Pure Chablis event at Scott Conant's Culinary Suite

The beautiful Chablis

All photos in this blog are taken from the Pure Chablis website.

I recently went to a great Chablis event in Scott Conant's culinary suite in Soho . . . and what can I say?  How can anything be bad about any of the above? 

Christian Moreau and Scott Conant

Two great Chablis producers, Christian Moreau and Jean Francois Bordet of Domaine Seguinot Bordet came all the way from France to share with the New York food and wine scene a bit of their history, their values and their world of Chablis.   

Chablis and oysters -- amazing

Jean Francois Bordet

First, what is Chablis?  Chablis is a white burgundy wine made from the Chardonnay grape in Chablis, France.  Chablis is the northernmost wine region within Burgundy.  There are four appellations within Chablis: Petit Chablis, Chablis, Chablis Premier Cru, and Chablis Grand Cru.

I love Chablis, as I love all white burgundy, because it's one of the elite wines of the world that truly embody the magic in wine -- and if you drink the right producer's wines and have an amazing food pairing as we did with Scott Conant's beyond expectations display, you find yourself stopped in time and absorbed into the world of Chablis.  What does that mean?

Jean Marc Brocard Montmains, Chablis Premier Cru 2009

 There are some wines whose only gift they offer is alcohol . . . then there are wines in this world that transport you, that change your whole inner chemistry.  A good Chablis, such as the ones we drank at the Pure Chablis event, are the perfect examples.  There was a beautiful display of touch and feel hidden objects to deepen your senses about what a Chablis is about.  We touched oyster shells, limestone, gun flit, silk . . .and after that we walked over to another table and filled our glasses and ate oysters and foie gras . . . further enriching our sensations.  To be honest, I've never had foie gras with Chablis before and this was one of my favorite pairings -- and not because the foie gras was so good.  This is one of the magics of white burgundy in my opinion, that you can taste the layers of minerality, maritime influences, lingering tart fruits, bright acidity, weight from the body of the wine in your mouth, even after you've had a bite of foie gras.

Scott Conant's raw market vegetable salad with shavings of truffle and pecorino

 I could go on and on about the food pairings and Scott Conant's salad paired with a delicate Chablis and how perfect the truffle salad dressing was without being oh so overwhelming like I overwhelmingly usually find those creations to be.  I think it was my favorite salad and wine pairing I've ever had.  Serious, and thank you Pure Chablis . . . .and Haute Life Press for organizing the event.

Magnum of Domaine Christian Moreau, Clos des Hospices dans les Clos, Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos, 2008