QUEEN'S FEAST
No, she doesn't like pink... but she does like eating, wandering through aromas, flavours, textures, and perpetual new taste discoveries. It is said indulgence is a sin... Well, Nelly France advocates the pleasure of eating well, drinking well, and thriving with it. It is not about greedy pleasures, but about appreciating, loving discovering and experimenting. About raw materials first, transforming them while respecting their true primary character, and bringing them to being mouth watering and to finally enjoy and feast with them.
The QUEEN'S FEAST wines follow this will and highlight un pretty fruit, a nice freshness and a present but supple structure. These wines were thought about in front of the oven (what's best to have all your senses alert?!).
- The fruit expressed had to be ripe but avoid all sweetness, as sugar would get the wine heavy and is difficult to match with food.
- The present acidity, coupled to the fruit (not over ripe), would bring the required freshness.
- Structure: in white the marsanne and roussanne would bring these lovely richness and texture in the palate. In red, for a supple syrah that would however keep some bite (think tannins on a steak... a must!), an optimum ripeness and a gentle extraction was mandatory.
FESTIN DE REINE - QUEEN'S FEAST, Pays d'Oc, marsanne roussanne 2016
Keywords : freshness, texture, savouriness
Varieties : Marsanne, Roussanne
Fermentation and ageing : in stainless steel tank
Nose : white flowers, stone fruit
Mouth : roundness and freshness. Floral aromas and almond.
End of mouth : salty
Ageing potential : 2-3 years, pleasure wine to drink on its freshness
Ideal service T° : 12°C. A too big temperature might bring a sensation of heaviness. Therefore, drink it fresh.
WINE & FOOD MATCHES :
For a true Queen's Feast, pan sear a sea bass filet on the skin, with butter and a dash of olive oil. Add some fresh thyme. Season with 'fleur de sel' before serving and add a splash of lemon. Cooking in butter will complete the roundness of the wine. The thyme will bring a fresh vegetal aromatic note that will highlight the freshness of the wine (its acidity), using dried thyme or Provence herb would change that effect. The splash of lemon will also support the acidity, specially in the end of mouth. The iodine notes of the sea bass, white fish with fine fat, cooked on the skin which becomes crunchy, will help the freshness and the end of mouth recalling the salty notes of the wine.
You could also go for some spaghetti or fine spaghetti (capellini) with clams, with a sauce slightly creamed and saffroned. You'd add a dash of lemon while cooking the clams. We would here highlight the texture and roundness of the wine with the sauce. Be careful not to add too much cream so you don't hide the
subtil aromas of the clams. The cream will support the texture of the wine. The touch of saffron will bring a fine spicy note that suits marsanne. The lemon in the calms will help the acidity. The clams must cook very quickly to maintain their unctuous texture and avoid the rubbery texture when they're too cooked. They will also bring that salty note at the end of mouth which will recall the wine.
These are only suggestions to give you indulging ideas!
FESTIN DE REINE - QUEEN'S FEAST, Pays d'Oc, Syrah 2016
Keywords : black fruit, spices, structure, supple
Variety : Syrah
Fermentation and ageing : in stains steel tank
Nose : pepper, black fruit, violet
Mouth : supple attack, fruity and round with present tannins
End of mouth : black fruit, spices
Ageing potential : 2-3 years, pure pleasure syrah to drink on the fruit
Ideal service T° : 14°C. A too high service temperature would make this wine feel heavy and too high in alcohol. Therefore don't drink it at room temperature.
WINE & FOOD MATCHES :
For a true Queen's Feast, go for a nice marbled grilled piece of beef, with bit of sea salt, new roasted potatoes with rosemary. For the nice piece of beef, indulge and think rib-eye, T-bone steak... marbled, as taste comes from the fat! Then grilled: on a wood fire barbecue, would bring you smoked notes that will match very well the spicy, peppery and black fruit notes of the wine. Grilled in a pan or on a plancha, its the grilled crunchy texture and the work on butter that will bring the lush to match with the fruit, spice and roundness of the wine. The roasted potatoes will participate to that crunchy effect, and the rosemary -which must be finely chopped and cooked with the potatoes and not added at the end of cooking - will recall the spiciness and will support the tannic structure (the robust side of rosemary).
You only feel like a nibble or something simple? Go for some country bread and a slice of porc and black pepper terrine. It is the pepper of the terrine that will hold the tannins and spices of the wine.
It is there again only few suggestions to open your appetite and your thirst!
