Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Camplazens Pairing



Not only did Pierre from Liberty Wines recommend a delightful  Syrah to go with the aromatic Chambar dish I concocted, but he shared a historical legend to  go along with it. The legend goes "In 59 BC to 51 BC, Julius Caesar set up his headquarters at Narbonne in Lanquedoc, Southwest France, from where he launched his invasion of Gaul. During his tenure there he granted land to the retiring commanders of his legendary 10th legion on the nearby mountain of La Clape. With perfect winegrowing conditions the Romans planted the rich, full-bodied noble grape varieties of Syrah, Grenache and Carignan and, applying their winemaking skills, they produced the sumptuous red wines that, legend has it, became Caesar’s favourites. Today Chateau Camplazens (Latin for ‘Camp of Pleasure’) uses these same ancient grape varieties to craft today’s prestigious award-winning wines in the sub appellation of La Clape" (empwines). 
Pierre also mentioned that this Southwestern Camp in france favored Ceasar with an affluence of risqué pleasures as well. The metallic silver horse-drawn carriage is meant to represent the Road called Camplazens which was well traveled by the noblemen from one side of france to the other. 
They don't call Pierre a "Bon Vivant" for nothing!

1 comment:

  1. this seems like an amazing dish...and what a great story to go with it. thanks for sharing.

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