A Chandon Excursion of Flavours!
I
can’t believe it… it’s been two years since I had my first Chandon! Where did time went? My first taste of Chandon was so fabulous, I can still
vividly remember the Chandon’s SummerEdition Party back then. It was simply unforgettable. So when I received an
invite recently to an afternoon’s Chandon
wine pairing with Dan Buckle, senior winemaker for Chandon, I made sure I
make time for the event!
Held
at Eight Gourmet Gala (EGG) at Bandar
Sunway, the exclusive wine pairing was a grand affair. I arrived pretty early
and was immediately handed a gorgeous Chandon
Brut to relax and unwind before the event started. As everyone began to
trickle in on the Friday afternoon, the room began to be filled with lots of laughter
and cheering. Chandon Brut soon
worked its magic into everyone’s moods as we all soon began to get comfortable
and bubbly!
Dan Buckle, the ‘meticulous’ winemaker, made his rounds, introducing himself to
everyone and getting us all excited over the coming wine pairing. It was only
logical that Dan wound up in the wine industry. After all, Dan’s father is the
proud owner of a Mornington Peninsula vineyard and taught Dan everything about
planting, pruning and harvesting grapes. It was also while studying at
Melbourne University and working in wine retail that further cultivated Dan’s
passion for wine and so he completed a Bachelor of Applied Science (Wine).
After
years of experience in various stints with industry luminary James Haliday,
Yering Station and Mount Langi Ghiran, Dan is back in Yarra Valley. His
meticulous approach to winemaking has seen him progress to become one of
Victoria’s and Australia’s, most prominent winemakers.
Our
dining room was elegantly dressed with simplicity and class. Everyone couldn’t
wait to capture the beautiful moment at the elegant set table. A quick glance
and I knew the day could only get better. A menu to be paired with five Chandon wines pretty much won many
hearts that afternoon, including mine.
As
we all settled in happily, Chandon Brut
and Chandon Rosé was immediately served to everyone.
Dan quickly made a speech, telling everyone that there is no rules on pairing
wine with a dish. There are general guidelines in wine pairing but he
encourages everyone to try the various Chandon wines with each dish to see
which one we prefer. The knowledgeable winemaker proceeded to share his wisdom
of Chandon to enhance our wine pairing with more principles of wine tasting and
also Chandon’s heritage, vineyard and wine making process.
Our
first course from the menu was Seafood
Platter. Going raw, the platter consisted of oyster, sweet prawn and raw
sashimi fish paired with Chandon Brut
and Chandon Rosé.
Oyster
and sparkling has always been a favorite pairing of mine. The salty briny mollusk
is boldly enhanced with Chandon Brut.
A chardonnay led méthode
traditionnelle
sparkling wine, the Chandon Brut’s
soft citrus notes lifted the oyster’s oceanic flavours really well. I also enjoyed the succulent sweet prawn with
its gelatinous texture with Chandon Brut
immensely. Its crisp finish balanced the sweetness of the crustacean. I enjoyed
the Chandon Rosé with the sashimi fish smeared with a little
wasabi. Since the Chandon Rosé has hints of autumn fruit notes, it kept the
palate fresh when savoring the raw fish.
The next course
was Smoked Duck Salad and we were
encourage to explore with all five Chandon
wines and sparkling wines. I couldn’t decide between two of my preferred pairing
with the duck. I never expected the Domaine
Chandon Chardonnay to work so well with the smoked duck but it did. There’s
something unusually soothing with the Chardonnay’s crisp and luscious notes
with the edgy smoked duck flavours that I really enjoyed. The second wine that
also paired well was the Domaine Chandon
Pinot Noir, a medium bodied red
with palate of dark rich plums and vibrant tangy raspberry. Plums and duck are
a majestic match for each other. Though never one to enjoy red wines, I do have
a soft spot for this particular Pinot Noir. It was probably my adoration for
plums and raspberries that I sensed in the red wine that nurtured this
sensation.
Our
main course was Grilled Salmon with Mint
Sauce. Again I am faced with an indecisive favoritism of two pairings that
I enjoyed with the rich oily fish. I thought the salmon with its crispy skin
paired so well with Domaine Chandon Chardonnay and Chandon Brut. The Chardonnay with its summery
citrus fruits lifted the richness of the fish while the Chandon Brut fresh and
crisp notes also balanced and contained the richness of the salmon well. The
reds were a bit too heavy with the fish while the Rosé
took on more sweetness with the salmon.
In
between the main course and dessert, we were surprised with an additional ingredient
to go with our wines, Smoked Salami!
It was an undeniably a favorite pairing with Domaine Chandon Shiraz with the few of us that day. Shiraz is
renowned for their bold and vibrant notes so it took an intense red of berries
and plums to match up with the salty rich cured meat and briny olive. I also
adored the appearance of the Shiraz’s rich deep purple density as it is quite
an unusual colour.
With
all meals, it had to end somehow. And with every ending, it is only plausible
that we end it with a sweet note. Raspberry
Crème Brulee happens to be one of my favorite desserts! And this one was
exceptional delicious with the essential cracked on the caramel crust,
unfolding luscious smooth baked custard. Set just right, the crème brulee is
gorgeously rich and just sweet enough. The richness of the custard was a match
made-in-heaven with both Chandon Brut
and Chandon Rosé. It seemed that sparkling wines
makes a good starter as well as a solid ending. Both elegant aperitif style
wines balanced out the richness of the dessert beautifully with their
respective crisp finish.
That
afternoon after the lunch pairing, there were more surprises to unfold. I will
leave that for another story as it seemed only fair to tribute this post with
full concentration on the beautiful wine pairing with Dan Buckle and Chandon…
Stay
tune for Chandon Limited Edition 2015 and a Cocktail Masterclass!
