by Aussie Wine Guy
1. June 2010 19:03
Last night AWG and his darling wife paid a visit to French restaurant Provence in West Lake, HangZhou (China). The restaurant is one of our favourites in the area, in addition to Angelo’s and the conveniently located Yoho Cafe.
Monday nights at Provence feature a special - ¥35 for all wine by the glass – which represents excellent value when ordering good French wine! We dropped in around 8pm (no booking, AWG likes to arrive with no prior warning, haha) and were immediately seated in the very spacious downstairs room.
The evening specials were a superlative selection, although we were drawn to some menu stalwarts which we had missed ordering on previous evenings. AWG selected the goat’s cheese salad with a vinaigrette dressing (it was divine) and Mrs. AWG ordered the inspired scallop surprise which proved to be very tasty.
For mains, AWG opted for the tempting duck sheppard's pie (a tour-de-force combining shredded duck with an amazing onion gravy with a side of vegetables) and Mrs. AWG selected the delectable beef tenderloin with mushroom sauce, from all reports it was a smashing success.
Now for what you’ve been waiting for – the wine selection: AWG opted for the Chateau Labesse (2001, Saint Emilion) and Mrs. AWG enjoyed a glass of the Chateau de la Janasse of the Rhône.
The Labesse had a beautiful bouquet, sweet smelling and chocolaty, nicely complex (especially for a merlot) and a nice compliment to the duck. One glass was probably not enough!
By contrast, the Janasse was more reserved (a very fragile bouquet) but responded on the palate very well with a smooth body and silky aftertaste. One might assume that it will improve with age, so it might be worth looking out for.
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