Where better to head on 5th November than to the home of gastronomic fireworks? The Fat Duck, one of only four restaurants in the UK to hold the coveted three Michelin stars, was the venue for an extraordinary evening, pairing the wines of one of Burgundy’s most revered Domaines with the creations of the genius of Bray-on-Thames, Heston Blumenthal.
Guillaume d’Angerville, who had travelled over from Volnay especially for the event, had very kindly opened his cellars to allow the diners present privileged access to older wines that had never moved in their lives and many of which are now rarely seen on the market. The Domaine has vines in eight of Volnay’s premier crus, six of which are bottled individually, and all six were on show, alongside two vintages of Guillaume’s 1er cru Meursault Santenots. The wines chosen spanned 20 years, thus showing the effect of age on the d’Angerville wines and of course wines made by both Guillaume and his late father, Jacques, Marquis d’Angerville.
The guests, some of whom had flown in from as far as Singapore just for the evening, were welcomed by head sommelier Isa Bal who in turn introduced Guillaume. He noted his surprise that Isa had chosen to start the evening with Volnay Champans 1998, rather than opting for the more conventional option of the whites. Perhaps he was making a nod to the Burgundian practice of tastings reds first and whites second in the cellar? Isa smiled knowingly and the games began.
For the uninitiated, an evening at the Fat Duck is like no other. “Food theatre” is one way to describe it. The senses are enlivened, challenged, stimulated and questioned by each dish. The first palate cleanser is a choice of gin and tonic, campari and bitter orange or vodka and sour lime. So far so simple, except that the choice is then squirted out of a canister where it has been pre-mixed with egg white and “poached” at the table in liquid nitrogen at -196 degrees. The result looks like a small, hard meringue but once placed in the mouth, it explodes, thoroughly cleansing every part of the palate. It is a brilliant way to begin a meal.
Next up was a scoop of pommery grain mustard ice-cream surrounded by a vivid, deep purple red cabbage gazpacho. A truly amazing dish to look at and a total flavour contrast to the zesty purity of the nitro-poached citrus.
Palates prepared, the first food and wine pairing. The aforementioned 1998 Volnay Champans was accompanied by quail jelly, crayfish cream, chicken liver parfait and truffle toast. The first three formed an intense layered dish, with a pea purée at the base, set inside a dish reminiscent of a diver’s bell. To prepare the diners, a piece of wood was set in the middle of the table covered in moss with an individual plastic pouch containing a film for each guest. Once removed from the pouch, the film dissolved on the tongue, releasing sweet oak flavours. Liquid nitrogen was then poured over the moss to create a cascade of autumn mist over the table as the smells of oak and moss filled the air.
The question was how would the Champans, from a famously tricky vintage, fare with such an elaborate dish? We needn’t have worried. Isa Bal isn’t considered to be one of the leading sommeliers in the world for nothing and this was a triumphant pairing. 1998 may have been difficult in Burgundy but with the tannins now finally in retreat, a beautiful subtle wine of real complexity and depth was allowed to express itself . There is at least another ten years in this wine if you have it in your cellar. Producer, producer, producer…
We then turned white, with 2009 and 2007 Meursault Santenots served as a pair to accompany two dishes, the signature ‘snail porridge’ and then a beautiful dish of roasted langoustine, konbu and crab biscuit. The two vintages were picked to show deliberately contrasting styles, the 2009 showing greater richness with ripe orange citrus flavours while the 2007 far more obvious minerality and tension. The snail porridge suited the 2009 better, the weight of the dish needing a wine of some scale to run alongside it while the 2007 cut through the oils of the roasted langoustine beautifully. Guillaume prefers to drink his whites young and when they are as good as this, it is certainly hard to resist.
Back to reds and with the famous ‘Mock Turtle Soup’ we had the pair of 2008 Volnay Clos des Angles and 2007 Volnay Frémiet. The dish really has to be experienced to do it justice and all that I will say is that it is one of the most original and exciting dishes that you will find on any menu anywhere in the world. “Incroyable!” was heard more than once from Guillaume! The wines were equally incredible though- the début vintage of the Clos des Angles showing classic Volnay elegance and charm and further evidence of why 2008s are provoking such excitement. By contrast, the softer, more seductive 2007 vintage had bought a succulence to the Frémiet that is rarely seen although the minerality is inescapable on the finish. They are so different from each other that it is extraordinary to consider that they are produced barely 100 yards apart.
Next up was salmon poached in licquorice, with its accompanying golden trout roe, vanilla mayonnaise and flecks of pink grapefruit. It is a beautifully composed dish and one of the most successful at the Fat Duck. With it were served magnums of 2003 Volnay Taillepieds and rare bottles of 1989 Volnay Caillerets. The 2003 had lost its puppy fat but was still very primary, with notes of sweet strawberry and no hint of excess ‘heat’ while the 1989 Caillerets was in a very different place with secondary, smoky, autumnal aromas coming to the fore, marrying very well with the licquorice in particular.
The final pairing was two vintages of Clos des Ducs, 2001 (en magnum) and 1990. To be honest, if we had just sat with these all night long, there would have been smiles as wide as the Thames. 2001 was another difficult, hail-affected vintage in Volnay but offering huge pleasure today, allowing this great terroir to express itself in all its glory but in a more measured manner. By contrast, the great 1990 was an epic, a glorious, powerful, magisterial wine at the very top of its game but perhaps lacking a bit of the focus and precision of some of the more recent vintages if one is to be truly picky. The chosen dish was powdered duck, blood pudding and umbles, an adaptation of another Blumenthal classic and a worthy partner to the greatness of the Clos des Ducs.
A further four dishes followed before the guests took their leave. Conversation flowed as the wines and food were discussed and compared, just as it should when they stimulate and provoke as much as these intriguing combinations did.
This was a great evening that demonstrated not only the brilliance of Blumenthal and his team but also the undeniable fact that in Burgundy, Marquis d’Angerville is firmly among the leading Domaines, not only for its rich array of vineyard holdings but more for its ability to show all of the facets and differences of them. As a tour of Volnay, few evenings can rival this and the consistency of the wines was remarkable, with one of the sommeliers stating that he had never opened so many faultless bottles from one producer in an evening, every single one being totally spot on.
Our thanks go to Guillaume d’Angerville and his family for their great wines and to Heston Blumenthal, Isa Bal and all at the Fat Duck for their daring and creative brilliance. For those interested in knowing more about the Domaine, please contact the Private Client Team at armit on 0207 908 0660. The eagerly-awaited 2010s will be released En Primeur in January 2012.
Blog by Mike Laing.
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