Les Vignes Bussonnières 2013 - Wine and Food!

MENU VIGNES BUISSONNIERES

EDITION 2013

Mise en bouche

La  soupe de  cèpes glacés  au  vinaigre de xérès, 

Escalope de foie gras poêle, crème légère à l’huile de truffe et coriandre.

Entrée froide

La noix de St Jacques poêlée, tartare d’asperges au gingembre

et tomates confites, fèves en vinaigrette d’agrumes,

quelques feuilles de roquette.

Entrée chaude

La raviole de queue de gambas grillée, fondant de carottes

et poireaux au piment d’Espelette, jus parfum de crustacés.

Plat chaud

La pluma  ou secretto de  Pata  Negra  Ibérique grillée,

Samoussa  de légumes du soleil et artichaut en purée,

jus léger à l’ail doux.

Fromage

Pélardon deux affinages

Dessert

Le parfait glacé à la verveine et citronnelle,

coulis de fraises fraîches, Sorbet à l’huile d’olive

et langue de chat aux olives noires.

Mise en Bouche

     

Entrée Froide

Entrée chaude

Plat Chaud

Le Fromage

Dessert

Les Vignerons du Pic Saint Loup

I will sing the praises of this region of wines to the four corners of the earth!  They do cost a bit more than the wines of Languedoc Roussillon, but they are consistently rich and strong year after year.

Some of our favorites from the Balade:

Mas de Figuier, Seigneur de Leuze, 2012

Chateau de Valcyre Benezech, Maxime 2011

                                            Rosé, 2012

Mas de Farjou, Hautes Terres, 2011

Domaine de Mirabel, Le Loriot, 2012

                              Les Eclats, 2011

Domaine Chazalon, Cariclos, 2012

Domaine Clavel, Bonne Pioche, 2011

Chateau de Lancyre, Grande Cuvée, 2011

Domaine de Villeneuve, Chant des Roches, 2011

Mas de Jon, Aparté, 2009

Mas Bruguière, La Grenadière, 2010

Mas Gourdou, Joseph Onésime, 2011

Domaine de Mortiès, Pic Saint Loup, 2010

Chateau L'Euzière, Les Escarboucles, 2010

Mas de L'Oncle, Jules, 2010

                         Emy, 2012

Domaine de L'Hortus, Grande Cuvée, 2010

Domaine de Villeneuve, La Sorbière, 2009

Le Chemin de Rêves, Gueule de Loup, 2010

Les Vignes Buissonnières 2013 - The Hike!

A 6 Kilometer hike through the vines winding in the valley of Pic Saint Loup and Causse de l'Hortus while tasting the incredible wines produced from the very  vines that surround the paths while noshing on a menu created to show off the complex flavors of these wines...a perfect way to spend our Sunday!! This balade is in one of the most perfect spots on earth.  The topography, the vineyards, the roughness of the garrigue and rocky soils all come together to create a perfect ecosystem.

We were SO lucky (thanks to our companion, Christine, who could not hike on the Saturday) as Saturday's hikers were subjected to a day full of downpours and horrible weather.  Sunday gave us sunshine and breezes in the morning for our 10h30 start before the clouds began to blow in.  

These balades are not for the faint of heart.  We climbed steep hills aided by ropes added AFTER Saturday's downpour (those poor poor souls that hiked on Saturday!!!) then descended treacherous muddy paths that were being improved with cut-ins as steps as we hiked by.  You definitely work hard to get to the amazing food and wine that awaited us at each stop.

Just as  we arrived to the Plat Chaude, the heavens opened up and the torrential rain and HAIL started.  But what a wonderful stop to wait the weather out!!  The wines included an amazing 2010 Domaine de l'Hortus Grande Cuvée Rouge that elicited sighs of immense appreciation from all. As Mother Nature entertained us with a lightning show complete with deep resounding thunder, w e were able to sit and savor the incredible smokiness of a chunk of Pata Negra slow grilled to absolute perfection leaving all of us wanting to search out a purveyor for our next gourmet grilling.

 There were two bridges that were put in place just for the weekend.  They tempted us to play and jump as their elasticity gave a real bounce to your step even if you tried to walk gently.  Only three people at a time were allowed across.  

                              








                              







And the heavens opened up!!!

                                               









                                                                  










                                          









                                                      

The Rugged Beauty of La Clape

Chateau Rouquette

They explain it best...

La Clape était déjà habité à l’époque néolithique et elle est devenu célèbre dès 118 avant Jésus-christ par la conquête romaine qui fait de Narbonne la capitale de cette nouvelle province. Il s’enrichit alors des fameuses « villas » et la culture de la vigne, qui était alors un privilège de Rome, y est autorisé approximativement à cette époque.

Plus récemment, le vieux château Rouquette, construit au XIIIème siècle et remanié au XVIIIème, bastide en pierres de taille aujourd’hui en ruine, garde le souvenir de cette époque.

Les bâtiments actuels d’exploitation sont établis depuis 1880 plus près de la mer, au pied des falaises de la Clape.

Un peu de géologie !

L'alternance sur le domaine de calcaires durs et de bancs de marnes a favorisé sous l'action de l’érosion, la formation de plateaux faiblement inclinés vers la mer portant des sols rouges médirerranéens (terra rosa) très pierreux, ainsi que de combes et vallons au sol de limons calcaires.

La présence d'un glacis de galets roulés noyés dans une matrice de limons silicieux rubéfiés datant de la fin de l'aire tertiaire, vient compléter cet ensemble qui offre une palette de terroirs très diversifiée favorisant des expressions très variées des cépages.

Il est intéressant d'observer la nature des sols des différentes vignes.

Un peu de vocabulaire:

marnes = a fine-grained sedimentary rock consisting of clay minerals, calcite or aragonite, and silt: used as a fertilizer

limons silicieux rubéfiés  = chalky silt colored red by the oxidation of iron.

Amazing that vines can not only survive growing in such harsh terrain but produce some darn good wine!  

The real reason the balade was so fantastic:

La Clape - Balade Gourmand - The Food!!

Le menu

Mise en bouche
Cappuccino d’asperges vertes de pays aux tomates confites , dés de jambon , huile d’olive et piment Espelette 

Entrée froide
Pressé de caille et pigeon au genièvre, salade roquette (Ate this before I could remember to take a picture of it!!)

Entrée chaude
Raviole de homard et pois gourmands, crème chaude au safran

Plat viande
Civet de canard à la cuillère, pomme purée à l’huile de truffe (Seriously tender and delicious!! I normally do not prefer canard, but I cleaned my plate!!)

Fromage de Chèvres

Dessert 

Poire pochée au vin de La Clape, sablé à la fleur de sel , aux épices

Sentiers Gourmands - La Clape

The Sussargues Club Oenologique went on a little field trip to Narbonne Plage for a balade gourmand.  In this case, we meandered through the vineyards of Chateau Rouquette with amazing views of the sea and rocky cliffs.  It was a 6 km walk with 6 stops for wine tasting and a progressive meal al fresco.

We wore a pouch that carried our silverware, glass, tasting notebook and pencil. the running joke was that the tinkling of the silver against our glasses made us sound like a herd of goats on the paths. Maaaaa Maaaa!!

Chocolaterie Courtin

Like Christmas, Easter brings out the chocoholics here! Every store is brimming with bunnies and eggs and that mysterious flying bell (See below for the story of the flying bells!)!! The smell of chocolate permeates the stores where a huge section is dedicated to every type, shape and brand of chocolate.

Luckily for us, we chose to visit one of our favorite chocolatiers on Thursday of Holy Week.  We could tell from the intense work ongoing that they were going to be unbelievably busy on Friday and Saturday for Easter.

Chocolaterie Courtin is nestled in a tiny courtyard in the medieval village of Sommieres, France. (Sommieres Office of Tourism) The village itself is worth a trip for the Saturday market which rates as one of our all time favorites.  Unfortunately the world agrees so we limit ourselves to the non-summer months only.

The chocolate shop is so tiny and charming with its ancient stone walls and wood floors.  The Courtin family has created amazing little bites of paradise since 1963.  We normally just stop in for a treat at the end of our market shopping, but we visited Monsieur Courtin at Halloween this last year to find gifts for some lucky friends back in the US.  We were so fortunate that the store had only a few customers before us and Monsieur Courtin was more than happy to explain to us why his chocolates were so sublime.  We spent an unforgettable afternoon as he walked us through his methods and philosophies on chocolate.  The experience was not unlike a visit to a small winery.  His evident pride and passion for his art infused us with a new appreciation for the artisanal chocolates.

This time we were not so fortunate.  The tiny shop was to the brim with racks of chocolates and customers and workers.  We had never seen it so abuzz with activity.  Nonetheless, after patiently waiting our turn all the while breathing in deeply the heady deep clouds of rich chocolate,  Monsieur Courtin's daughter gave us her undivided and unrushed attention as she helped us to choose the perfect mix of chocolates.  She took special delight in sharing samples of their white chocolate infused with their award winning caramel which surprised me with the creaminess and perfect balance of flavors.  She happily offered a sack of the candies as her gift to us.


http://www.courtin-chocolatier.fr/chocolat/

One of my favorite traditional French stories is about the Cloches Volants or Flying Bells.

From about the 12th century, it has been customary to silence the bells on Good Friday in acknowledgment of the death of Jesus.

Legend has it that on Good Friday, the bells of every church in France fly to Rome, carrying with them the grief of those who mourn Jesus' crucifixion on that day. In keeping with the tradition, French church bells do not ring from Good Friday to Easter Sunday morning when the bells are said to return. The sound of the bells on Easter Sunday morning heralds the celebration of the Resurrection, declaring that Jesus is alive again. In some villages, people kiss and embrace each other when they hear the bells ring again.

The Easter bells (les cloches de Pâques) are believed to bring with them Easter eggs, chocolates and other treats. Lolly shops sell chocolate flying bells alongside Easter eggs and bunnies.