Costières de Nîmes are not so popular. We decided that the name was difficult to remember and recognise and there is no varietal labelling. Please do not hesitate to try it because of its name.
We started drinking the wine before we ordered. Château Cadenette red is not a top wine but it is perfect to go with good French food. The taste is typical of the area. It has a concentrated and complex flavour of black and red fruits with a little hint of spice and liquorice. It is dry with well balanced tannins and acidity. The wine will keep for a few years but I think it is at its best drunk young.
The Domaine produces the wine from Syrah and Grenache grapes which are fermented separately and blended together after the winter. The Syrah adds the spicey aroma. In traditional French style there is no mention of the grapes used on the front label or the back one.
Costières de Nîmes is situated well to the east of the Languedoc-Rousillion. It borders on the Rhône delta and the Camargue. The soils here are alluvial and are embedded with pebbles. The soil helps prevent the vines from drying out in the summer. The pebbles store the hot summer sun to keep the vines warm overnight. The soil and climate here are perfect for the production of red wine. The Camargue has spectacular scenery it is well worth visiting.
The area also produces white and rosé, but I have never plucked up the courage to try the whites which do not have a good reputation.
You could almost be fooled into thinking that the restaurant was in France as the decor and ambiance are French. We had French diners behind us and the wine waiter was from the Basque country. My wife was trying to give me French grammar lessons; she must of thought she was back home. She ordered steak frites which she has never done in Britain before. I ordered Toulouse sausages and mash - well that sounds almost English.
The spiciness of the wine went perfectly with the Steak and the Bangers and mash. This was a perfect lunch.
You do not have to speak French to go here; the menu is in English and the staff all speak English fluently. There were also a good number of Londoners dining here before the theatre and making reservations for the evening.
The bill was reasonable and the wine and food were great. So afterwards, we went round the corner to Leicester Square to see the latest Bond film. They were serving Bollinger Special Cuvée in plastic glasses for ten pounds a shot. Bollinger in plastic glasses, how could they? We still could not resist and neither could lots of other people: they must have been making a fortune. The film was great and it actually had a story to it.
Whatever happened to the recession? We still went home with some money in our pocket with the courtesy of Le Troisième and Château Cadenette Rouge.
http://www.domaine-cadenette.fr/detail_produits.html/id/14
http://www.letroisieme.com/
No comments:
Post a Comment