In Reims, in the chalk quarries, a 2017 Blanc des Millénaires has just been shaved. Not far away, a blue lobster is prepared under the hand of Fabien Ferré, three-star chef at La Table du Castellet. Between the chalk, the vine and the crustacean, an unexpected dialogue takes place.
For the launch of the 10th vintage of this legendary cuvée, the Champagne house asked its ambassador to create a tailor-made dish. Inspired by the vineyards of Aÿ, the visit to the chalk quarries and a tasting with the cellar chef Émilien Erard, Fabien Ferré imagined a blue lobster smoked with vine shoots, Provence almond and fig leaf.
Blanc des Millénaires 2017 Charles Heidsieck, a vintage designed for gastronomy
The Blanc des Millénaires 2017 is a 100% Chardonnay from five vintages from the Côte des Blancs: Avize, Oger, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, Chouilly and Vertus. The tenth iteration of the vintage, it was aged for almost ten years in the historic chalk quarries of Reims.
In the cellar, Émilien Erard describes a wine with chalky minerality, great length and creamy texture. Added to this are brioche, toasted and pastry notes, touches of almost almond, a lemony and saline register. So many sensory cues that will guide the pairing imagined by the chef.
From pruning the vine to the flat: the path of Fabien Ferré
At La Table du Castellet, Fabien Ferré, today the youngest French chef to have three stars in the Michelin Guide, sees this collaboration as obvious. , he confides to Nouvelles Gastronomiques, seduced by the structure, the liveliness, the incisive side and the deliciousness of the wines.
Invited to Champagne, the chef discovers the winter pruning of the vines alongside Émilien Erard and collects branches. , he explains. These woods become the common thread of the dish, like a piece of Champagne brought back to Provence.
Blue lobster, vine shoots and almond milk: the tailor-made pairing for 2017
Before creating, Fabien Ferré tastes the Blanc des Millénaires 2017 with Émilien Erard and retains salinity, incisive attack, notes of white flowers, almond, brioche, citrus fruits and salt. He chooses blue lobster for its elegant sweetness and cooks it briefly, then confits it at low temperature before quickly passing it over steaming vines.
Two sauces surround the crustacean: almond milk, a simple mixture of water and mixed almonds, in direct echo of the aroma of champagne, and a light lobster made from the carcasses. Fig leaf, homemade vinegar, rhubarb for the acidic “kick” and claw ravioli complete the picture. , he summarizes. Presented on June 9 in Reims, this creation will be offered at La Table du Castellet from July 15.
What is Millennial White 2017?
A 100% Chardonnay vintage aged for a long time in chalk pits.
What dish is famous for Fabien Ferré?
A blue lobster smoked with vine branches.
Where to taste this champagne-lobster pairing?
At La Table du Castellet, from July 15.
