On June 12, JAL held a “Suntory x BELLUSTAR TOKYO x JAL” event exclusively for JGC senior members (JGC Six Star/Five Star/Four Star/Three Star), inviting Mr. Keiichi Shiina, who served Chateau Lagrange to JAL international first class passengers. The event was held in conjunction with BELLUSTAR TOKYO’s hospitality.
Chateau Lagrange, a third class Médoc-rated wine, is located in the village of Saint-Julien in Bordeaux, France. Suntory acquired management rights to the property in 1983, and its worldwide reputation is growing. The event will be navigated by Mr. Keiichi Shiina, former vice chairman of Chateau Lagrange, who will introduce the chateau’s great vintage and its precious episodes, and will offer an enjoyable marriage with the wonderful cuisine at BELLUSTAR TOKYO.
The venue is Restaurant Bellustar, the main dining room located on the 45th floor of BELLUSTAR TOKYO, A Pan Pacific Hotel, the hotel at the top of Tokyo Kabukicho Tower, which celebrated its first anniversary. The concept of this modern French restaurant is “a restaurant that travels with its ingredients.
The event, which cost 40,000 miles per person, was open to a maximum of 30 people by lottery, and 27 people attended on the day of the event. The venue was equipped with a screen and the weather was fine, so the view was promising. A glass of wine was provided to add to the anticipation.
The event began with Tsugaru Chardonnay & Pinot Noir Sparkling 2019. Mr. Shiina explained the history of Suntory since acquiring the management rights to Chateau Lagrange in 1983. He said, “When vines reach the age of 20 years, they finally begin to produce grapes suitable for wine. It’s just like humans,” he said. A certain level of maturity is necessary. Afterwards, we started with a toast to this Tsugaru Chardonnay & Pinot Noir Sparkling 2019.
The amuse was served in an assortment that is not usually done at Restaurant Belstar. Gazpacho with komatsuna, pate de campagne, three kinds of goujours, sweet shrimp foie gras shiso, and carbonara with squid carbonara caviar.
The fish dish is Poiret of Wakasa Mahata with green seaweed beurre blanc. The wine is Les Thermes de Lagrange 2019, a white wine by Chateau Lagrange, a harmony of delicate taste and rich body.
One of the best parts of this event is that you can learn the backbone of the wines through Shiina’s explanations on the screen. It’s getting dusk outside, and the atmosphere is great.
The first meat dish was duck roti with Kaga lotus root and burdock sauce. The wine was Les Fiefs de Lagrange 2020, a second label of Chateau Lagrange, which inherits the charm of Lagrange and is a straightforward and easy-drinking red wine.
The main meat dish was char-grilled Noto beef sirloin and rump with spicy radish balsamic. Chateau Lagrange 2005/2016/2019 was served here.
Château Lagrange 2005 is blessed with excellent climatic conditions and is characterized by rich, lively fruit aromas and a smooth mouthfeel. It is said to have the harmony and rare elegance of the best Saint-Julien vintages. Château Lagrange 2016 is an exceptional vintage nurtured by exceptional climatic conditions.
And Chateau Lagrange 2019 is a historic vintage that combines rich tannins and fruit freshness in a year that produced the smallest and most concentrated grape fruit of the past 36 years. Shiina also had a lot of enthusiasm in his words when discussing this Chateau Lagrange 2019, and the passion of the wine’s creator was evident.
Dessert was blue cheese mousse with green tomato confiture and melon soup. Three kinds of tea sweets were then served with coffee.
After joining Suntory in 1985, he worked in the viticulture laboratory before being sent to the University of Geisenheim, West Germany, as a visiting researcher in 1987. He participated in the acquisition and launch of Robert Weil Brewery in 1988 and remained there until 1990.
After returning to Japan, he worked in the Wine Research Laboratory, Raw Materials Department, and Wine Production Department before becoming Vice President of Chateau Lagrange in June 20004 and Chairman of the same in March 2005. Based on the introduction of optical sorting machines and small tanks, and the creation of detailed terroir maps of the vineyards, he realized the preparation of each parcel and pinpointed the perfect ripeness of the harvest. This led to an improvement in quality. He is returning to his post in September 2020, leaving behind the vintages Château Lagrange 2016, 2018, and 2019, which impressively changed the stage of Lagrange.
Currently, as Chief Oenologist at Tomi no Oka Winery, he is working to improve quality and pass on his skills to the next generation, in order to release world-class wines from Japan to the world. He gave us a glimpse of his meticulous analysis and research, including an explanation of the vineyard soil. The explanation of the wines, from the time of harvest to the first wine ratio and blend ratio, provided a blissful time for wine lovers.
© Source travel watch
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