More from Tour D'argent

[Scott]

Went back for another serving at Tour D'argent last weekend, and ate and rank very well. The food was much better than on any other occasion, the spring lamb historic.

Now there were a few of us around the table that really know our beans, and it was quite a shock to see the sommeliers being so confrontationally rude, and then to realise they didn;t know their arse from their elbow. truly gifted.

No language issue either our first som was English.

Summary of wines:

Ravaneau - 1990 Les clos; marginally disappointing, lack some intensity but still fine. The Som decided we were idiots because we wouldn't take his recommendation of the 1991 Valmur. we must have looked at stupid as he turned out to be.

1983 trimbach Clos st Hune, stunning. Always one of the great white wines. We had toyed with the idea of a half of 76 and half of 83. We couldn't do that, because the 76 had aged badly in half and it would be no good apparently.

We asked our som for a recommendation for pressed pigeon with foie. he recommended:

1988 Deiss SGN Schoenenburg (sic) riesling. Rubbish wine, a bit flabby, lacking in intensity, and yet still short of generousity. remarkably poor match as the pigeon was basically a savoury dish as it turned out, and we started to really suspect this guy.

We tried to order another 1978 Rousseau Gevrey Clos st Jacques; but he wouldn't let us, the wine was rubbish, Rousseau lost control of his acidities and is poor wine. we should have 1976 or 1980. I had mentioned that I had it previously and enjoyed it, he sneered 'if you like that sort of thing'.

Foolishly I was forced into some Angerville 1978 Clos des Ducs.

Lovely, fresh still, crisp apple fruit, with a wonderful finish. Though maybe a little more warmth in the mid palate would be good?

We wanted the 1991 Rousseau Chambertin, more sneering "no the Clos Beze is MUCH better" it's not, historically, anecdotally, critically, and personally (have had both). We ordered the Chambertin, and got the Beze.

The Beze is great wine, it's all relative. Broader, with a greater range of flavours, complex soy and chinese herbs, overlaying fine tannins, and ripe fruit. the range of flavours did not compensate fully for less power.

it is more accessible, and would certainly appeal to a less sophisticated palate, but qualitatively over time, and multiple bottles, it is clearly the lesser wine to the Chambertin. that said I loved it, but not what I ordered, and curiously more expensive.

Som started to flag at our questions... not having any answers he just didn't turn up anymore and we got an even ruder sommelier.

More and more of the sneering didn't add up to the knowledge when we enquired.

NB. they taste every bottle you order, taking a small sample so their opinion is on the very same bottles you drink.

We decided to order the 1976 Clos St Hune and 1978 Clos St jacques to see for ourselves.

The half of the hune was lovely, richer, slightly sweeter than the 83, but still fresh and complex. lovely.

Clos st Jacques is fully resolved, and and it apogee, but it's flavours and mouthfeel are still superb.

we asked Som what he thought of both wines, and the new one stated, 'not much, not interesting wine'. we asked why? he walked away.

it gets better...

By this stage we thought them

1. very rude

2. of a different opinion to us, though the SGN was troubling.

We ordered another half

1982 Sociando Mallet; this would be good we were assured. I have had it before and always enjoyed it, a fine, textured claret with full flavours, and some glycerin in the vintage. Bottle is poor, with a hardness, and a green astringent streak through it. This happens with soem sociando, don't know why, bottle to bottle.

We asked if he liked this one, 'yes, very much, is good wine'. huh?

it wasn't faulty, nor was it pleasurable.

One of the party enquired, if the som found it 'hard' at all (most certainly was), "no, not at all". smelling a rat he enquired how do you find Leoville Barton (a famously hard and tannic claret, that is almost part of the house style)

"no, certainly not, is a very famous estate." what?

Now, we have realised what we still think to be true, that someone there knows their stuff, and the rest of teh them are spouting the 'party line'. they don't really know much, beyond what they are told is the official view, and flounder beyond that. who cares? I don't really, but to be so rude and dismissive - we were unfaillingly polite throughout, that takes a gift!

Almost lastly we ordered:

1990 Tempier Cabassou - great wine. Still so rich and complex, needs another 15 years probably but starting to drink really well.

This is the greatest of all Bandol wines, from the most famous estate, in a great year. It is a small section of the best rows of the tourtine vineyard, made from 100% mouvedre.

So we somewhat surprised to hear our sommelier tells us "he doesn't like grenache wines". For a senior french sommelier in the restaurant with the largest wine cellar in the world to say that is, well, breathtaking.

onto cigars and digestif's - Another compatriot asked for his recommendation on Banyuls, and maury. which one perhaps? "umm, errr, we have some nice moscatel" which turned out to be simple overly syruppy rubbish.

So in short some of the greatest wines you would hope for, with incredibly views, surprisingly good food, and sommeliers whose arrogance was sorely misplaced.

[MobyP]

Scott, if you didn't speak to or phone the management, you should certainly write - and make detailed.

That sounds like disgusting negligence.

[Andre]

Thanks for sharing Scot,

I had encountered unpleasant Sommeliers before, namely in Paris but I also did not expect much out of them.

A General rule of the ones I encountered, the older they are the more sensitive they become. I don't mind them leading the way but they sure do need to relax sometimes.

Now the Tour D'Argent is defenitely a place I would come to with high expectations. For me it is an important traditional wine temple along with some very fine dishes.

I agree with Moby, they need to read your post.

[Craig Camp]

The title "sommelier" like the title of "chef" have become titles too easily used these days - often by people who have not invested the time and effort necessary to be worthy of those titles.

A short letter of complaint would be most appropriate.

[Scott]

Scott, if you didn't speak to or phone the management, you should certainly write - and make detailed.

That sounds like disgusting negligence.

Curiously enough Moby,

one of our party was a leading surgeon who operated on Andre Terrail's Prostate over 30 years ago, wonder if Claude would have snubbed us had he known that!

I think it was andre, it was certainly Claude's father, as he was a guest of the restaurant soon after, and doesn't remember too much about it! so he wanted to go back when he found out we were going. He couldn't understand why they were being so rude!

[Scott]

The title "sommelier" like the title of "chef" have become titles too easily used these days - often by people who have not invested the time and effort necessary to be worthy of those titles.

A short letter of complaint would be most appropriate.

Craig,

I think you hit the nail on the head there, they were no more sommeliers than I am Joel Robuchon.

though I do a mean cheese on toast