A €190 Pinot Noir made by monks at an abbey off the coast of Cannes has beaten top Burgundies in a blind tasting.
In a recent blind tasting at the two-star Michelin restaurant Bastide St Antoine in Grasse, the Abbaye de Lerins’ Cuvee Saint Salonius Pinot Noir was judged better than Domaine Anne Gros Richebourg and Denis Mortet Clos Vougeot.
Located on the islands of Sainte-Marguerite and Saint-Honora, the Abbaye de Lerins has 42ha of vines and produces other cuvees such as the Saint Sauveur Syrah.
This was recently named a top-ten Syrah in France by the renowned French wine guide Bettane & Desseauve.
In a recent nationally televised programme on TF-1 about the abbey, three-star Michelin chef Eric Frechon of the Restaurant Bristol in Paris is very impressed with its Saint-Pierre white
‘It has an exceptional nose and is surprisingly good,’ he said.
‘We are the only abbey making such high-end wines,’ Frere Marie Paques, who directs winemaking at the abbey, told decanter.com.
He added that their wines were on the list at such luxury establishments as the Hotel Bristol, and Guy Savoy.
Written by Panos Kakaviatos
