence was carried off nicely by the very ripe Chenin Blanc fruit though.

Montrachet: 

Possibly the finest expression of Chardonnay and a Bourgogne Grand Cru appellation, Montrachet is located across the villages of Puligny and Chassagne.  Its greatness owes much to the early study and work carried out by the Cistercian monks and the Lords of Chagny.  This Grand Cru appellation covers 7.8 hectares, and is shared by 16 owners.

The dish to accompany below wines was a Sautéed potato gnocchi with charred cévenne onion, cep vinaigrette and shiitake duxelle.  It was a very tasty dish but I thought it was a bit too overwhelming for the delicate (non-oxidised) Bourgogne wines.

2004 Comtes Lafon, Montrachet: unfortunately this bottle was heavily oxidised

2004 Ramonet, Montrachet: This was a very classy wine, showing an attractive bouquet of pear, blossom, almond and nougat, with light toast notes. The acidity was bright and the wine showed great energy in a youthful state. There was an impeccable harmony and finesse presented in a most elegant and sophisticated manner, with a core of minerality that gave the wine a very desirable tightness. Very long finish. 20/20

Our host inserted an outlyer to the Montrachets, given the disappointment with the Lafon Montrachet:
2015 Benoît Ente, Puligny-Montrachet Clos de la Truffière
A wine still showing mostly primary and secondary notes. Green apple, lime zest, blossom, almond, with flinty notes. Linear, with racy acidity and a long finish. 17.5/20

Château d'Yquem:
Château d'Yquem needs no introduction as the most famous Sauternes estate, renowned for its extraordinary richness and complexity. Included in the 1885 Bordeaux classification as the only Premier Cru Classé Supérieur in its class of Sauternes/Barsac, it has been owned by the LVMH group since 1999.  Located on the highest hill in Sauternes, the estate covers 110 hectares, 80% planted with Sémillon and 20% with Sauvignon Blanc.  Now vinified in 100% new oak barrels and aged in barrels for 36 months before release.

The chef had ingeniously paired these two wines with a Wagyu rump cap with spinach and onion compote, blue cheese fondue and girolles.

1959 Château d'Yquem: A well-matured wine, showing complexities of orange marmalade, tea leaves, apple toffee shortbread, dried fruits and honey.  There was a very positive vibrancy on the palate, reflecting a good level of energy.  The hint of VA was a positive developmental addition. Finish was dry but not unpleasant. 18/20

1996 Château d'Yquem: It was a luscious wine with a creamy texture, bolstered by bright acidity. The bouquet had dried apricots, honey and toffee apple. It was not the richest or most complex of vintages but it was elegantly presented in a nice refreshing style.  17/20


Château-Chalon:
Château-Chalon is an appellation for wines made around the village of  Château-Chalon in the Jura region.  Only wines based on 100% Savagnin in the Vin Jaune style can be made using this appellation.  The grapes are late harvested, without botrytis.  After vinification, the wine is aged for 6 years and 3 months before bottling in the squat-shaped 62cl clavelins.  The wine must be stored in oak casks, partially filled, to allow the development of the voile of yeast, which gives the wine its peculiar characteristics, just like the function of flor in the production of sherry.  Only made in the best vintages.

Arbois-Pupillin is an appellation for wines made in the village of Pupillin, just south of Arbois in the Jura region.  This appellation covers white, red, rosé wines and Vin Jaune, as well as vin de paille.

1989 Emmanuel Houillon-Pierre Overnoy, Arbois-Pupillin AOC, Vin Jaune, Jura: My first experience of this wine by the legendary Pierre Overnoy.  It was in the year 1989 when he delegated the winemaking duties to Emmanuel Houillon.  This was a deep amber colour, showing notes of white chocolate, nuts and balsamic, with a prominent saline character. VA is marked here but it is an additional positive to the appreciation of the wine. Finishes extremely long. 19/20

2005 Domaine Jean Macle, Château-Chalon AOC, Vin Jaune, Jura: This was a golden colour. Marked notes of saline, sea salt, yeast with nuances like curry/cardamom. Excellent with the aged Comté cheese. Long finish. 18/20


Towards the end of the evening, our host asked all of us to think of our own choices of top five white wines, from anywhere in the world. It was interesting how we all gravitated towards France. While Montrachet, Château d'Yquem and Pierre Overnoy's Vin Jaune would still feature for some of us, there were suggestions of Haut Brion Blanc, Raveneau Chablis Les Clos or Chablis Montée de Tonnerre, Krug Clos du Mesnil, Trimbach Clos Sainte Hune, Egon Müller Scharzhofberger Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese, and an ageless Madeira Malvasia or Bual.  The question remains unanswered is when we get together to do the 'new' classification tasting?!

An Epic Cheese, Food and Wine Pairing Evening

25 April 2018

This started off as a somewhat ambitious attempt to stage a multi-course cheese and wine pairing, alongside a wine and food pairing for each course. A few friends volunteered to join me on this educational “expedition”.  To ensure that we have a fresh palate to vote on the best cheese and wine pairing, I insisted on tasting the cheese first before the pairing dish for each course. 

The Wine Selection

The Cheese Selection

Course 1
The first course was paired by a champagne:
2002 Pierre Péters Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Cuvée Spéciale Les Chétillons: This bottle was much fresher than the last 2 bottles we tried from the same case. This was classy Blanc de Blancs, with the immediate attack of ripe fruit notes (apple compote and pear), overlaid with buttered toast and brioche notes, leading to distinct mineral tones on the mid-palate, with just a hint of field mushroom character. Creamy texture, full-bodied, this was an opulent and classy wine with crystal definition and a persistent finish. 95/100

Cheese pairing:
We paired this with Brie de Melun (Seine et Marne, cow). This soft bloomy rind cow-milk cheese was intensely flavoured, with earthy aromas from the rind. The soft and creamy texture pâte showed marked saltiness and a pronounced and persistent mushroom character.

The chiselled acidity of the champagne was able to cut through the creaminess, cleansing the palate with the fine bubbles. The savoury and mushroom character of the cheese paired quite well with the mature character of the champagne. Given the unexpected freshness of this bottle, next time I would have paired this cheese with a more mature example (a 1995 Krug?).

Food pairing: I paired the champagne with the classic smoked salmon on blinis, with a lemon-flavoured crème fraiche. The fresh acidity from the lemon balanced the richness of the smoked salmon. The toasted and citrus character of the champagne complemented the flavours very well.

Course 2

The next course was paired with a set of wines based on Sauvignon Blanc:
2008 Silex, Didier Dagueneau: 100% Sauvignon Blanc. A rich and powerful wine, layered with overt notes of tropical and green fruit, mango and gooseberry, lifted with refreshing acidity, delivering a remarkable balance and long persistent finish. A Sauvignon Blanc not like others, very distinct. 94/100

2011 Aile d’Argent: A blend of 60% Sauvignon Blanc, 38% Semillon and 2% Muscadelle. The Semillon seemed to have taken over the characters of this wine. The bouquet was floral, peach, pear, with honey and nutty nuances. On the palate, it tasted phenolic, leaving a slightly bitter note at the finish. A rich and opulent wine, balanced but somehow lacking in precision to rank it amongst the finest from Bordeaux. 90/100

Cheese pairing:
I served two goat cheeses: Mothais sur Feuille (Deux Sèvres, goat) and Selles sur Cher (Touraine, goat). Here, we agreed that the pairing was best when we paired the cheese and wine from the same region.

The Selles sur Cher with the firm texture which melted in the mouth, and the interplay of sweet, salty and citrus tangy notes, paired very well with the Silex.

The Mothais sur Feuille with its creamy, oozing texture, and the more pronounced salty and nutty character, found a better match with the Aile d’Argent.

Food pairing:
The vote was unianimous for the Silex when it came to pairing with the dish: Grilled asparagus with Iberico ham, and lemony crème fraiche.

Course 3

The third course was paired first with a pair of Syrah-based wines, followed by a Mediterranean style wine.
2000 Côte Rôtie La Turque, Guigal: This was a blend of Syrah with 7% Viognier, with fruit from the Côte Brune. The structure was initially tight and masculine, displaying ripe fine tannins and lifted with marked acidity. With aeration, it opened up to display a rich bouquet layered with notes of dark chocolate, clove spice, cassis, dates and figs. A flamboyant wine, made with precision. Long persistent finish. Drinking beautifully now, and over next 8–10+ years. 96/100

2000 Côte Rôtie La Mouline, Guigal: This was a blend of Syrah with 12% Viognier, with fruit from the Côte Blonde. This wine was at once more open and evolved than the La Turque. It was sensual aromatically and texturally, diplaying an elegant and fine-chiselled poise. The softer acidity was balanced by refined tannic structure. The bouquet was blackberry, plum, mocha and cardamom spice. An absolute beauty now, drinking so well, and will continue to do so over next 8-10 years. 95/100

1999 Château Musar: a blend of Cinsault, Carignan and Cabernet Sauvignon, each a third. Fermented in cement tanks with extended maceration, followed by a year ageing in French oak. There was the hallmark bretty gamey note, immediately followed by pronounced sauvage character of wild herbs, almost like the garrigue, and notes of prunes and plum. Good lifting acidity provided great balance to this opulent wine, with sinewy muscles. A very elegant wine. Drinking very well now and over the next 6-8+ years. 93/100

Cheese pairing:
24-month Laguiole (Aveyron, cow): the saltiness of the Laguiole and the spicy tangy and savoury notes from the extra aging worked reasonably well with the Syrahs, but I think these two Syrahs were too powerful for the Laguiole. I would pair this with a Saint Joseph or a Côtes du Rhône next time.

Mimolette Extra Vielle (Nord Pas de Calais, cow): Uncooked, pressed cow-milk cheese. Salty and savoury, with caramelised notes. The savoury character worked well with the Syrahs, and the fruitiness of the La Turque in particular went well to complement the salty character.

Ossau Iraty au Piment (Pays Basque, sheep): this pairing had the most votes. This uncooked pressed semi-hard sheep milk cheese from the Pays Basque had a slightly grainy texture, creamy and buttery in flavour, with herbaceous, nutty, floral and spicy notes. This paired very well with both Syrahs, but possibly even better with the La Mouline.

We experimented with Livarot (Normandy, cow) too. The washed rind was not too disastrous for the Syrahs – in that the wine did not taste bitter with the cheese. (I asked our friends to try both, with or without the rind.) The pungent note from the washed rind possibly worked much better with the characterful Musar.

Food pairing: I paired these wines with a 6-hour lamb shoulder with North African spices, chick peas and tomato, served with steamed ratte potatoes and Savoy cabbage. A very fine food and wine pairing, especially with the Musar.

Course 4

Final course was paired with a dessert wine.
1995 Riesling Sélection de Grains Nobles, Hugel: A golden hue. Pronounced acidity balancing the luscious sweetness. Complex notes of apricot, honey, beeswax, nuts and rye, with a slight smokey nuance. Delightfully refreshing and finishes long. 93/100

Cheese pairing:
I paired this with two different blue cheeses, just to demonstrate a bit of diversity amongst the blues.
Fourme d’Ambert (Auvergne, cow): Rich, creamy, with an open texture. Salty, with delicate notes from the blue mould, complementing the buttery and creamy notes. This paired brilliantly with the SGN.

Bleu de Gex (Jura, cow): A drier style of blue cheese, with semi-firm texture, dense and close, lightly salted, spicy and pepper nuances balancing the buttery taste, finishing with a slight bitter note. This actually paired rather well with the Syrahs.

Food pairing:
It had been an epic journey…so we just settled for a sliver of kueh lapis cake, the richness of which was washed down nicely with the acidity from the SGN.

Here's a summary:

Wine	Cheese/Dish
Champagne: Pierre Péters Les Chétillons, Le Mesnil, 2002	Brie de Melun (cow) Smoked salmon blinis
Sauvignon Blanc-based: Silex, Didier Dagueneau, 2008 Aile d’Argent, 2011	Mothais sur Feuille (goat)/Selles sur Cher (goat) Grilled asparagus, Iberico ham, lemon crème fraiche
Syrah-based: Côte Rôtie La Turque, Guigal, 2000 Côte Rôtie La Mouline, Guigal, 2000 Château Musar, 1999	24-month Laguiole (cow)/ Mimolette Extra Vieille, 24 months (cow)/ Ossau Iraty au Piment (sheep) Slow-cooked lamb shoulder with North African spices, chick peas, potato and Savoy cabbage
Sweet Wine: Riesling Sélection de Grains Nobles, Hugel, 1995	Fourme d’Ambert (cow)/Bleu de Gex (cow) Kueh lapis cake