Sole Meunière and Santenay at Suzette's Creperie Wheaton
After the wonderful Chicken Liver Mousse that I enjoyed so much at Queensyard, Hudson Yard, NYC last week, I had a taste for more, and am always up for french faire, so, we dined at Suzette's Creperie in Wheaton for Friday night dinner.
For a starter course we ordered the slice of smooth Chicken Liver Mousse and a slice of Country Style Pâté served with Dijon mustard, Cornichons and delicious Red Onion Marmalade with toasted Brioche on the side. Not quite as delectable as that served at Queensyard, but it met the call at least.
For a wine accompaniment we ordered from the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence winelist, this classic authentic French Burgundian Chardonnay - a fun wine with a remarkable tradition and history.
The Amiot family has been producing premium wines in the legendary Chassagne-Montrachet terroir for generations. Founders, Flavie and Arsène established a winegrowing tradition passed down to their son Pierre, then to their grandson Guy, and today to the 4th generation great grandsons, Thierry (1969), Fabrice (1973), and the 5th generation embodied by Thierry’s daughter, Héloïse (1995).
The broad portfolio of family produced wines are a tribute to Flavie and her
husband, Arsène, originally from Paris, who founded a wine estate
in Burgundy.
The quaint family history dates back to the 1900s, Flavie Amiot was a
businesswoman, owner of a fine linen laundry in Boulogne, just
outside Paris. Looking for a nanny to look after her unborn children,
she asked the postwoman who told her that “my sister is a nanny in Chassagne-Montrachet”!
Flavie and Arsène moved to Burgundy and (1887-1969) founded the estate, purchasing the vines, house, raising a family and educating the children. Simone
(1922-2009) devoted her life to working in the vineyards, the wine
cellar and the kitchen to welcome customers and wine aficionados.
Marcel, Pierre, Lucienne and Robert, born in 1909, 1910, 1912 and 1914, were therefore brought up in Burgundy where their parents acquired houses, outbuildings and vineyards in preparation for their retirement in the 1950s.
Through the 1920's they acquired plots in Chassagne-Montrachet - Les Caillerets, Les Vergers, Clos Saint Jean and Dents de Chien (Dogteeth, which became Le Montrachet grand cru in 1937.
Arsène’s son, Pierre, took on his father’s domaine in 1935. Second generation Pierre Amiot, born in 1910, studied at the Beaune viticultural college and became a winegrower in 1935-36. Thanks to the wealthy Parisian clientele of his parents’ laundry, direct sales to consumers developed. A wine shop was opened in the 17th arrondissement of Paris that sold bottles of Domaine Arsène Amiot until 1941.When Pierre died in 1985, Pierre’s son, Guy, carried on the tradition, a trained oenologist, he gained experience in winemaking outside Burgundy (Jura, Provence), and produced remarkable vintages with a new style from 1985 to 1995.
Guy Amiot' two fourth generation sons manage the estate: Thierry the vineyard and wine-making while Fabrice manages the business. Passing on wine production to the next generation, Thierry’s daughter, Héloise, born in 1995, also studied viticulture at the Beaune wine school, worked in a winery in Australia and graduated in oenology at the University of Dijon… Says the winery of their rich tradition and legacy, "After Flavie and Simone, the final words of the Amiot women have not yet been spoken!"
Today, the family of Guy Amiot family owns two seventeen different plots of Montrachet Grand Cru in Chassagne-Montrachet and others in the surrounding communes, most a fraction of an acre each. They produce 26 different labels, eighteen white including a grand cru and 8 premier crus in white
on 200 ha, as well as 2 premier crus in red on 100 ha of Chassagne-Montrachet vines.
This label is produced from grapes from the best plots of .8 acres of vineyards in the commune of Santenay, Sous la Roche, and Comme Dessu. Guy Amiot ... et Fils means, 'and sons' while Vielles Vigne translates to 'old vines' in English.