Sunday lunch at Haut-Bacalan had all the elements of an exemplary lunch. Michel Gonet Champagne 1998 served with Bordeaux’s famous oysters, with main course wines consisting of a show-down between South Africa’s Kanonkop Cabernet Sauvignon 1993 and D’Eck Bordeaux 2003 (which is from my host, Charles-Henri Gonet’s other property in the Pessac-Léognan). His observations on the Kanonkop: “It is very delicate and smoky. More Burgundy than Bordeaux.” I was in a nostalgic mood and enjoyed this sensory reminder of home - swirling Stellenbosch’s soil in my glass. I thought that it was superb. And, nostalgic patriotism aside, it kicked the Bordeaux’s butt.
- Sunday lunch at Haut-Bacalan had all the right elements, Champagne, oysters and a French bulldog, of course.
