L’envers du Decor
This was just about everything I could ask for in a restaurant. Great food, great wine list, great company. As we were seated in the restaurant, the adjacent table called out “we know you!” Sure enough, it was a couple we had connected with at the Ruinart tour back in Champagne. We realized then we’d be in St Emilion for one overlapping day, and joked that maybe we’d run into each other. Small world. We shared a glass of champagne and enjoyed their company.
Before we jump into the food let’s talk for a minute about the wine list at L’envers du Decor. It’s incredible. I don’t know whether it’s the fact that every third shop in St Smilion seems to be a wine merchant or whether they just have a massive cellar of gems, but let’s just note I could have easily spent a full hour perusing the menu (I didn’t, my wife was giving me the look of “please decide.”)
I was first drawn to a 2012 Emmanuel Reynaud Domaine de Tours bottle at an exceptional price, but made a last minute pivot after discovering Ulysse Collin’s Les Maillons v.20 on the list for a price unheard of in the US. The champagne more than lived up to its reputation. Amy, who likes but doesn’t love champagne, said, “okay, this is REALLY good.” We shared glasses with our new neighborly friends and they too expressed extreme delight with the wine. It is that good and will likely rank in my top two wines of the trip, just a hair or two behind the Selosse Millesime. There’s still more wine ahead, so let’s see how that shapes up.
Behind our table and running all along the back wall are empty bottles opened by the restaurants. Heavy hitters galore. A 1926 Figeac, 60s Cheval Blanc, dozens of DRC, Leroy, all the big names seem to be here. This is a wine lover’s paradise.
The food is great too. We had a large charcuterie board to start, and then a massive slow cooked lamb shank with Mediterranean flavors. For dessert, a classic soufflet. All executed well.
