Alice Rion and her husband Louis Hamman, Domaine Armelle et Bernhard Rion in Vosne Romanée, Côte de Nuits, Bourgogne, were in town (Washington DC) and presented their wines at a winemaker dinner at the French Embassy.
Annette and I know Domaine Armelle et Bernhard Rion and Alice Rion quite well. We have visited Domaine Armelle et Bernard Rion on ombiasy WineTours to Burgundy. See:
Cellar Tour and Tasting at Domaine Armelle et Bernhard Rion in Vosne Romanée, Côte de Nuits - Bourgogne (and Champagne) Tour 2016 by ombiasy WineTours
Domaine Armelle et Bernard Rion in Vosne-Romanée: Wine Tasting in the Cellar with Bernard Rion and Alice Rion – Bourgogne Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015), France
The dinner took place at Le Café Descartes, which is within the French Embassy compound. It is run by Chef Mark Courseille and Max Jacquet.
The event was organized by Laurent Lala of Elite Wines. Domaine Rion is widely available in the greater Washington DC area, as it is imported to the US by Elite Wines, based in Virginia.
As a special treat, Annette and I were seated at the head table with veteran French Michelin 2 Stars Chef Gérard Pangaud and his wife.
Domaine Armelle et Bernhard Rion
Domaine Rion is in Vosne Romanée, on the Route National. Domaine Rion was founded in 1880 by Pierre Rion. His son Louis substantially enlarged the domaine. In 1952, the domaine was divided between his 2 sons. The older one, Marcel, stayed in Vosne Romanée. In 1973, Marcel's son Bernard Rion joined Domaine Rion and is now with his wife Armelle the "senior" generation at the domaine.
Since 2006, their daughter Alice has been working at the domaine. The husband of Alice, Louis, joined her in 2010. His focus is the work in the vineyard.
Since 2015, Nelly, the oldest of the 3 daughters of Armelle and Bernard, came back to the Domaine and takes care mainly of the marketing. A great family history !
Wine production is very traditional with a high respect for nature. Vineyard management methods rely on natural or very specific products. 'Pheronomes' are diffused around the vineyards to provoke sexual confusion in certain insects eliminating the need to use insecticides. The average vines are over 50 years old and their roots draw nutrition from deep down in the ground.
In addition to wines, the Rion family has a passion for truffles and owns 4 truffel dogs that are good in detecting the best truffels hidden beneath the ground.
Winemaking Philosophy
Alice talked a lot about the winemaking philosophy of Domaine Rion, which is summarized on the web site of Domaine Rion:
Fertilizer: Organic fertilizer is used exclusively on the sandy slopes in order to maintain the structure of the soil. On average our vines are over 50 years old and their roots draw their nutrition from deep down in the ground.
Cultivation: The vineyards are ploughed in winter and hoed in the spring. Grass is then left to grow naturally between the rows and a light tractor,(limiting soil compaction), is used to hold it back from invading the vines.
Pruning: A preliminary pruning is carried out in autumn, followed-up by a thorough pruning in March. The canes are burnt to prevent any risk of infection.
Treatments: Curative only. We use rational management methods relying on natural or very specific products. 'Pheronomes' are diffused around the vineyards to provoke sexual confusion in certain insects eliminating the need to use insecticides.
Grape Harvest: Picking is manual, de-stemming is very gentle and there is no crushing.
Fermentation: Natural fermentation is long, lasting from 2 to 3 weeks. The cap is punched manually and a stainless steel pneumatic press presses out at low pressure (2kg/cm2), ensuring fine lees on which the wine will mature for 18 months removing the need for filtration. New oak and oak barrels under 5 years old are used for the maturing process.
Bottling: Bottling takes place on the estate with the assistance of a specialized bottling company. New bottles are sterilized and the wine introduced under air-tight conditions. Top quality corks from Portugal are then used.
Conclusion: As one can see from the above description, every effort goes into producing wines to lie down which will develop and be enhanced over the decades provided they are laid down in a cellar maintained at a constant temperature.
Vosne-Romanée
Clive Coats: Nowhere is wine more noble than in Vosne-Romanée. Between the Nuits-Saint-Georges premier cru of Boudots to the south and the walls of the Clos de Vougeot at the northern end lie the 240 hectares of Vosne-Romanée vineyard: the most valuable piece of vinous real estate in the world.
Appellation Romanée Conti Grand Cru: The Romanée-Conti vineyard dominates the village, with its wines among the most expensive in the world. It is a monopole of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti. Around 600 cases are made each year from the vineyard's 1.8 ha.
Appellation La Romanée Grand Cru: La Romanée is a monopole of the Château de Vosne-Romanée. Only 300 cases are made each year from this plot of 0.84 ha.
Appellation La Tâche Grand Cru: La Tâche is Domaine de la Romanée Conti's other monopole, and its 6 ha consist of the vineyards of La Tâche and Les Gaudichots.
Appellation Richebourg Grand Cru: The 8 ha of the Richebourg cru are divided between 10 growers, including Domaine Leroy and Domaine de la Romanée Conti.
Appellation La Grande Rue Grand Cru: The least-renowned of the six grands crus is a monopole of Domaine François Lamarche, and was only promoted from premier cru recently. Its 1.4 hectares lie between La Tâche and Romanée-Conti.
Appellation Romanée Saint Viviant Grand Cru: Domaine de la Romanée Conti owns over half of the area's 9.5 ha.
Although unable to command the same prices as their grand cru neighbors, the village is home to many excellent premier cru wines. Fifty-eight hectares of this is premier cru, and there are 11 of these. Five of them lie just above the grands crus, six on the same altitude or a little further down the slope.
Le Café Descartes
The dinner took place at Le Café Descartes, which is within the French Embassy compound. It is run by Chef Mark Courseille and Max Jacquet. Their main task is to feed the staff of the Embassy during business hours (8am to 6 pm). There are several outlets, including a coffee shop, a bar, a cafeteria and a fine dining restaurant. All these are run by Mark and Max and their collaborators. In the evening, Le Café Descartes and the other outlets are usually closed. However, they are open for special events like the winemaker dinner with Alice Rion and Louis Hamman from Domaine Armelle et Bernhard Rion.
In a true act of diplomacy, the French Embassy offers the public access to its bar, coffee shop, cafeteria and fine-dining restaurant during the regular business hours. Go to the website for more details.
Head Table
Annette and I were seated at the head table, togather with the Rions, Patrick Lachaussée (First Counselor at the Embassy) and Emmanuelle Lachaussée (Press Counselor at the Embassy)and Chef Gérard Pangaud with his wife. Gérard Pangaud is a veteran French chef best known in Washington DC as Chef/ Owner for 15 years of Gerard’s Place in downtown Washington (1993 to 2008).
Reception
Gougère
Steak Tartare
Brioche Quail Egg
Crémant de Bourgogne, Brut, NV, Domaine Tripoz
The reception was quite lively. Alice and Louis walked around welcoming the 40 guests.
The Dinner
After verybody had taken her/ his seat, Max Jacquet/ Le Café Descartes, Patrick Lachaussée/ French Embassy and Alice Rion and her husband Louis Hamman provided introductory remarks.
First Course
Crumble d'Escargot Flan d'Ail Beurre Persillé
Snail Crumble, Garlic Butter Parsley Flan
Domaine Armelle et Bernard Rion, Bourgogne Rouge, La Croix Blance, Vieilles Vignes, 2015
Second Course
Boudin Blanc Sauce Meurette
Domaine Armelle et Bernard Rion, Chambolle Musigny, Les Echezaux, 2014
Third Course
Perche d'Océan et Omble Chevalier
Ocean Perch and Arctic Char Pôchouse
Domaine Armelle et Bernard Rion, Vosne-Romanée, 1er Cru, Les Chaumes, 2013
Fourth Course
Filet Mignon Rôti, Tagliatelle et Petit Légumes, Sauce Bourguignonne
Roasted Fillet of Beef Tenderloin, Tagliatelle et Petit Légumes, Burgundy Style
Domaine Armelle et Bernard Rion, Nuits Saint Georges, 1er Cru, Les Murgers, 2014
Fifth Course
Assiette de Fromages (Époisses/ Brillat-Savarin/ Délice de Bourgogne)
Cheese Plate
Domaine Armelle et Bernard Rion, Clos de Vougeot, Grand Cru, 2012
Sixth Course
Poire Pochée, Granache Chocolat et Ganache de Noix de Pécan, Glace Pain d'Épice
Poached Pear, Chocolate and Pécan Ganache, Gingerbread Ice Cream
Café/ Thé
Chef Gérard Pangaud
Gérard Pangaud is a veteran French chef best known in Washington DC as Chef/ Owner for 15 years of Gerard’s Place in downtown Washington (1993 to 2008).
Dave McIntyre, Washington Post: Pangaud, began developing his cuisine of subtlety at age 15, when he entered the Ecole Hoteliere in Paris. He learned pastry from the great Gaston Lenotre and apprenticed with some of France's greatest chefs, including the brothers Troigros in their restaurant in Roanne, Joseph Rostaing and Roger Verger. He opened his first restaurant in Paris in September 1976 and quickly won a Michelin star. His second star came three years later after he opened a new restaurant in the Paris suburb of Boulogne. In a footnote now enshrined in Washington, D.C., restaurant lore, in becoming the youngest-ever two-star chef, Pangaud eclipsed Jean-Louis Palladin by two months.
Pangaud moved in 1985 to New York, as chef at Aurora and later had an unsuccessful attempt at owning his own restaurant there. He regained his stride in 1990 at the Ritz-Carlton in Pentagon City. Now celebrating his third anniversary at Gerard's Place, he is planning to open a more casual restaurant and wine bar later this spring on M Street NW in Georgetown. Calling it Vintage, he describes it as "a place you can go for a salad or a glass of wine."
City Paper: By many measures, Pangaud's career as a chef in America has fallen short of his youthful promise. Aurora, the restaurant he opened with Baum in New York, never found its financial footing. The Manhattan version of Gerard's Place barely got off the ground. Starting at the Ritz Carlton in Arlington, Pangaud found more success in D.C., but a gourmet selection of personal foibles has helped keep the success modest. He openly admits that alcoholism and a less-than-acute business sense have broken his stride, and some of his friends speak sadly of the way in which he has, in their eyes, frittered away his exceptional gifts.
"I am a recovering alcoholic," Pangaud says. "New York was not the right place for me. So I tried to find a slower pace and a better lifestyle, and Washington is giving me that. It's not as sophisticated or as glamorous as Paris and New York. But it's a much better quality of life for a chef."
The End: "L'hymne de la Bourgogne"
The wondeful evening ended with all of us singing "l'hymne de la Bourgogne"
Bye-bye
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Cellar Tour and Tasting at Domaine Armelle et Bernhard Rion in Vosne Romanée, Côte de Nuits - Bourgogne (and Champagne) Tour 2016 by ombiasy WineTours
Domaine Armelle et Bernard Rion in Vosne-Romanée: Wine Tasting in the Cellar with Bernard Rion and Alice Rion – Bourgogne Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015), France