Yet another sunny day in the mountains, but a little too fresh to eat outside.
Chalet Balaena, Chinaillon ©Brett Jones
Ah yes, there was another reason not to eat al fresco: the air is also redolent of the natural fertiliser, produced by the cows during their winter stay inside, which has been liberally spread on the surrounding pastures.
Smoked Trout, Salad and Bourgogne Aligoté ©Brett Jones
With our healthy salad and thickly sliced local Savoie smoked trout we drank Bourgogne Aligoté 2009 from the Hautes Côtes Co-op.
Pale yellow with subdued whitecurrant fruit on the nose. But then on the palate the fruity notes show through. Good acidity, as you would expect from this northern Burgundy grape variety, balances this decent co-op wine.
This proved to be a good match. In the past wines made with the Aligoté grape grown in Burgundy used to have an austere rasping acidity, for which Canon Kir invented his eponymous aperitif . Blackcurrants also grow well in Burgundy and are used to make the Crème de Cassis to be added 1 part to 6 of wine to make a Kir. Do choose a good Crème de Cassis – Ribena just won’t do!
Nowadays, however, this wine doesn’t always require softening as the fruit balances the ripe acidity.
Comté, Walnuts and Vin Jaune ©Brett Jones
What a difference ten days make. Most already opened wines would be dead. But with Vin Jaune, it shows no deterioration at all – in fact a slight improvement. As it’s method of production is oxidative, to be kept another week or so in a half empty bottle causes no problem. Read how Wink describes this particular and unique way of making wine.
We had opened this half bottle of Vin Jaune, Le Grand Coroulet, Robert Aviet 1992 a little while ago when we shared some Savoie and Jura wines with good friends.
So we relished the remaining two small glasses with the Jura cheese, Comté, and walnuts from Wink’s sister’s farm in the Loire – both classic accompaniments to Vin Jaune.
I agreed with my first tasting note: Burnished gold colour. A panoply of flavours on the nose: yeast, nuts, preserved lemons… All of which continue on the palate, with a concentrated yeasty dryness balanced by a whoosh of acidity! Walnuts and citronella on the long, long finish. With the additional comments: The flavours are now more enhanced with added depth and concentration. And still fresh!
Bûche de Pâques ©Brett Jones
Amazingly we still had room for a final paschal treat, a bûche de Pâques from Le Petit Marquis in Chinaillon. Garnache chocolate cake bestrewed with praline eggs, a seasonal fish, buttressed at each end by more eggs.
