On the heels of my previous post, I mentioned that I intentionally omitted the foodie portion of my recent April Bordeaux sojourn, but that I promised to spend a moment replaying the deliciously gory details this time around.  Well, dear readers, allow me to ascend my soapbox (or is that a soup-box?) and devote a few paragraphs to the glory that is cuisine en Français!

Needless to say that on these business junkets we're often wined and dined in the name of commerce, hospitality, culture, and the occasional bout of peckishness.  I mean, you can work up a mighty healthy appetite tasting and regrettably spitting (even the old stuff) a lot of wine. No complaints here, mind you. I know that I've got it good :)

My first night in the City of Bordeaux, Brad Lewis and I walked along the Rue Saint-Remi to one of his favorite dinner haunts, La Brasserie Bordelaise, for a welcomed platter of thinly sliced Jamon Iberico de Bellota (the king of dry cured hams) and a hearty, savory bowl of Cassoulet, made with white beans, duck confit and country sausage.  Both paired very well with Bernard Magrez Passion Legere Rose ($12.99), a crisp, copper-hued Cotes de Provence blend of Grenache, Syrah and Cinsault.

Fast forward to a mid-week lunch fit for a king (or a Michelin Guide food critic) at Chateau Cordeillan-Bages in Paulliac and a delicate terrine of skate, red mullet and saffron potato; an exquisite match with a stellar Blanc de Lynch-Bages Bordeaux Blanc ($54.99).  The main course was hardly a step backward, featuring a semi-smoked roasted pigeon with fragrant thyme jus.  It was melt-in-your mouth tender, deeply flavored and the perfect foil for a graceful magnum of '89 Chateau Ormes de Pez from nearby Saint-Estephe.

Yet another Bordelaise evening and once again back in the city, we joined our colleagues Jean-Baptiste Cheylac and Benoit Brumeau from JM Cazes Selection at Le Bistro du Sommelier to taste the new portfolio of wines.  It wasn't too long (about 10 minutes) before my search for French oyster nirvana would be complete.

Two pristine platters of succulent, shimmering local bivalves would accompany an excellent bottle of Chateau Villa Bel-Air Graves Blanc ($24.99): the briny La Fine de Claire Verte (literally green oysters) from the Marennes-Oleron and the delightfully plump Arguin oysters from the nearby Bay of Arcachon.

It was absolute heaven on a half-shell :)

There's one more oyster tale to tell (this time from Paris), but I'll save that for another post.

Cheers!

Jim Greeley, Wine Supervisor, Southwest Florida

Follow me on Twitter @ABCWineJimG