Wine Dinner with Chateau du Cedre and Tour des Gendres

A wonderful opportunity to meet two of the most progressive winemakers in France, who produce authentic and exceptional wines that reflect and respect their terroir which will be matched with a menu inspired by the hearty, regional cooking of the French southwest. Luc de Conti and Pascal Verhaeghe will present a selection of their wines. M. de Conti is a staunch defender of agrobiology and biodiversity, rejecting chemical fertilisers and weedkillers in favour of natural treatments. He has introduced into the vineyard plants with deep roots to aerate the subsoil and others that naturally control pests. The vines become more vigorous and healthy, digging deeper into the soil to reach different geological layers, and the biodiversity of the vineyard environment changes radically. This philosophy and practice is evident in the domaine’s wines that reproduce the specificity and characteristics of the terroir (soil, subsoil and mother rock) whence they come. M. Verhaeghe also strives to obtain ecological balance in the vineyard and to maintain the potential of the grape to make exceptional wines in the Cellars. His aim is to create wines that are both modern yet respectful of tradition, and can be drunk young. The domaine combines the bourguignon philosophy of promoting the specificity of different terroir with bordelais production techniques of blending a single grape variety –malbec, also known as cot or auxerrois- from different origins and climats. In some cuvées, small proportions of tannat and merlot are also sometimes blended with the malbec. No insectides or fertilisers are used, and surface roots are removed to force the main roots to plunge deep for nutrients. The wines thus reflect the composition, complexity and minerality of the deeper subsoil and geological layers. €65 per person Tuesday 16 th March 2010 at 8 pm The Exchequer Room Fallon & Byrne Dublin 2 Please book your place in advance with David Gallagher, Wine Manager, Fallon and Byrne Contact: wine@fallonandbyrne.com or 01 4721012