What a lovely picture. I had a similar picture in my office of my daughters when they were much younger until a colleague came in, looked at it, looked at me, looked back and me and said:”Wow, you’re wife must be really hot!” 
François,
How do you compare the food at Taillevent to what it was when the Vrinat family owned it?
Francois,
Thanks for the notes. I’ve never had the opportunity to taste the highly vaulted 61, but have tasted the 90 a few times and I wasn’t overly impressed, especially compared to some of the rave reviews.
On another note, I have eaten at Taillevent many times over the last 30 years since our first amazing meal there. Jean Marie Ancher has been an anchor there for so many years and the restaurant has always been the epitome of excellent service. I, along with Mark, am also interested to know your opinion on the quality of the food for this dinner.
Dear François,
some friends of mine and I once tried to source a 1961 LCh together, but what we found was not only VERY expensive, but also quite suspicious … it´s simply too risky nowadays if you don´t know someone whom you totally trust and who has it in the cellar for decades …
Reg. the 1978: I had it two times, one was fine but not special, another one was really great … at 98 or 99 points …
For both (1978/1990 … and others) there seem to be different bottlings … and of different qualities resp. …
Reg the 1990: I seem to own the “great” bottlings (bought at Jaboulet directly) - because all I´ve opened so far were stunning and immensly impressive, if far from any maturity - even the 0.375s …
So I have high hopes those in 2-3 decades they might compete with the 1961 …
I´ve had two other 1990 bottles from Germany and France resp. that were not quite up to this level …
so you´ve got to be lucky not only with the condition (shipping/handling/storage) but also with the bottling …
Francois, thank you for sharing such a wondrous event and doing so with eloquence and charm as well as confirming photos. Taillevent is the perfect venue for this dream of a lifetime.
For the first time last year I had a bottle of the ‘78 that lived up to its lofty reputation. Unlike the 10 or so bottles I’d been lucky enough to try previously, and been mostly underwhelmed by, this bottle, drunk at a restaurant 30 or so miles from Tain was exceptional.
Taillevent has been kept in the spirit of Jean-Claude Vrinat by the excellent Jean-Marie Ancher who manages the place with a service which is at the highest level. Alas, he will leave at the end of the year for retirement.
The chef Alain Solivérès who has worked for a long time, is not a man that you see in magazines and TV, but who works extremely seriously.
The Michelin guide has taken back the restaurant to the level of one star which I do not find justified. Taillevent deserves two stars and the note of the Michelin is a critic concerning the absence of innovation.
But for me there is room for a solid conventional cuisine. And I approve the solid cook of Solivérès.
I like the place where I am “at home” coming with my wines whenever I want, and I have a direct contact with Alain Solivérès who is able to adapt (partly) recipes to my wines.
The level today is as it was with JC Vrinat. It will be more difficult for the follower of Jean-Marie.
Antoine Pétrus has been hired to take care of the cellars of Taillevent / Caves of Taillevent / The 110 of Taillevent and the Crayères. But I do not know how he would be involved in the restauration. The place needs a man to replace Jean Marie of the highest level.
Francois
Thank you for the notes on Taillevent. We dined there many times under the leadership of M.Vrinat and he was the ultimate host. We had a few moments of discussion about France and his father being in the Resistance that I thoroughly enjoyed. He hadn’t read Wine and War and I sent him a copy. Jean Marie Ancher has continued the standard of excellent service that M. Vrinat set and his retirement will be a difficult position to fill. We are in Paris in November and to honor Jean Marie we might have to go for a lunch.
Jerry,
I have known Jean-Claude Vrinat rather well.
When in the 90ies I made the gastronomic cruse on the boat “le France” (named Norway at that time but renamed France only for this cruse), Jean-Claude was on the boat with his wife and we spent time together when there was free time.
It is Jean Claude who made me visit the huge kitchens of the boat and he told me that at every stop of the cruse he received from France butter, bread, salt and ingredients directly from his restaurant, because he did not want to use products proposed by the managers of the boat. He wanted that his chef would cook only 100% controlled products.
I adored this sense of details for excellence.
And during this cruse we had fantastic chefs like the passionating Pierre Troisgros, and for me during this cruse it is Taillevent who made the best dish. The fish with caviar for 2000 people on board was cooked with a precision which I found nearly impossible to achieve for so many guests.
In another circumstance, he took in charge the management of the restaurant Prunier which at that time was losing money and badly managed. And he made me the honor to invite me with my wife and his wife in order that I give my comments on this restaurant which I used to practice. His management did not last very long and it is only Pierre Bergé who transformed the place by having the wonderful idea of creating a huge production of Aquitaine caviar.
Now I have a very friendly relation with Jean-Marie Ancher who is the absolute perfect director of a restaurant.
Wonderful times for you with M. Vrinat. Thanks for those stories and nothing surprises me with him when food or wine is involved. We are the fortunate ones to have had the privilege of knowing him.