<a target="_blank" href="https://www.lapyramide.com/en/restaurants/gastronomic-restaurant-la-pyramide.html">L’Espace PH3 Bistrot/La Pyramide</a>

14 Bd Fernand Point

38200 Vienne, France

Phone: +33 (4 74) 53 01 96

pyramide@relaischateaux.com

BY NEAL MARTIN |&nbsp;SEPTEMBER 16, 2022

The Food:

Dinner
– L’Espace PH3

Trout gravlax
au Limoncello with courgettes and bitter jelly 

Rabbit
with mustard sauce, braised parsnips and tagliatelle of carrots

Chocolate
douceur and seasonal fruit with croustillant

Lunch – La Pyramide

Les Becs à Sel

Foie
gras poached in lightly smoked consommé, cocoa nibs and Shimeji and Shiitake
mushrooms

Saint
Pierre cod in Genièvre butter, leeks coussin with garden herbs

Veal
fillet cooked in Limousin milk, pan-fried colonnata bacon, green asparagus,
savoury gnocchi 

Sautéed
fillet of pigeon, petit pois, confit onions and reduced Syrah sauce 

Strawberries
in a meringue shell, rose petals, cocoa bean sorbet

Dinner
– La Pyramide

Mushroom
risotto 

The Wines:

First Night – Evening Dinner<table>
 <tbody><tr>
 <td>2013
 Domaine François Raveneau Chablis Valmur Grand Cru</td>
 <td>94</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>2016 Domaine Hubert Lamy
 Puligny-Montrachet Les Tremblots Haute Densité&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
 <td>93</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>2016 Domaine Ramonet
 Chassagne-Montrachet Les Ruchottes 1er Cru</td>
 <td>89?</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>2016 Domaine Ramonet
 Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru</td>
 <td>95</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>2017 Domaine Guy Amiot
 Puligny-Montrachet Demoiselle 1er Cru</td>
 <td>93</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>2010 Domaine Jean-François
 Coche-Dury Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru</td>
 <td>99+</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>2012 Domaine Comte du
 Liger-Belair Echézeaux Grand Cru</td>
 <td>96</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>2012 Domaine Comte du
 Liger-Belair Vosne-Romanée Clos du Château</td>
 <td>89</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>1940 Louis Latour
 Romanée-Saint-Vivant Grand Cru</td>
 <td>87</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>1943 Domaine de la
 Romanée-Conti Grands Echézeaux Grand Cru</td>
 <td>94</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>1942 Domaine de la
 Romanée-Conti Richebourg Grand Cru</td>
 <td>91</td>
 </tr></tbody></table> Second Day – Lunch<table><tbody><tr>
 <td>1955
 Gilette Doux</td>
 <td>&nbsp;93</td></tr></tbody></table> Second Night – Evening Dinner<table>
 <tbody><tr>
 <td>2010
 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave L’Hermitage&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
 <td>98</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>2010 Domaine Jamet Côte-Rôtie</td>
 <td>97</td>
 </tr></tbody></table> I’ve
said it before and I’ll say it again: I’m a heathen when it comes to food and
wine matching, adhering to three or four basic rules, the first being the
higher the pedigree of wine then the simpler the cuisine.

The
onslaught of serious, complex wines that demand contemplation and elaborate dishes
with their constellation of textures, aromas and flavours can be distracting to
the point where the chef’s culinary skills become moot. Senses get overwhelmed
trying to process everything all at once, akin to listening to your favourite
albums simultaneously. If sheer hedonism were the objective, then why not, but
these days I am seeking an equilibrium between food and wine, not a
blitz. Whereas countries like Italy, and particularly Japan, have no truck
against simplicity if dishes are built around meticulously-sourced ingredients; French chefs seem to be inculcated to dazzle on the plate. Thankfully, this is
changing with the cadre of new chefs that realize you don’t have to constantly
show off in order to impress. Nouvelle cuisine pioneer Michel Guérard always
seems to deliver deceptively simple dishes that hit the gustatory bullseye
without prancing around shouting “Look at me!”. You hardly notice their
complexity, the genius behind their creation, until you are mopping your plate
in the realisation that what you just devoured has just redefined
deliciousness.

This
brings me to La Pyramide in Vienne, just south of Lyon and a galet’s throw from
Hermitage. I resided there for a weekend since it served as the venue for a
recent <a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/the-wine-was-chambertin-rousseau-1919-2017-jun-2022">Rousseau vertical</a>. The hotel boasts two
restaurants, the two Michelin-starred La Pyramide and a bistro, L’Espace PH3. On
the first night, attendees convened at the bistro in order to mine its
eye-boggling wine lists, and the following day, the second part of the
Chambertin tasting was accompanied by a specially prepared menu in the flagship
restaurant.

La
Pyramide is a French gastronomic institution that traces its history back to
1822. It was given its name by Fernand Point after he took over the
establishment in 1925, inspired by the nearby Roman obelisk. Point trained
alongside the father of Paul Bocuse. Eight years later he became the first chef
awarded three Michelin stars and prepared both Paul Bocuse and the Troisgros
brothers. Point passed away in 1955, and the hotel/restaurant was sold to a
development group in 1987. They invested in the property and appointed Pierre
Henriroux as head chef, winning his first Michelin star in 1990 and a second
one two years later. Henriroux and his wife become proprietors of La Pyramide
in 1998.<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1663337598302-The+trout+and+rabbit+dishes+served+at+the+bistro..jpg">The
trout and rabbit dishes served at the bistro. 

In this
Vinous Table, I am not going to drill down every dish. Instead, I thought it
would be more useful to compare the three meals. The first was on Friday night
at the bistro. We opted for three courses, the trout gravlax exquisitely
executed, the fish imparting refreshing salinity that worked perfectly with the
bitter jelly. The rabbit with mustard sauce was a little fussy for my liking,
though the chocolate douceur was absolutely delicious. Considering the prestige
of the establishment, the bistro represents good value, the main courses up to €24
and the desserts around the €12 mark. It gives diners an introduction to
Henriroux’s culinary skills without the frills and without breaking the bank.

The
following afternoon we dined at La Pyramide, with a specially designed menu to
accompany the Rousseaus. This was French gastronomy with all the bells and
whistles, the highlights being the veal fillet, sautéed pigeon and the
strawberries in a meringue shell. It was thoroughly enjoyable, and the skill in
the kitchen was on full display. At the same time, I felt that some combinations
did not gel, especially the foie gras that seemed to sing from a different hymn
sheet than the accompanying fungi. Likewise, the leeks seemed estranged from
the cod. Overall, the courses were a bit like an album where the running order
of the songs has not been thought through. <img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1663337649567-The+most+successful+dishes+at+La+Pyramide%2C+pigeon%2C+veal+and+the+strawberries..jpg">The most successful dishes at La Pyramide: pigeon, veal and the strawberries. 

Strangely,
after all that food, that evening we needed some kind of sustenance to soak up
all that Chambertin. The restaurant was full, so chef kindly parked us in the
corner and served mushroom risotto. It was sensational. Heavenly. Seasoned to
perfection, it was the ideal foil to the two heavyweight Rhônes, and I could
have eaten a second bowl.

If you
asked which of those meals I would like to repeat, it would be the risotto. That
reflects how my personal tastes have changed, a desire to consume simpler
dishes utilising well-sourced ingredients instead of dishes that present
themselves like a cryptic crossword. Maybe that is a failing on my part. It’s
like someone telling me as a writer to write every sentence as a subject, verb,
object and restrict myself to a limited vocabulary. I would be offended. Yet, there
is clearly a trend towards simpler dining as epitomized by restaurants like <a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/vinous-table-brat-london-uk-aug-2018">Brat</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/vinous-table-noble-rot-soho-london-uk-sep-2020">Noble Rot</a> and The Sportsman. Moreover, it
vindicates my assertion that simple dishes make better canvases for wines that
demand attention. The specially designed menu was well-intentioned. However,
the dishes were distracting, and I had to keep pushing them aside for a few
moments as I examined and wrote about the wines. I know that is not orthodox.
Not everyone is scribbling copious notes at a meal. But I maintain that there
is a more harmonious marriage, a more satisfying experience when the
complexities of both the cuisine and the wine is matched and not both dialled
up to eleven (using the Spinal Tap scale.)

As I
mentioned, this establishment is famed for its wine list, not years but decades
of prudently putting bottles away in their cellar. Don’t think you can roll up
with your diamond credit card and demand all the pre-war Burgundy. Quite
rightly in my opinion, it is the restaurant’s discretion what they will open
and naturally favour regular customers and those they feel genuinely appreciate
such wines, lest the precious cellar is ransacked by the next billionaire who rolls
into town. The bottles opened on this evening were agreed upon in advance,
which is the way it should be done not least because it allows the sommeliers the
time to decant properly.<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1663337690718-3-pyramide+bottles+line+up_copy.jpg">May
I point out that these were consumed by a group of oenophiles, not just myself. 

The 2013
Chablis Valmur Grand Cru from Domaine Raveneau sports lucid green
tints in the glass. It has what you might describe as a “mean” nose, hints of
fresh limes, gooseberry and petrichor. Plenty of mineralité here.
Moderate intensity, tight at first, this Valmur requires a few minutes to find
its groove, delivering stem ginger-tinged citric peel with a slightly oiliness
towards the finish that is surprising given the growing season. Quite
penetrating on the close. This is excellent, yet it deserves more bottle age.
The 2016 Puligny-Montrachet Les Tremblots Haute Densité from Domaine
Hubert Lamy rivets you to the spot with intense lemon, crushed stone and
subtle spicy notes, leaping from the glass with vim and vigour. The palate is
beautifully balanced, achingly young, sharp and brilliantly defined on the
finish. Broaching this now, you feel like you are only on the first pages of a
gripping novel. Superb. The 2016 Chassagne-Montrachet Les Ruchottes 1er Cru from
Domaine Jean-Claude Ramonet has a menthol-tinged bouquet, fine definition
even if it is over-shadowed by the accompanying Bâtard-Montrachet. The palate
offers sour lemon, hints of white peach and yet it misses some tension on the
finish, like a schoolkid losing interest in the lesson. I must admit that I was
expecting more from this. Ramonet’s 2016 Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru
is wonderful. Scintillating delineation and focus on the nose, then builds in
intensity in the glass with its mineral-driven malic fruit and petrichor notes.
The palate is powerful, quite spicy with lip-smacking salinity. Great depth and
grip, this fans out beautifully on the finish. The 2017 Puligny-Montrachet
Demoiselle 1er Cru from Domaine Guy Amiot &amp; Fils is a pleasant
surprise. Menthol scents on the nose, this builds nicely and becomes very
Montrachet-like in style. The palate is dense and powerful with touches of
orange rind and lemongrass, vivacious and displaying a light oily texture on
the finish. This has a lot of potential. The 2010 Corton-Charlemagne Grand
Cru from Domaine Jean-François Coche-Dury is the third bottle that I
have encountered. I’m spoiled. It flirts perfectly with a heavenly bouquet that
just shimmers with energy, the palate ideally balanced with incredible,
ineffable depth and concentration, yet that acidity slices through it with
effortless ease. I suspect a score with three figures instead of two is just a
matter of time.

The 2012
Echézeaux Grand Cru courtesy of Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair has a
wonderful nose with vibrant red fruit, tomato vine and hints of lavender. This
is understated for Louis-Michel’s wines, but that plays to its advantage. The
palate displays exquisite balance, building in intensity with aeration,
pristine and chiselled to the finest detail on the finish. This is an
outstanding wine at a decade old. The 2012 Vosne-Romanée Clos du Château again
from Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair offers Morello cherries and damp
loamy scents on the nose, perhaps just missing a little delineation. The palate
is well-balanced with a slightly candied opening, moderate length and density
yet it just pulls up a tad short on the finish. Drinking perfectly now.<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1663337714847-4-la+pyramide+old+bottles_copy.jpg">Three
extremely rare red Burgundies from the forties followed. What made them special
is provenance, as La Pyramide has cellared them from release. The 1940
Romanée-Saint-Vivant Grand Cru from Louis Latour displayed wide
bricking on the rim. It has a mothball-tinged nose, evincing a challenging
growing season even without war raging around winemakers. The palate is light
with tart red cherries and a hint of orange rind, vestiges of some vigour but
dry and rather decayed on the finish. I have had magnificent old bottles from
Louis Latour, but unfortunately this is more of a curiosity. The 1943 Grands
Echézeaux Grand Cru from Domaine de la Romanée-Conti shows a wide
bricked rim. This has an entrancing bouquet with burning embers, cigar humidor,
a touch of menthol and subtle Provençal herb aromas. The palate is medium
bodied with light tannins, fine acidity, notes of sour cherry and even a
suggestion of honey. Pretty, quite flattering in style, it displays remarkable
persistence on the finish. What a divine wartime veteran. The 1942
Richebourg Grand Cru from Domaine de la Romanée-Conti appears
slightly more fatigued than the 1943 Grands Echézeaux, forgivable given age and
circumstances. Vestiges of light red fruit, roasted chestnuts and a rather
incongruous adhesive scent, disjointed initially yet cohering beautifully
within five minutes of pouring. The palate is medium bodied with sour cherry
and quite noticeable acidity that lends this Richebourg nerve. Nicely focused
with the weight that you probably would not find in say, its
Romanée-Saint-Vivant equivalent this was a very respectable showing, even if
the Vigne Originelle Française tasted a couple of years ago was certainly
superior (what I would give to compare them alongside.) 

That
was sufficient for one evening, although the sommelier vanished as a few people
drifted off to bed and return with a wartime claret that I have earmarked for a
Cellar Favourite.

The
following evening, we had a simple dinner as we were recovering after the
Rousseau marathon at lunch, which actually finished with a rarely seen
Sauternes, a 1955 Gillette Doux. This comes from an unorthodox era for Sauternes,
traditionally aged for two decades in concrete, when the wines were labelled
according to sweetness: dry,
demi-sec, demi-doux, doux, and crême de tête, which last until 1962. It has a light adhesive scent
on the nose, a trait that I find is more common within coeval Barsacs. Dried
honey, melted candle wax, tangerine and mandarin emerge, with a touch of
Seville orange marmalade. The palate is well balanced with a tangy, slightly
bitter entry, notes of quince and desiccated orange peel, fine depth with a
harmonious finish that belies its age. It develops an almost mature
Vouvray-like quality with time. Excellent.<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1663337738132-5-rhone+bottles_copy.jpg">We
compared a magnum of 2010 L’Hermitage from Domaine J.L. Chave that
was consistent with the magnum poured at Medlar just a few weeks earlier. It
was twinned with a 2010 Côte-Rôtie from Domaine Jean-Paul, Corinne
&amp; Loïc Jamet that is exquisite. Black fruit, piped tobacco, smoke,
incense and black olives unfold with seemingly each swirl of the glass. Not as
powerful as the Chave, yet perhaps even more complex. The palate is intense,
beautifully defined and focused, slightly ferrous on the entry. A garrigues-tinged
middle with finely chiselled tannins and a voluminous, but detailed finish,
this is an awesome Côte-Rôtie. 

Would I
return to La Pyramide? Without a doubt, yes. It is a well-run establishment
with lots of character, pretty location and a wine list worth hopping on a plane for.
Exactly where I would choose to eat there, given the choice, is another matter
entirely. I’d still be thinking about that delicious risotto!© 2022, Vinous. No portion of this article may be copied, shared or re-distributed without prior consent from Vinous. Doing so is not only a violation of our copyright, but also threatens the survival of independent wine criticism.

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