See: Announcement: Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours (Sunday, June 09 - Thursday June 20, 2024)
In Frankfurt, on all three evenings we went to Mainlust Desche Otto, a couple of blocks away from our home, where we enjoyed Apfelwein (Hard Cider) as well as Burgundy reds, Hand Cheese (Handkäses), Grüne Sauce (Green Sauce), Bratkartoffeln (Fried Potatoes) as well as Oysters and Steak Tartare.
See: Stopover in Frankfurt: 3 Nights at Zur Mainlust Desche Otto in Frankfurt/ Schwanheim - From Washington DC (USA) to Nantes (France) for 2024 Loire by ombiasy WineTours, led by Annette Schiller
In Paris, we had to transfer from the Gare de L'Est to the Gare de Monteparnasse. Just opposite of the Gare de Monteparnasse is Le Petit Sommelier, which is famous for its amazing wine list. Run and owned by the sommelier Pierre Vila Palleja, who also writes for the t advertises itself as "Restaurant à Vin. Service Nonstop". Our window was too short for lunch but large enough for a glass of wine with cheese. Annette chose a Champagne and I a red Bourgogne.
Gault&Millau's review - 10.5/20
From the outside, Le Petit Sommelier may look like your average stuffy, white-tablecloth-bearing French restaurant. However, this unassuming restaurant offers much more than meets the eye. Truth be told, many of the spots on our list are located on the Right Bank, as these northerly neighbourhoods tend to be hotter spots for wine drinking. However, Le Petit Sommelier is worth the trek across the river. Located a hop, skip and a jump away from the Gare Montparnasse, this restaurant is home to one of the most epic wine lists in the entire city – and in terms of finding old wine at insane prices, it’s unbeatable.
Although the food is nothing to write home about, the carte des vins promises a night to remember. Home to over 750 references, Le Petit Sommelier’s cellar is laden with back vintages of DRC and classic Loire Valley producers, many of which can be found hovering around the €100 mark. Picks from the United States, Italy and Australia are also widely available. Over 20 wines are available by the glass at all times, with frequent 10 to 15-year-old pours offered for just over €10 a pop. On the food front, expect traditional meat-heavy bistro fare (steak tartare, rib eye, homemade foie gras) served up in a Belle Epoque reminiscent dining room.
Gayot - Le Petit Sommelier Restaurant Review
Just off the Montparnasse train station, this lively brasserie boasts an impressive wine list, thanks to owner Pierre Vila Palleja, who previously worked as a sommelier at Lasserre. Up to 700 vintages are suggested, including foreign items. Chef Nicolas Bouillier, who honed his craft at the now-defunct Christian Le Squer restaurant, Etc., cooks up hearty and creative fare. The menu at €35 offers great value for the money, with such items as sea bream tartare with lemon, cucumber milk and beetroot cream, and the delicious Iberian pork filet and crusty pork chest topped with sweet-and-sour sauce and accompanied by sweet potatoes purée. It’s too bad that the dessert, a commonplace cheesecake perfumed with mango and passion fruit with a shortbread biscuit, is not on par with the rest.
Stopover in Frankfurt: 3 Nights at Zur Mainlust Desche Otto in Frankfurt/ Schwanheim - From Washington DC (USA) to Nantes (France) for 2024 Loire by ombiasy WineTours, led by Annette Schiller
Pitstop at Le Petit Sommelier, Standard (10.5/ 20 Gault&Millau) Food and Worldclass Wine List, Just Opposite of Gare Monteparnasse in Paris -From Washington DC (USA) to Nantes (France) for 2024 Loire by ombiasy WineTours, led by Annette SchillerDinner at L'Océanide (Bib Gourmand Michelin) in Nantes - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours
Dinner at L'Instinct Gourmand in Nantes, with Owner/ Chef Sylvain le Bras - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours
Guided Tour of Old Town Nantes - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours
Dinner at Brasserie La Cigale in Nantes - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours
Tour,
Tasting and Light Lunch at Vignobles Günther Chéreau, Château du Coing,
in Saint Fiacre-sur-Maine, with Owner Véronique Günther-Chéreau - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours
Visit at Domaine Gadais Père et Fils, in Saint Fiacre-sur-Maine, Muscadet Sévre et Maine, Pays Nantais, with Owner/ Winemaker Christoph Gadais - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours
Dinner at Restaurant Les Petits Près in Angers - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours
Vineyard Tour and Tasting at Château d’Épiré, AOP Savennières, Anjou, with Owner/ Winemaker Paul Bizard - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours
Vineyard Tour, Barrel Tasting and Salon Tasting at Château des Vaults, Domaine du Closel in Savennière, Anjou, with Owner/ winemaker Evelyne de Pontbriand - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours
Wine-pairing Lunch at Château des Vaults, Domaine du Closel in Savennière, Anjou, with Owner/ Winemaker Evelyne de Pontbriand and Owner/ Chef Arthur Favé of Restaurant Le Chenin in Savennière - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours
Guided Visit of Château Angers and the Apocalypse Tapestry (UNESCO) - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours
Dinner at Brasserie du Ralliement in Angers - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours
Vineyard Tour and Tasting at Domäne Vincendeau in Rochefort-sur-Loire, Anjou, with Owner/ Winemaker Liv Vincendeau - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours
Vineyard Tour, Cellar Tour and Wine Tasting with a Light Lunch at Domaine de la Soucherie in Beaulieu-sur-Layon, Anjou - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours
Tasting and Cellar Tour at Clotilde Legrand, Domaine Legrand, in Varrains, Anjou, with Clotilde Legrand - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours
Dinner at Restaurant L’Essentiel in Saumur - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours
Guided Visit of L’ Abbey Royale de Fontevraud in Fontevraud - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours
Lunch at L’Orangerie Saumur in the Courtyard of the Château de Saumur - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours
Tasting,
Cellar Tour and Vineyard Tour at Domaine des Roches Neuves in Varrains,
Anjou, with Next Generation Owner/ Winemaker Louis Germain and Agathe
Germain - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours
Tour and Tasting at Maison Bouvet-Ladubay in Saumur, with Owner Juliette Monmousseau - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours
Tasting at Cave M. Plouzeau in Chinon, Touraine, with Owner/ Winemaker Marc Plouzeau - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours
Tasting at Domaine de la Haut Olive in Chinon, Touraine - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours
Lunch at Brasserie Le Lion d’Or in Chinon - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours
Vineyard Tour, Cellar Tour and Tasting at Domaine François Gazin, Le Petit Chambord, in Cheverney, Touraine, with François Gazin - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours
Dinner at Restaurant Brut Maison de Cuisine in Blois, with Owner/ Chef Adrien Delafoy and Owner/ Chef Thomas Gaudard - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours
Vineyard Tour by Car and Tasting at Domaine Brazilier in Thoré-la-Rochette, CôteauxVendômois, Touraine, with Owner/ Winemaker Benoît Braziliery - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours
Lunch at Le Moulin du Loir in Vendôme - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours
Visit of Château Chambord - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours
Guided Tour of Château Royal de Blois - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours
Sunday Lunch at Restaurant La Croix Blanche (Bib Gourmand Michelin), with Owner/ Chef Jean-François Beauduin - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours
Guided Visit of Château du Clos Lucé and the Leonardo-da-Vinci Park in Amboise - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours
Dinner, Overnight-stay and Breakfast at Château de Pray in Amboise - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours.
Visit at Denis Meunier in Vernou-sur-Brenne, Touraine - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours
Visit at Domaine des Aubuisières, Bernard Fouquet, in Vouvray, Touraine - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours
Guided Visit of Château Chenonceau - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours
Dinner and Overnight-stay at Auberge du Bon Laboureur in Chenonceau - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours
Vineyard Walk, Cellar Tour and Tasting at Domaine Pellé in Morogues, Menetou-Salon, with the Export Manager Pauline Guillot - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours
Lunch at Restaurant Fluteau in Morogues - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours
Cellar Tour and Extensive Tasting at at Domaine Alphons Mellot in Sancerre, with Alphons Mellot - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours
Cellar Tour and Tasting at Domaine de Vrillères, SCEA in Sury-en-Vaux, Sancerre, with Kevin Lauverjat - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours
Cellar Tour and Tasting at Domaine Tinel-Blondelet in Pouilly-sur-Loire, with Marlène and Annick Tinel - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours
Lunch at Restaurant/ Affineur Romain Dubois in Chavignol, with Gilles Dubois - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours
Cellar Tour, Vineyard Tour and Tasting at Domaine Henri Bourgeois in Chavignol - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours
Wine-pairing Dinner at Le Clos du Maréchal with the Wines of Vignobles Berthier, with the Owner/ Winemaker Clément Berthier and the Chef/ Owner Nathanael Fromant - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours
Last Meal of the Tour: At La Coupole in Paris - Loire Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours