• Tweet

“May we be of service with the menu?” asks a fellow restaurant guest with an English accent, seeing a friend and I discussing amongst ourselves the translation of the menu at l’Auburge Du Porche, a charming restaurant and Inn near the Gironde River in Côte de Blaye.

In Manhattan, with its modern take on French cuisine, I can always understand menu items written in French. But Christine and Dominique Lanfroid-Nazac, chef and proprietors of this establishment, pride themselves on a traditional, country French menu. As a result, the menu lists the kind of pate and foie gras rich menu you will not likely see in the land of Sex and the City.

As you may know, the French are experts at using foods to their full potential. A cow transcends steak and ribs. Chefs use the brains, pancreas, kidneys, and more. Goose deconstructs into foie gras. Everything is a pig is used except the hoofs, yet then again, this is reduced to gelatin. 

On this drizzly, chill, January moonlight night, a meal of substance is most welcome. Blaye is a delightful, vibrant, yet remote historical region of Bordeaux, so you won’t find many restaurants of this quality open on Sunday this time of the year. The restaurant offers the kind of warm atmosphere most welcome after zigzagging down the hilly streets of Blaye (in high heels, no less) from Villa Premayac, a gorgeous, rather palatial Inn with an unique history. l’Auburge Du Porche is an Inn as well, yet as the rooms are occupied we have not been able to see them.

As we settle in, a server brings bread and their excellent onion marmalade along with the wine list. Like many places in Europe, wines are quite a bargain here, and the list reflects the local wineries which date from ancient times. The Greeks and then the Romans who came to settle in this providential area were the first to grasp the value of planting vines and launching the wine trade. Today the wines in this region can rival those of the better known regions, yet the real pleasure in visiting Côte de Blaye is to take in its historical past and enjoy traditional cuisine.

First bottle of the night is Chateau Segonzac Vieilles Vignes 2001, Cru Bourgeois. The 2002 vintage made the “top 100” list of 100 wines priced $8-$25 selected by an independent jury in a blind tasting of over 300 wines. Living in Manhattan, I know (and trust) members of the jury, especially Roger Dagorn Master Sommelier, Chanterelle, who is passionate about wine education and a mentor to many. Chateau Ségonzac, AOC First-Cotes-de-Blaye, has an extensive vineyard of 33 hectares in a single plot located on a slope in the limestone bedrock limestone. Tasting notes include aroma of black, concentrated fruit and blackberry, plum, and deep fruit on the palate. Quite nice. As a certified sommelier myself, I’m intrigued by the way our wine server peels the plastic cap of the wine bottle in a way so as to form a receptacle for the cork.   

With the help of the English party, who turn out to be expatriates who live in Blaye full time, we maneuver the menu. As a starter, I enjoy the fish soup. It is Marseilles style with a Blaye twist. A rich, red broth fashioned from the juices and bones of the local fish, served with accompaniments. My companion has duck foie gras, an enormous portion. As the evening progresses and we taste our way through delicious scallops and canard, we enjoy other wines from the region including Chateau Haut Guilert Cote de Blaye 2002, with its dusty, raspberry nose, earth, and red cherry nose and similar flavors on the palate.

As we discuss and take notes on the wines of Blaye, a gentleman from the English party introduces himself and tells us we must visit straight away the Maison du Vin in Blaye to enjoy complimentary tastings of the wines of the region.

Reservations are necessary here, in addition to a good appetite. The restaurant offers rare traditional dishes and even with the inflated Euro, is quite a value. Wines are outstanding representations of the region.

l’Auburge Du Porche (both a restaurant and an Inn)
Proprietors Christine et Dominique Lanfroid-Nazac
5 rue Ernest Régnier
33390 BLAYE
Tél: 05 57 42 22 69
Fax: 05 57 42 82 83
contact@auberge-du-porche.com

Bordeaux Information
http://www.Bordeaux.com

Maison Du Vin
http://www.aoc-blaye.com/index.php?contain=04

• Tweet