Fontaine-Gagnard Pommard '09

Peter Creasey

Peter Creasey

Peter Creasey
Domaine Fontaine-Gagnard Pommard Les Rugiens 1er Cru '09 -- Popped and poured. Light medium red, soft bouquet that still persists, berries, hints of spice, quite smooth and approachable, all elements in balance, plenty of Burgundian complexity and tension, probably at or near its peak, really a delicious New Year's Eve delight.

Paired well with fried oysters over a Caesar salad.

. . . . . Pete
 
Domaine Fontaine-Gagnard Pommard Les Rugiens 1er Cru '09...probably at or near its peak...Paired well with fried oysters over a Caesar salad.
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Admittedly I do not know this producer very well, but I would have never expected to hear that an 09 Pommard (I assume 2009 and not 1909) is 'at peak' and paired well with fried oysters and salad. And this coming from someone (me) who is far from the most anal about pairings.

Every day has its surprises!
 
Definitely an unorthodox pairing, but I once had a Chinon with scallops that worked great, so happy to chalk that one up to "you had to be there." As for this wine being at peak, not a chance - I've got some of these* and it's solid Rugiens.

* on the cheap from Premier Cru - and they delivered!
 
originally posted by Keith Levenberg:
Definitely an unorthodox pairing, but I once had a Chinon with scallops that worked great, so happy to chalk that one up to "you had to be there."
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I think scallops offer more red wine opportunities than tangy briny thin and slimy (yet of course delicious) oysters. But the fried element may have been the dominant factor here.
 
I'm more curious about the Caesar salad....was it traditional with the coddled egg or just a salad with some parmesan cheese?
 
Also curious. I eat salad with red Burgundy because I love salad and I love red Burgundy. But I usually cringe through it, and sometimes even take a break from drinking at that time.
 
I recently discovered the wonders of the salade Lyonnaise as a light meal, which makes you feel healthy because you just had greens and an egg but tastes great because you also had bacon. But the thing that's most wonderful about it is that it works with pretty much any French wine I feel like drinking, red or white.
 
Thanks for the follow up comments!

Richard Fontaine And, yes, I agree with this opinion on Richard Fontaine.

Decanter Magazine on 2009 Burgundy vintage...

Beautifully ripe and fleshy wines, and the only reason for not awarding so hedonistic a vintage the full 5 stars is that the acidity in many wines is rather low, and thus there are question marks over its long-term ageing potential. The wines won’t require very long cellaring, but in the medium term they will be delicious and rewarding.
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Keith, after your comments, I ran across the foregoing Decanter review of Burgundy in 2009. I'm not a big fan of generalized reviews of vintages, especially in Burgundy, but this review MIGHT be somewhat pertinent.

I loved the Domaine Fontaine-Gagnard Pommard Les Rugiens 1er Cru '09; however, I did believe this sampling was "at or near its peak". While it's NOT about to start declining, this sampling just didn't seem to have the stuffing for much further improvement, if any. Since I enjoyed the wine so much, I'll pull another bottle soon and compare notes.

The Caesar salad was what I would call conventional, middle-of-the-road, and had no special add-ons e.g. anchovies, etc. The fried oysters were just right and definitely far removed from "tangy briny thin and slimy". I frequent this dining room often and usually get the Caesar salad and fried oysters and feel that this dish pairs well with various wine varieties. Perhaps I'm biased as I like the dish so much.

. . . . . Pete
 
Anchovies aren't an add-on to Caesar salad. They are a constitutive ingredient, as are either raw or coddled eggs. Without them you have just a mustard vnaigrette with parmesan. Maybe one should call that a Brutus salad. But, sure, it is an honorable salad.
 
Jonathan, I believe that whenever I have ordered Caesar salad elsewhere (besides the dining room mentioned hereinabove), I have had to ask for anchovies if I wanted them...the implication being that many (most?) people don't want them.

. . . . . Pete
 
The history is obscure and one of the relatives of the salad's inventor says that the only anchovies are in the Worcestire sauce (also too frequently witheld). But most classic versions call for anchovies. The fact that many people don't like anchovies has led to a bastardized version being the one most usually served. But it is a bastardized version.I never had one without anchovies before the days when a salad called Caeser was on the menus of every joint serving mass produced lunches.
 
originally posted by Keith Levenberg:
I recently discovered the wonders of the salade Lyonnaise as a light meal, which makes you feel healthy because you just had greens and an egg but tastes great because you also had bacon. But the thing that's most wonderful about it is that it works with pretty much any French wine I feel like drinking, red or white.
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So much this.
 
originally posted by Sharon Bowman:
originally posted by Keith Levenberg:
I recently discovered the wonders of the salade Lyonnaise as a light meal, which makes you feel healthy because you just had greens and an egg but tastes great because you also had bacon. But the thing that's most wonderful about it is that it works with pretty much any French wine I feel like drinking, red or white.
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So much this.
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surely this works because the dressing, if done properly, has a very light touch, very light vinegar, right?

Have always liked Rose, petillant or still, with salade Lyonnaise.
 
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