Twice at Ciçou with Sommelier Selection's Wines.

My wife and I and a group of our friends (making up a table of 20) were present at the absolutely jam-packed maiden voyage of Ciçou during Jérome Philippon's 3rd Annual France Wine Festival last 22nd October. Like in all the other restaurants involved in said annual event, the chef, Cyrille, composed a special menu for the occasion (the "Festival Dinner").

During the Festival Dinner, L-R: William, Johnson and Mike T.

On the 5th November, half of us returned for a somewhat smaller, more intimate dinner, this time to sample the fare off what is to be their regular menu (the "Private Dinner"). It is always good to get a balanced presentation of a restaurant, I believe.

During the Private Dinner, L-R: Jérome, Mike T., my wife, Louie, Ken, Lisa, Jay and Lance

~ Welcome Drink with the Amuse Bouche ~

Festival Dinner:

Champagne Drappier Carte d’Or (Non-Vintage) - With the amuse bouche. This was the same opening bubbly as that served at the Festival's initial dinner at Je Suis Gourmand. my notes then, still consistent of course, were as follows:

I first tried this champagne in June of 2007 at a dinner in Château Léoville
Poyferré and found it too tight, linear and citrusy then. Last Wednesday,
however, it was clean, fresh, exuberant, generously frothy with nice heft, a
pronounced creamy mid-palate (predominantly pinot noir with just a little
chardonnay and pinot meunier thrown in) that picks up slight brioche notes
towards the back. Very nice, I liked it so much as an apéritif that I bought
some for the pre-birthday dinner that my brother and I hosted for our dad last
night. Reasonably priced champagne at P3275 per bottle.

L-R: Felix, Angeline, Mike W., Lisa and Ken

Private Dinner:

2002 Champagne Drappier Grande Sendrée - with a palate-priming, light, cool amuse bouche of Beetroot Gazpacho with Dry Yellowfin Tuna Saffron Espuma. Drappier's tête de cuvée, made only in good vintages, from fruit of older vines I believe.

Evidently more complex in the nose (it's a vintage champagne after all) than the first mentioned bubbly, with lively and very pure notes of delicate white fruits,nuance of small white flowers, laced with whispers of citrus, the slightest hint of bread and a touch of minerality.

In the mouth, it is also comparatively more complex, with noticeable additional body mid-palate, yet still very light on its feet. Flavors of pear, white stone fruit, slight nuance of ripe grapefruit and bread. Delicately layered. Very refined, elegant performance. Well priced for special occasions at P5070 per bottle at retail.

~ Initial Course ~

Festival Dinner: Duck Liver Cooked in Madiran Red Wine, Crispy Pain de Campagne, Ginger Bread and Marmalade of Pomelos paired with...

2003 Domaine de la Bongran Viré Clessé Cuvée Tradition EJT - Viré Clessé is an appellation in the Mâconnais area of Burgundy (south of the Côte de Beaune) which has, lately, been garnering a lot of attention and praise for its reasonably-priced, terroir-driven, mostly organically-made wines. At the forefront of this terroir-ist movement is a group of sixteen winegrowers who call themselves "les Artisans Vignerons de Bourgogne du Sud", spear-headed by Jean Thévenet, reputedly the best maker in the area.

Domaine de la Bongran is the Thévenet flagship, a 9-hectare estate located in the town of Quintaine that has been in the Thévenet family since the early 15th century, the vines if which average 55 years of age. Three cuvées are produced in Bongran, the Cuvée Tradition being their traditional, dry, rich chardonnay-based wine (the other two bottlings involve increasing influence of botrytis cinerea). 2003 as I've written several times before, was a hot, ripe vintage.

This wine was served just slightly cooler than the restaurant's air-conditioned temperature. This, in my opinion, is actually better for an analytical/evaluative wine tasting ("academic tasting" I call it) - good minerality, ripely-sweetish fruit with tropical character but well-balanced in acid. Good breadth and heft mid-palate, expands with slight creaminess towards the back, nice confident finish.

Good show (not surprising as I've had this wine before and already knew it was good), but, since I was not out that night for academic tasting, I would have liked it a bit better chilled to go with the foie. The members of the International Wine & Food Society's Ladies Branch contingent appeared to enjoy it fine though - their glasses looked nicely chilled. P2415 per bottle at Sommelier Selection.

Private Dinner: A particularly delicious Marinated Filet of Fresh Sardines, Goat Cheese on Warm Farmer’s Bread, Tapenade and Herb Mesclun (most of us felt this to be the best dish of the night) beautifully executed - deft, simple, honest unpretentious - emphasizing the quality of the ingredients used. Loved it (will definitely come back for more of this), especially paired with:

2005 Michel Redde Blanc Fumé de Pouilly "Les Bois de Saint-Andelain" - Great freshness, purity, minerality in this 100% sauvignon blanc from the Loire. For a 2005 (also a richly ripe hot vintage), it showed excellent balance - a testament to the winemaking skills of Michel Redde et Fils. - transcending vintage dictates. Solid structure, good ripe fruit, but all buttressed, brightened and kept in check by its acidity.

Very confident wine. I liked the flintiness that shines through the fruit. Nuances of citrus, white peach and white flowers. This is a hefty sauv blanc with a decidedly rounder, fleshier texture than many Loire whites I am used to (the vintage expressing itself for sure). As I've previously stated, however, it was fresh and precisely balanced - the acidity giving the needed brightness and lift to the ripe vintage characteristics. Harmonious wine. Definitely a buy for me at P2395 per bottle.

~ Soup Course and Second Course~

Festival Dinner: With Prawn Bisque and Sea Urchin Fan, and, Roasted Local Sea Bass in Red Wine & Lime Sauce, Oyster & Geen Cabbage Ravioli:

2005 Domaine Robert-Denogent Pouilly-Fuissé "Les Reisses" - Medium-bodied, pure, lush chardonnay, slight minerality, with notable focus. Mild honeyed notes surface in the fruit after time in the glass - added heft as well. Notably bigger, riper and heftier than the 2003 Viré Clessé above mentioned. Again, served at a temperature good for academic tasting, but not quite chilled enough otherwise.

The local sea bass dish, while good enough on its own, paled in comparison to those others served at the Festival Dinner in my opinion - one shared by almost everybody I spoke to who was there.

I, personally, found the prawn bisque with the sea urchin flan noteworthy, as did most everyone else. The flan could have been just a little lighter and smoother, but, over-all, it was a successful dish, one that I virtually finished in a single gulp. P2230 per bottle.

Private Dinner: Oeuf Cocotte with Mashed Watercress & Bread Mouillette. I was very happy to see this course as this simple dish is very comforting to me and a favorite of my wife ever since she had it in Ducasse's 1930s-styled Aux Lyonnaise in Paris. Jérome reminded me that I had mentioned our fondness for oeuf cocotte to him and Cyrille during the Festival Night, so Cyrille squeezed it into the Private Dinner - the only dish not on their regular menu. That was very thoughtful of him and we are most grateful for it. With this dish was paired:

2005 Domaine Colinot (Anita, Jean-Pierre & Stéphanie) Irancy Vieilles Vignes - I drove past Irancy while in Yonne, visiting, mainly, the old town of Auxerre. Irancy is very close to Chablis (under 20 kms. west by south west) and it is very easy for a non-wine-tourist not to notice it. Domaine Colinot is a family domaine (like most in Burgundy to my mind) with a total of 12.5 hectares of vineyards, whose wines appear on the cartes du vins of illustrious establishments such as La Tour d'Argent and Hôtel de Crillon.

Like many in Irancy, this pinot noir has some césar (a traditional grape in Irancy introduced by the Romans in the 11th century) in the blend which reputedly intensifies its color and bolsters structure for better age-worthiness. Be it as it may, in what little experience I have had with Irancy reds, I have found them to be comparatively more delicate (in body and structure) and rustic (in flavor) than those of the Côte d'Or - certainly not what I would consider particularly age-worthy.

Well, this wine was an eye-opener in that it certainly seemed like it could age for a respectable amount of time (but, then, this is a vieilles vignes, i.e., old vines, from 2005). Still quite young and primary, it displays aromas and flavors of ripe dark fruit and spices with tinges of cherry and raspberry. Its youthfulness, no doubt, adds to its rustic palate-feel and finish. The fruit definitely has good depth, though, and the structure is quite solid - the best structured Irancy I've ever tried - only Jérome could hunt a wine like this down for the Philippine market. Only P1515 per bottle from his Sommelier Selection.

As to the pairing, I, personally do not drink red with eggs as I find that the pairing makes the wine taste a bit metallic. I sipped a bit of it with the dish and, thereafter, saved my glass for after I had finished eating and rinsed my mouth out with water. I liked it much better alone.

~ Main Course ~

Festival Dinner: Veal Rack en Cocotte with a Gratin of Pasta, Duck Liver and Truffle and Wild Mushrooms - personally, I found this the best dish of the Festival Dinner in terms of flavors - though robustly earthy, they were married delicately and came off as not heavy at all on the palate. The veal was also cooked perfectly tender and succulent. This was paired with:

2000 Domaine Bernard Baudry Chinon "Croix Boisée" - This is from the appellation of Chinon, located in the Loire, where the reds are primarily made of cabernet franc (incidentally, the major grape of choice, along with merlot, of no less than Château Cheval Blanc). I remember having told Jérome that, after spending many days tasting through the Loire, I did not like a single red I tried there (the whites, though, are excellent) - finding them aggressively herbaceous, tannic and lacking in body.

With an open mind, though, I sipped this before eating, and, sure enough, it was quite forwardly herbaceous in its dominant ripe blackcurrants, cherry flavors. Also present were typical notes of violets and, more in the nose, black pepper. Admittedly, it had better heft and confidence than any red Loire I had previously tried, but I still found the middle a bit weak.

The wine's magic, however, was in the pairing. With the deliciously earthy veal, the wine fleshed out and even expanded mid-mouth. The notes of violets rode a swelling blackcurrant river that paired hand-in-hand with the meat, and the black pepper found its place with the duck liver's touch of richness. The wine's transformation, when taken with the dish, was nothing short of astounding. Excellent pairing. Bravo! Reasonably priced at P2435 per bottle.

Private Dinner: With a well-executed Roasted Lamb Filet Coated with Herbs, Raviolis of Braised Shoulder à l’Oriental:

2006 Domaine Tempier Bandol Cuvée Classique - I've writtenabout this star of Provençe a few weeks ago, at a wine lunch with Jérome and other friends that lasted 7 hours. Then, as now:

Made up of mainly mourvèdre grapes with some grenache, cinsault and a touch of carignan from the different estate vineyards, this is Tempier's basic bottling. Poured straight in to the glass, it is full, masculine and unabashed, loaded with sturdily structured ripe-roasted dark plum, blackberries, cassis, very subtle black coffee and meaty undertones, pepper, anise, violets, lavender, thyme and rosemary. Admirable harmony and balance, with a discreet earthiness/meatiness that will probably surface more after a couple of years in bottle.

There is, naturally, a bit of heat at the start which subsides with aeration. Good push and length. Enjoyable now with food and a bit of aeration, with very good future potential as well.

Tonji and I later on discussed how surprisingly enjoyable it was with the food though still very young. Though it will surely gain in complexity with age, this was already very enjoyable to have with our robust, earthy main course. A reasonable P2520 per bottle from Sommelier Selection, an affordable way to get a sample of Provençe.

~ Cheese Course ~

Festival Dinner: With a visually attractive dish of Shavings of Goat Cheese, Pear Cooked in Sweet Wine and Mint Salad that featured a bit too much fruit and mint flavors that, consequently, over-shadowed the cheese:

2006 Domaine Lapalu Beaujolais Villages "Le Rang du Merle" - As far as I can tell, "Le Rang du Merle" means "The Row of Blackbirds" - the significance of which is totally lost on me. Probably something to do with the vineyards, I really don't know. I do, however, know, that this wine, is made up of gamay (the major grape of Beaujolais reds). Beaujolais is in the southern portion of Burgundy, though, strangely, nobody seems to consider it or refer to it as a Burgundian wine. I've never been there, but, from Jérome and Robert Burroughes, I know it is on the way on a drive from Beaune to Lyon.

This wine was, like Lapalu's Brouilly (pronounced: broo-yee) "La Croix des Rameaux", fuller, deeper, rounder and more expansive than any other Beaujolais I have ever had (fresh, light, fruity and can't age well). This, I guess, comes from older vines than the ones I've tried as the fruit seems deeper-veined. A comparatively more masculine Beaujolais, it is, nontheless, still very accessible, user-friendly and easy to drink.

There is also a gaminess to it I have never before detected in any other Beaujolais I've had (even Lapalu's own afore-mentioned Brouilly). Given that gaminess, I could easily see why Jérome paired it with the goat cheese as it was complementary, the wines round, dark fruitiness acting somewhat like the accompanying compote favored in Bordeaux and Spain.

Robert, who used to part-own and operate a negoçiant business in Beaujolais also noted that it was quite unlike those fresh, light, fruity reds from the area. Different, surely, said he, atypical of Beaujolais reds as he knows them, but added that he quite liked this wine and would happily drink more of it in the future. P2420 per bottle.

Private Dinner: With a delicious Brie de Meaux Stuffed with Goat Cheese, Cream, Nuts and Dried Fruits, we continued with the 2006 Domaine Tempier Bandol Cuvée Classique, the afore-mentioned "discreet earthiness/meatiness" of which went hand-in-glove with that of the cheese. Lovely dish and lovely pairing.

I must add (admittedly, in part to fill up some space in lieu of wine notes, so as to balance off the picture on the left) that I have grown quite fond of the French dining practise of having a small salad at nearing the end of the meal, with the cheese course or separately. I find that it somehow refreshes the palate after a meat course and heavier red wine. In addition, it also seems to make the stomach feel less full and aids in digestion. I may be imagining things in that regard, but, there you go.

~ Desserts ~

We had the same dessert wine in both the Festival and Private Dinners. At the former, dessert was Chocolate Milles Feuilles, Ganache and Mousse; while at the latter, it was a dish of Roasted Pineapple and Flamed Light Cream of Rum. With both these desserts, we all very much enjoyed the 1998 Domaine du Petit Paris Monbazillac Cuvée Grains Nobles.

I have always liked this wine have served it several times to friends and have recommended it to many as well. It is a wonderful dessert wine that marries very well with crème brûlée, tart tatin, pan-seared foie gras, etc. I've written about it in the past, and my notes have been consistent the past 2+ years. A steal at P1820 per 500ml bottle:

Another recommendation by Jerome Philippon that did not disappoint. I was
looking for a moderately-priced alternative to Sauternes to serve for dinners at
home for 10 or more guests. I also wanted one that I could reduce with balsamico
for a sauce for seared foie gras. Jerome really stepped up to the plate on this
one.

A beautiful medium-dark gold/amber, nice viscosity to its mildly
floral candied apricots, orange marmalade, honey with notes of lemon bouquet
which held true in the mouth. Good underlying acidity, nice heft mid-mouth and
an elegant finish. Very Sauternaise, it would have fooled me if tasted blind. At
the equivalent of only US$42 (current rate of exchange) and its ready
availability in Manila, it's a no-brainer.

The Private Dinner was topped off by a simply beautiful looking espresso with absolutely delicious mini Napoleones, Honey Madeleines and Chocolate Ganache Millefeuille with Crispy Chorizo. Napoleons happen to be one of my favorite pastries and Madelines are one of my wife's favorites as well. They remind me so much of France. I hope Cyrille can make me some nice macarons as the ones commercially sold in Manila, while they are better than nothing, are always a bit too sweet.

The Chocolate and Ganache Millefeuille with Crispy Chorizo (I ate the ones in front of and nearby me before I could take a proper picture) was strange to many, but I liked it - reminded me of the chocolatey, spicy and vaguely salty Mexican chocolate tablets a Mexican college friend of mine used to give me.

This wine dinner was an absolute hit with everyone. I was even happier to know that all the dishes served at the Private Dinner, unlike those of the Festival Menu, shall form part of Ciçou's regular menu when it formally opens on the 15th of this month. I have, as early as now, already requested a dinner reservation for later this month.

Many thanks, Jérome, Cyrille and Anna, for all the wonderful food, wine and company.