JOURNAL / JAPAN etc.（English）

GRAND VINTAGE 2006 × LE&（ル・アンド）Vol.3

A new taste and experience pioneered by Moët & Chandon

1999.01.01

This year Moët & Chandon, one of the renowned Grandes Marques, established in 1743, who lead the champagne industry, offered a new gastronomic experience, “LE&” a collaboration between Benoît Gouez, Chef de Cave (cellar master) at Moët & Chandon, and Yannick Alléno, a chef representing the world of French cuisine. The event also became a stage to unveil their Grand Vintage 2006.

Lastly, here is an interview about the wish for “LE&” with Benoît Gouez, Chef de Cave of Moët & Chandon, and Yannick Alléno, who undertook the cooking.

From left, Benoît Gouez and Yannick Alléno

Yannick Alléno: The collaboration opened my eyes to extract and assemblage in champagne. These two elements are important stages in leading grapes to wine, their final destination, and once again their importance hit home with me. I then started a study to extract the essence from ingredients to examine cooking through a completely new approach. Understanding extraction is to understand the work of Benoît.

Benoît Gouez: Yannick’s technique of extraction improves on the original flavor of ingredients by dehydrating without adding anything else. This method is very close to my personal philosophy. To achieve good assemblage, diversity in the grapes is needed, and to that end, we have to strictly control the purity of the grapes as they vary by village or vineyard. It’s not only necessary to maintain the character of each grape in tanks after vintaging at village or vineyard, but also to keep a careful eye on the preliminary stages, for example in the careful selection of the fruit, appropriate fermentation and vintaging. If these various processes are successful, assemblage can be achieved much easier. In short, the potential inherent in assemblage is unlimited.

Yannick: Through our collaboration, I was thoroughly educated by Benoît. I’m convinced that integrating knowledge among persons from divergent fields will be increasingly required in the future.

Benoît: Both champagne-making and gastronomy are about terroir, and they produce work based on agricultural products developed through a synergy of man and nature. Our mission therefore is to understand ingredients and their character at a fundamental level to enhance flavor and construct an inspiring gastronomic experience.

English translation by Yuko Wada and Sean Gaston