A toast to Chateau Meyre

Dan Hetrakul showcases his top quality wines with a dinner at the St Regis

Primal Product, producer and distributor of French famous premium wine Chateau Meyre by Dan Hetrakul, recently held a cocktail reception and a wine dinner at the St Regis Hotel.

Dan Hetrakul acted as sommelier for the night, welcoming guests by pouring three wines from his estate in Margaux: Chateau Meyre Haut-Medoc, Optima de Chateau Meyre Haut-Medoc and Enclos Gallen de Chateau Meyre Margaux. Together, they represent the terroir of Chateau Meyre's vineyard, which covers more than 17 hectares, most of it in Castelnau, Haut-Medoc where the Chateau itself located and the remainder in Margaux.

Chateau Meyre, which dates back to the 17th century, has had vines growing on its property for more than three centuries. In those days, the vineyard covered 20 hectares and the production capacity was around 50 barrels.

Dan's father, Pracha, acquired it in 1998 and in 2007, a new cellar designed by Chateau Margaux's architect, Bernard Mazires, was constructed.

Dinner, which was served in the Decanter room, began with fresh Scandinavian salmon in ponzu sauce and belon oyster salad served with Armand de Brignac Gold, Brut with the distinctive ace on the label. An old world style champagne with fine and continuous bubbling, it was fresh and lively on the nose and full bodied and complex with fruit character and subtle brioche on the palate. The creamy texture and long finish paired perfectly with the Scandinavian salmon, making it taste sweeter while cleansing the palate.

The next plate was Atlantic scallop wrapped in Colonnata lard, liquid foie gras ravioli served with 2003 Chateau Meyre, Haute-Medoc. This is one of the best vintages and has won many prizes. An intense ruby red with nuances of purple, the nose opened up to dark, ripe fruit with a hint of vanilla. On the palate the wine was harmonious and composed with jammy flavours, which were well balanced with a hint of wood, giving the wine a rich and balanced structure. Although unorthodox to pair seafood with red wine, the lard and liquid foie gras ravioli gave the dish the texture required to make it compatible.

The third serving was slow cooked snow fish, laksa risotto cake, black perigord sauce paired with 2005 Optima de Chateau Meyre, Haute-Medoc. This vintage is younger but also highly acclaimed. Deep ruby red in colour, the nose was marked by pretty distinctive aroma black fruit, cherry, blackberry and balanced touch of wood. The attack was subtle, with a dense mid palate and well developed tannins. It blossomed mid palate with well-developed tannins. This plate was another example of a challenging pairing. The snow fish itself was well prepared with the black perigord sauce lifting the taste up to the next level. But in terms of pairing, it was not there yet.

Next up was Venison sous vide in Petra extra virgin olive oil, vegetable pave served with 2005 Enclos Gallen de Chateau Meyre Margaux. This deep purple ruby wine was again a best vintage in Bordeaux. Enclos Gallen is Chateau Meyre's premium wine and has won many prizes including the Gold Medal, Sections Mondiales des Vins in 2010. The nose revealed a very fine black cherry aroma enhanced by subtle woody vanilla favours. The freshness and the harmony of this wine supplemented the sweet and soft tannins. The venison was the star of the night and certainly made for the best pairing - big Bordeaux and wild meat.

The dessert was Gianduja chocolate in passion fruit cake, mango jasmine sorbet served with 1999 Chateau de Fargues, Sauternes. The sweet wine had a dark blood orange/brandy colour, indicative of its age and was served chilled. The nose was more developed, with a taste of tangerine and honey, and some burnt petrol on the finish and smell. It had a long finish and was quite complex, if a little powerful. This pairing was unconventional as the passion fruit cake and mango jasmine sorbet were too sour for the wine even with the chocolate.

Dinner ended with another great pairing: an assorted cheese plate and Chateau de Fargues, Sauternes.

The event was not celebrated Chateau Meyre's wines but also marked a partnership between Siam Winery, Thai wine producer, Armand de Brignac importer ML Korkrita Kritakara, and Dan Hetrakul to build up a wine culture in Thailand. The two companies have been in close contact since Siam Winery took its agents to visit Chateau Meyre last year