The Tasting Panel magazine

December2010

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WINE PAIRING The Soul of Lyon P THE TASTING PANEL. His French country cooking is authentic, from lovingly prepared charcuterie to house- made sausage poached with pistachio and served with a side of fragrant and crunchy onion marmalade. Olhats was the first in California to taste the 2009 Beaujolais cru vin- tage, which he deemed “fantastique!” At one of his many Orange County, CA restaurants, Tradition by Pascal, Pascal Olhats cooks traditional Lyonnaise cuisine. Here, pictured with a bottle of Georges Duboeuf 2009 Moulin à Vent, he quips, “In Lyon, you drink Beaujolais for breakfast.” “I want to tell the world that Beaujolais has so much more character than just its perception of Beaujolais Nouveau. Pinot Noir fans should be able to understand and enjoy the subtleties and characteristics that the Gamay grape offers in the more complex Beaujolais crus.” 24 / the tasting panel / december 2010 CHEF PASCAL OLHATS DEDICATES HIS CUISINE TO FRENCH COUNTRY STYLE AND PAIRS IT WITH ITS REGION’S WINES AT HIS “VINTAGE OF A LIFETIME” 2009 CRU BEAUJOLAIS DINNER ascal Olhats was born in Normandy, but his true French connection is Lyon. His mentor was famed chef Paul Bocuse, whose traditional roots in Lyon set the tone for Olhat’s own personal style. Working and living in Lyon, just 40 miles south of the Beaujolais Villages, would affect the rest of Olhats’s life. He would become friends with the “King of Beaujolais,” Georges Duboeuf, and forever be influenced by his love of these Gamay-based wines. Bocuse and Duboeuf rose to fame almost simultane- ously in the 1970s, and to further the connection, Bocuse put his signature on every bottle of Duboeuf Beaujolais. TRADITION BY PASCAL A popular Newport Beach, CA dining spot, Tradition by Pascal shows off Olhats’s Lyonnaise roots. He has had his restaurant at this location for 22 years. “There’s no global fusion influence here,” he tells The dryness and saltiness of the charcuterie (here, ham hock cooked in spice) and the sharpness of the cornichons play off the Georges Duboeuf 2009 Morgon. The wine speaks of violets, cherries and cin- namon, with a striking acidity.

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