Domain Chandon is synonymous with bubbles and a beautiful winery in the Yarra Valley. Whilst we enjoy the bottles at home or out, how often do we get a taste of the winery in the city? You can with the Chandon in the City pop up that is being run from Tuesday to Thursday night through April from 5pm at The Emerson rooftop where you can dine under the stars with a special curated menu from Domane Chandon’s Yarra Valley winery restaurant Greenpoint Brasserie.
Not only have Domaine Chandon bought along their curated menu but they have brought along a wonderful list of still and sparkling wines that match the beautiful dishes that are available at The Emerson Rooftop. Guests can select from an A La Carte menu or to sample a bit of everything, with a degustation featuring five courses (available only for groups on select dates). Each of the menu items have a suggested wine matching available so it is the perfect way to be able to test out wines that will match your dish as well as tasting wines that you might not even know about.
And so on our visit we wanted to maximise our winery experience in the city by sharing dishes and testing the matching wines. One of the best things about this was that we were able to sample a variety of wines beyond the standard NV Brut that I have normally consume from the range and also better understand which wines worked with the various flavours in dishes.
The menu can be shared so if you wanted to pick a few of the dishes and sample some of the wonderful dishes from the Greenpoint Brasserie then I would recommend that. The variety of different dishes with fresh and seasonal produce is exciting, especially if you’re a food lover! It’s also an opportunity to work with different types of foods with different types of wines, helping to expand the palate.
We started with Oysters with Yarra Valley salmon roe and lime, matched with a wonderful Blanc de Blanc. I didn’t know Chandon made a Blanc de Blanc so it was a lovely surprise and the freshness of the sparkling worked perfectly with the creaminess of the oysters. This was followed by tantalizing dish of Burrata with Jamon and heirloom tomatoes. There is something about mixing the creaminess of the Burrata and the saltiness of the Jamon with the added tartness and sweetness of the herloom tomatoes. Highly recommend this dish along with the 2012 Chandon Vintage Brut which was full bodied and the perfect accompaniment.
Cured ocean trout with fennel, radish and herbed creme fraiche rounded out our starters and matched with the 2011 Chandon ‘The Gauntlet’ Blanc de Noirs it was a really nice and fresh way to finish our starters.
For a bit of a warmer and heavier course we sampled the Grilled Lamb Cutlet with eggplant, pine nuts and ancient grains, a 2005 Chandon Pinot Noir Rose was the perfect accompaniment that provided the sweetness but subtlety of pinot noir in a Rose. I loved the smoked eggplant that really brought together the lamb, pine nuts and ancient grains.
The final dish we had was the Confit Duck with braised du puy lentils, black cherry and hazelnuts was matched with a heavenly 2013 Chandon Yarra Valley Pinot Noir. I loved this Pinot Noir, full bodied without being too light. If you love a good Pinot then I would recommend this tipple for your meal.
Against a backdrop of a clear sky, our experience at Chandon in the City was a beautiful one. The Emerson rooftop provides the perfect backdrop to experience Chandon in the City. The clear sky above with the stars shining through the vines they’ve transported from the Yarra Valley make the whole experience one to remember.
Chandon in the City at The Emerson Rooftop is available Tues-Thursdays throughout April
Time: 5pm until late
Address: 143-145 Commercial Road, South Yarra, Melbourne 3141
Book: (03) 9825 0900
www.theemerson.com
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