Domaine La Louviere, Malvies – August 2014

FWRR were granted the exclusivity of the the fine wines of Domaine La Louviere for Luxembourg earlier this year, shortly after we started up our own wine import business. The wines were among the first to be imported and among the first to be sold out. But do not worry – because there is still the great Le Galante on stock and maybe we can find a few of the reds too – even though our hearts cry every time a La Sedutrice or La Maitresse leaves the garage.

The outstanding artwork

The outstanding art of work 🙂

That hit the spot

But ever since the import started, Nicolas and Thore kindly invited us to come down down down south and have a look at the production and wineyards. And so we did. we stopped shortly before Barcelona it seems, and were amazed by the landscape,  which actually included more sunflowers than vines. I later told Nicolas, so this is the trick to wonderful herbal taste of the reds – you make them from sun flowers !!!!

Actually, wine maker and new on the team Jem (from Adelaide !!!) – showed us there were actually lots of wine grown on the land surrounding the Domaine.

Here´s some shots to get you an idea what awaited us.

The fountain and “market place” in front of the main building.

The beauiful trademark firmly placed 4 times on the fountain

The Pyrenees and high attitude make room for a great wine growing climate

Suns everywhere.

We were spoiled with good weather and Jem playing the perfect host, went shopping for us, right after arrival, and went to get us breakfast the next morning as well. That is great host playing. Good on ya.

First meal was cheese, charcuterie, fine La Louviere wines and …..more wines. What a nice arrival. Stefan made sure the beds were made and that all  of us were installed properly. A funny phone call from Nicolas set the tone of the stay, he was not to arrive until a few days later, but I could assure him we were well taken care of.

The next day we spend in beautiful Carcassonne, had a semi great lunch – and after returning to the domaine we relaxed with table tennis, rosé and ipads.

The big boys below Carcassonne

As always a Mr.Blue Sky when we are on a trip.

🙂

Hard to pick the shots to show you from the 200 I took inside the old city.

one last one

and back the Domaine as I said time to rest before shower and dinner. The dinner I shall come back to in a review coming up shortly.

3 ages playing with rubber bands.

Returning after dinner most people called it a night and I opened a bottle of Rhum and were joined by the Bruxelles/Amsterdam connection in what turned out to be a longer drink – talk and night. I went to bed WAY over bed time but had a great evening. And mind you no hangover the next morning for reasons unexplained to man,

Next day was spend partly at the near by lake and for my part, shopping and cooking for our hosts and us. I had asked Stefan to find a “room with a view” – and the table and setting blew us away. Thank you most sincerely Stefan for arranging this, the evening was truly awesome. A pearler.

Before the dinner Jem showed us around and we were explained what makes La Louviere so special and what they aim for. Nicolas arrived – almost not late and joined us for my Coq au vin, which I think he liked 🙂

New mates – Oscar and Jem

Dinner

A proud wine maker.

Table – and my humble sandwiches to get us going.

Waiting for the “coq” to arrive – Nicolas 🙂

Wine were plenty and good and I got a bit tipsy and called it a night. Judging from the look of some of the fellow diners the next day, that was a wise move.

Last day we spend exploring the area, and packing – sigh – I beat our host Nicolas in table tennis…and was both amazed and happy just doing that. Two things to be noted. One – I have a bad right wrist 🙂 and two  – I do think the score were adjusted a bit just around the 19-18 area, where I thought I was behind and then all of sudden was leading. Never mind. The victory was sweet. Oh so sweet.

Before leaving Nicolas told me some exciting and good news as for the product range of the domaine. Looking foward to that my friend.

We sincerely hope this will not be the last time we are visiting this great domaine. We thank you Nicolas, Jem and Stefan for taking good care of us. And we are looking forward to importing MANY more of your fine wines to the delight of our customers. I shall leave you with a few shots taken by my brother Heiko Schneider – one of the fans of the wines of Domaine La Louviere.

And to those of you who have not tried the wines yet. Feel free to pass by the garage sale of FWRR in Helmsange, Luxembourg or call me at +352661187904 – and let us arrange a tasting for you.

Style and taste

Herbal taste 🙂

and a final shot of the sun and the beautiful courtyard.

Bye Bye…

Torben´s place – Luxembourg, 24th February 2013

“Once we made a promise we swore we’d always remember
No retreat, baby, no surrender
Blood brothers in a stormy night
With a vow to defend
No retreat, baby, no surrender”

Bruce Springsteen – 1984

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It is always great fun to cook with my lifelong friend Torben. Besides being my friend and “partner in crime” on many wine tastings, he was also my partner on the German television show, where his great performance almost brought us to the final.

It somehow flows when we are in a kitchen. He was always as wild as me – trying out strange combinations. They did not always work, but like me he seems to avoid recipes, and like me he collects cooking books mainly for inspiration.

I always thougt I was better chef than him, but these days I think that is very well balanced out. His cooking has really improved rapidly the last few years, and the most apparent place he needs me these days is in arranging the food.

Lunch on this day was supposed to happen 12ish, and I entered the house a good hour before to see “what was cooking”.

My role today was merely helping arranging  and being spoiled with good food and great wines.

Slices of Salmon & Spinach Pancake on a salad of young peas.

First up a GREAT colourful starter. It worked so well Torben. Go green. 7.5p

A Benjamin Romero effort…

I had this one before, and found it more interesting the first time. But it opened up a lot in the glass and shows that BR knows his trade.

Peking Duck

The missus of Torben prepared this favourite chinese dish of mine. Mrs. Torben – this was the best peking duck I have ever had. Using the confit de canard instead of the breast is a GREAT idea. 9.5p

Argentina…

Great label, great fruits, I think it was 100% Malbec. A very good product. Malbec not being my favourite grape, but Argentina being Torben´s favourite spot on this planet. I would love to see those wineyards with you one day mate.

An oldie…

I have fond memories of Pichon-Longueville. Pauillac being my favourite area in Bordeaux. This was a host gift from an earlier occasion from business partner and friend Gijs to Torben and I. And since Gijs was “in da house” – it seemed very appropriate to open it. For my taste it was over the hill. I do like the vibrant young good Bordeaux´s – not the brownish silky old ones. Not a bad drop, but I would have enjoyed it more 5 years earlier Im sure.

Parmesan crusted Cod on Jerusalem Artichokes with a cauliflower creme….

Very nice presentation, everything worked, except I would have added a small crunchy salad on top. I got the chance to use my sauce dispenser which Torben gave me last year for Christmas. 7p

Another Spanish gem…

Torben has a few of those Spanish gems in his cellar. This was stuning. What a damn nice wine. I could drink that one every Sunday.

Iberico Porc with Tortilla and Oyster mushrooms

I think this has to be one of the best dishes I have ever had at Torben´s place. Stunning meat. And that with the above wine was simply heaven. The tortilla spot on. 10p

Say cheese….

To go with this little selection of cheese – Torben opened another stunner. We were not hungry or thirsty at this point, but there is always room for some cheese…

As good as they come…

I have been lucky to try Opus One on a good five occasions. I always loved it. It was the wine of the day. For me its like a Chateau Margaux or Sassicaia, laid back and straight elegance. Not overpowering, never too  much, but very complex.

My conclusion:

Today´s lunch was way up there with my best private meals. It was balanced, surpricing and some of it damn good.

Torben, I appreciate our friendship, I respect your cooking skills, and I hope for many more of these improvised sessions. You are not only a sarcastic mf´er – you also care about your friends and you know how to spoil them. Here´s to our friendship. Rock on.

Christoph´s Place, Luxembourg, – January 27th, 2013

“Lazy Sunday afternoon
I’ve got no mind to worry
I close my eyes and drift away”

Small Faces 1968

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I was happy to be invited to cook for a group of wine lovers. The theme being 1st growth from Bordeaux, and the admission was – bring a bottle of those of your choice. Christoph not only asked me to cook, but also participating in the the dinner and the tasting. My admission thus was the time I spend cooking.

Bordeaux was one of my first loves – wine wise. In the early nineties I was lucky to have a good friend whos cellar as in regard to top Bordeauxs had everything you could ever imagine or wish for,

So – expectations was high, and my cooking was adjusted, meaning less pepper and spices than normally, – I did not want to disturb the delicacy of those drops too much.

Here is some shots from the event…

Our own wonderful Mandois, Cuvee Victor 2002

I love this Champagne, and it was a good companion to my small amuses

Smoked Trout Creme with creme fraiche, aneth and horse redish…

Finding Nemo – again.

Mr. and Mr. Akkerman

3 of the best “noses” in Luxembourg…

Chateau Haut-Brion 1994

One of my favourites of the day, still vibrant.

Chateau Ausone 1985

Chateau Mouton Rothschild 2001

Having had 3 bottles of this in my own cellar, it was nice to revisit – and to actually feel , I drank it when it presented more of what I like in a wine. Elegang power and energy. In my eyes it was still a nice drop of course. It just hadnt improved.

A little lamb “cous cous” thing…

Chateau Cheval Blanc 1997

 

Chateau Margaux 2002

What a brilliant wine.

Roast beef a la Jamie Oliver

I love this dish, saw it one night on the telly. Added slices of raw mushrooms.

Lafite Rothschild 2002

Probably the best wine of the day. And the only one where you thought…this one needs more time…well in my eyes. I like them young. This was so amazing, and full of energy waiting to develop. What a nice drop.

Iberico porc, with roasted garlic and truffles…

Say cheese….

A few more bottles landed on the table, the tired Danish chef was happy people liked his food.

As for the wines….well how could you not like them. I was happy to have had the chance to participate in this extravaganza of top wines. I thank you Christoph for inviting me – here´s to our new friendship. Rock on. And for those of you that was not there on that Sunday. Well, you missed an outstanding tasting.

As for me, I met some interesting new people and that is what counts the most. I still prefer my wines younger, and was confirmed in that opinion.

From the FWWR shop

Third wine presented by Le Caviste and FWRR is one of our most popular wines.

2009 Domaine de Reuilly – Cuvée Anne de Varennes – situated in beautilful Reuilly in the Loire region.

A GREAT wine for most fish, chicken or veal dishes.

100% Sauvignon Blanc, but aged in oak barrel. Gorgeous nose of baked bread, peach and grapefruit. On the palate complexe but with a balanced acidity. A wine to drink now, but it ages very well, having recently tried the 2006 vintage which still performs great.

Drink between now and 2015. Served cool, anything from 8-14 degrees will show different aspects of this fab wine. Goes well with medium heavy dishes -or maybe just as a great companion when you want to spoil yourself on a hot summer night with a both rich and smooth Sauvignon Blanc.

Price EUR 15,95 incl. Luxembourg VAT – per bottle – 2009 Limited stock. New vintage to arrive soon.

Please call me on +352 661187904 with your order or your questions, or write us at foodwinerr@gmail.com

From the FWRR shop – Domaine Mourchon Grande Reserve 2010, Seguret, Cotes du Rhone

Our second wine presented by Le Caviste and FWRR- is a real highlight – so far we have enjoyed the 2007 rated 92pp – but we are even more happy with the 2010 effort and here is is:

Domaine Mourchon Grande Reserve 2010, Seguret, Cotes du Rhone It is rated 91-93 by Robert Parker by the way – who states that this is as good as any Cotes du Rhone Villages from Seguret gets….

What a wine…..my favourite for the moment.

Domaine de Mourchon is located in the hills of the ‘Dentelles de Montmirail’  – around the village of Seguret.

Because the vineyards placement – in the hills at an altitude of 300 meters the – nights are cooler than down on the plain. This cools down the vines and slows down the maturing process, keeping natural acidity in the grape which results in wines with good fruit and freshness.

The Grande Reserve 2010 is a blend of Grenache and Syrah. Aromas of dark fruit, leather, licorice and spice. Good concentration and freshness. Long finish.

Drink between now and 2017. Served slightly cool at 16-18 degrees. Great with lamb and bbq’s.

Price EUR 17,95 incl. Luxembourg VAT – per bottle. Order now before its too late – you are not gonna regret it.

Please call us on +352 661187904 with your order or your questions, or write us at foodwinerr@gmail.com

The FWRR Wine Shop – Take 1

Prepare yourselves for the spring and summer…its coming you know.

We have been lucky to get this recommendation from Le Caviste. It is an easygoing Chenin Blanc, smooth not to heavy, not to light  a perfect companion for your roasted chicken or pork chops.

Limited stock so do not wait too long.

Château Gaudrelle Sec 2009, Vouvray (Loire) – price EUR 10,75 (incl. VAT) – per bottle – min orders 12 bottles. Please look below the picture for tasting notes.

Tasting Notes:

The Château Gaudrelle Sec 2009 from ‘Argilo-Calcaires’ soil offers up a very vibrant, fresh wine packed with minerality.

On the nose, ripe peach and pear. On the palate, fresh fruit. The small quantity of residual sugar, is well balanced out by the crisp acidity of the wine. Enjoy over the next two years

Please call me on +352 661187904 with your order or your questions, or write us at foodwinerr@gmail.com

Grain Nobles, Steinsel, Luxembourg – 25th November 2011

An evening with the boys…

I first met Fernand Klêe in the early nineties, since then he has established himself as one of the leading figures in the Luxembourgish wine scene. As a sommelier, conferencier, wine lover, or just a fantastic guy to spend a few hours with. He is truly entertaining, warm-hearted and witty.

So when my friend Richard asked me if I wanted to join his mostly Norwegian gang on a “Friday Night Christmas Celebration” in the hands of Fernand – with food provided by Cookconcept, there was 3 things I knew right away. Yes, I would, 2) I would be first to arrive 5 min before the set time 7 pm, and Lorenzo was gonna be the last to arrive.

So, being early when you are in the hands of Fernand Klêe is not a problem. First wine was a…..I forgot – or wait was it the Bruno Colin ?. Second up a Domaine Leflaive, third a Marsanne/Viognier thing and then the Champagne…..and this was before the first half of the rest of the boys arrived.

After great amuses, oysters, spicy chili/choriandre soup, buffalo Mozzarella, Salmon etc. – and the arrival of  Lorenzo and a few others around 8.30. pm  (Italians are from a different planet – and thus have longer travelling time. Capiche ?) – the evening could (finally) commence…

The GREAT GREAT Fernand Klêe

A GREAT Blanc de blancs

First dish of the evening was this wonderful fois gras.

Terine of Fois Gras

The cinnamon on the apples just there, not too much, the brioche, classic. One of the best dishes of the evening. Sam – your terine is truly great. It was accompanied by…

On the rich side - which I love....

A classic great marriage...

What followed was an army of good whites, look at the producers below….all outstanding in their own respect. With the below whites we also had the following two dishes….

– and the dishes

The salmon excellent, – the soup with the loup de mer on the very spicy side. I loved the dish but I do not think it fitted the wines or visa-versa. The only wine to almost match it was the beforementioned Marsanne/Viognier.

As for the whites they were all fantastic, most notably the Puligny Montrachet 1.cru from Domaine Leflaive, what a nose, what a tour de la force….

We left the whites and Fernand now like a true wizzard – as if by magic – presented a young 2009 Echezeaux from Richard Maniere.

My favourite wine of the evening. It was only to clear the palate Fernand claimed – before the Bordeaux’s that would follow, but what a wine. Bourgogne 2009 is all I want in a wine, lovely sun, fruits, subtle tannins.

A true classic, Tertre Roteboeuf is a favourite among many wine critics, and I can see why. Second best wine of the evening – together with the Domaine Leflaive.

Now to all these reds we were served (twice) a wonderful rack of lamb with rösti and a mushroom ragout. The lamb was fantastic, the rösti right on the spot, the mushrooms lacked a bit salt and pepper and just slightly overcooked for my taste. My camera was absent during that dish and the cheese that followed. But trust me it was great.

The  biggest name of the evening was up next. The magnum bottle of the 1985 Chateau Ausone. One of the best wines in France….

This almost brought back memories to the early nineties where my good friend Jan Pedersen had a wine cellar to die for. I had the honour to prepare a dinner to go with his great wines on several occasions and the 1986 Ausone was a highligt of that period. Now 20 years later, the 1985 was still vibrant, still powerful…but deep down in my heart I must admit that it was no way near what I prefer in wine. I simply just prefer them younger. But what a privelege to try this kind of wine, and see how it matures and stays fresh and drinkable.

The cheese platter was accompied by a “lighter” 1995 Musigny.

How can you not like such a wine. Even though 1995 has proven a difficult year, these great drops – Grand Cru’s  – shows that with the right soft- and hardware you can still make good wine.

There was a few other wines, which were not shot – the fnal glass I got halfway out the door – a 2009 Chambolle Musigny (I think) from Henri Perrot-Minot in Morey Saint Denis. I shall give you a few impressions of the happy faces that was all around. Lorenzo is not in the pictures, he was busy dancing and remembering his disc-jockey days – some 20 years ago.

Conclusion:

To have such a vast number of great bottles in one evening could be considered too much for what one can digest, but actually it was not a problem. I woke up the next morning with a smile on my lips and no sight of hang-over. I thank you – Norwegian friends and Richard for letting me participate in this great event. I thank you Fernand Klêe for selecting the wines – your wit and knowledge is amazing. I shall just just mention that Fernand Klêe sells a large selection of outstanding wines and cognacs as well as a lot of accesoires and art from the shop in Steinsel. Do check it out. Especially here in December they have a large selection of Christmas gifts as well as tastings, starting 10th December up till Christmas. I know I will go for sure…..

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“And so this is Christmas, I hope you have fun,
The near and the dear ones, the old and the young”

John Lennon

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http://www.fernandklee.lu/

http://www.cookconcept.lu/

Avgvstvs Cabernet Sauvignon Rosé 2006, Penedés

Wine of the month – May 2008

Avgvstvs Cabernet Sauvignon Rosé 2006, Penedés

“The summer is here and the time is right…..” (Bruce Springsteen 1978).

If you are looking for a good companion to all those long summer nights and barbeques or just as a 6 o´clock drink when coming home from work….this splendid rosé is the one. Its 100 percent cabernet sauvignon and holds all the qualities of that grape – being a very full bodied effort. I would almost consider it a light redwine, however it should be drunk at 6-8 degrees celcius.

The colour is ruby and the the taste is small red berries – as well as raspberries and cherries…with aromes of black pepper. It was bottled in December 2006, 40.000 bottles was made and the alcohol is 13,5% vol.

And now the good news….it comes at around 6,50 Euro (!) which has got to be one of the best price/quality ratios you will find.

In my eyes you won´t find a better wine to those summer salads, pasta or paella….

Feel free to ask me if you want me to guide to a good importer.

Enjoy !

Hospice de Beaune, Meursault-Genevrieres 1. cru, Cuvée Baudot 2004

Wine of the month – April 2008

Hospice de Beaune, Meursault-Genevrieres 1. cru, Cuvée Baudot

This bottle was bought from the cellars of Patriarche in Beaune last year (Thank you Pernille and Jean-Michel for many stunning tastings).

If you are not familiar with the concept of Hospice de Beaune, look it up on google, but the basic idea is that the wines are sold in barrels in November, the proceeds going to charity/the running of Hospice de Beaune. The negotiants buying the wine, then is responsible for when the wine is actually bottled under certain restrictions. The Patriarche cellar claims to make the best effort of all negotiants to make sure the end product is the best possible. I cannot judge that, but only say that I have seldom been disappointed with their Hospice de Beaune wines.

This 2004 Meursault-Genevrieres has a medium golden colour. A deep, waxy and beautiful nose. The palate shows a super waxy-smooth texture and great depth. The taste is very long. And leaving it open, it just keeps getting better and better. Unfortunately the bottle kept getting emptier and emptier as well. To drink this wine now, would probably be considered a lethal crime among experts….but I´m a drinker not a collector…and I really enjoy to feel the power and energy, even if a wine is far from having reached its full potential.

I have tried the king of all them whites – Montrachet on 4 different occasions….my favourite being the 1999 from Marc Colin, but this Hospice de Beaune is way up there among the best whites in my opinion. Its a different style…..a typical “nutty” Meursault and not quite as elegant as a Montrachet but for “only” around 50 euro – it comes at a fraction of the Montrachet wines. Try if if you get the chance.