It’s almost Valentine’s Day (or as some of my bitter single friends would put it, S.A.D., or Singles Awareness Day).
Speaking of the occasion, I was fortunate to co-host a food and wine pairing dinner in one of the ultimate Valentine’s Day date places, Le Jardin, about an equally romantic topic, Burgundy.
Okay, I admit: The main reason why I find Burgundy romantic is that (#throwback alert) Chad and I spent part of our honeymoon there. 😉
I know I’ve talked about Burgundy so many times before, so I’ll skip the part about the technical aspects of the region’s wines (but still give you the link for a detailed explanation) and focus on some of the phenomenal wines we had during the evening:
Phenomenal Burgundy Wines for Burgundy Night in Le Jardin!
- Puligny Montrachet 1er Cru Les Foliatières – I love the story behind the Montrachet appellation… Incidentally, it involves a bit of love and lust that is quite timely for Valentine’s Day.
Legend goes that there was a soldier/horseman (a chevalier in French) was serving in one of the great crusades. He was sent away by his father to fight in the crusades from the Montrachet castle. Afterwards, he met a woman and fathered a child with her.
In ancient days, of course, this was scandalous.
Since he wasn’t married to the child’s mother, the kid ended up being classified as illegitimate (a batard in French). Nevertheless, the child was welcomed (bienvenue) in their castle.
Long after the castle has been destroyed, the appellations still remain, bearing names that chronicle these bits of legend: Montrachet, Chevalier Montrachet, Bienvenue-Batard Montrachet, and Batard Montrachet.
Worth taking note of next time you pick up a bottle of Burgundy. - Mongeard-Mugneret Beaune 1er Cru Les Avaux – I admit to irrationally preferring wines from Beaune for personal reasons: The first winemaker I’ve ever met was born and raised in Beaune. He was marvellously kind, knowledgable, and managed to show us around his region like it’s his backyard (and forever spoil my palate for Chardonnays).
Nonetheless, Beaune is legendary for producing stonking wines, and this bottle is the ultimate exhibition of everything Beaune wine is supposed to be… Luscious, multi-faceted, earthy, and elegant. - Mongeard-Mugneret Echezeaux Grand Cru – Excellent Pinot from one of the best (and most expensive) appellations in Burgundy? Check. Grand Cru, the highest classification of Burgundy wines? Check. Winemakers that have trained with the ultimate Burgundy winehouse, Romanée-Conti? Check. Extremely delicious, otherworldly, rich, masculine, complex, dark, sophisticated, and smoky expression of true blue Burgundian soil? CHECK, CHECK, CHECK.
My take on the evening is that it’s not work when you’re surrounded by gorgeous wines and enjoying a gastronomic feast courtesy of celebrity chef Jonas Ng.
My only complaint is that I wasn’t part of the audience to enjoy all of this against the Le Jardin’s famous backdrop of city lights. It would have been so romantic had it been a date with Chad (maybe that’s why a lot of our audience were couples…?).
Anyway, there’s always Valentine’s Day. 😉
Cheers!
For reservations in Le Jardin Manila, call or text +63917-8176584, or check out their website at http://lejardinmanila.net.
1 comment
Yum!