Chef Yannick Alléno & Laurence Bonnel Sip Through French History with Moët & Chandon
Three Michelin-starred French chef and Moët & Chandon brand ambassador Yannick Alléno talks to L’OFFICIEL about champagne and the holiday season along with his wife, Laurence Bonnel.
Moët & Chandon and L’OFFICIEL join forces to celebrate a shared centennial milestone. While the champagne house celebrates the 100-year anniversary of it's 1921 Grand Vintage Collection, a masterpiece of excellence in wine, L'OFFICIEL honors a century of style.
In attendance at the French-infused celebration was Michelin Star French chef and Moët & Chandon brand ambassador Yannick Alléno, who appropriately prepared the celebratory dinner, and his wife, a sculptor, Laurence Bonnel. While the chef ultimately opted to pair the 1921 cuvée with his culinary experience, Alléno sampled through other decades of champagne, including a special 1933 vintage, effectively tasting through moments in French history.
L’OFFICIEL: Why did you choose this cuvée for the celebration?
Yannick Alléno: The Grand Vintage Collection 1921 is a legendary, 100-year-old champagne crafted during the dawn of the Roaring ‘20s that has since become a treasured symbol of Moët & Chandon’s winemaking savoir-faire. It was born the same year that L'OFFICIEL set off on its own epic journey from a chronicle of the burgeoning fashion industry in Paris to a global powerhouse at the crossroads of fashion, art, culture, style, and design. It’s also the best year of the last century and around those fantastic vintage bottles, I had to create things to have the perfect match and pairing, so we decided to fix different tastes and propose to our guests something really special tonight.
L’O: Have you been to Champagne before?
Laurence Bonnel: Yes, we love the beauty of the place. It is very calm and there are a lot of vineyards everywhere. This morning we saw a lot of fog so it was very mysterious.
YA: When I came to Moët & Chandon for the first time, it was to understand what champagne is. I went there many times to understand what is happening in the wine cellars and the history of France, of course. When you have the opportunity to collaborate with such a brand as Moët & Chandon, you can learn the history of our country, and when you're looking in the past of course, you can absorb the future, so that’s what we did, a lot of work with changing the way of the apéritif, how to propose the bottle differently. The experience around that wine is something very interesting for our guests.
L’O: What is your favorite way to drink champagne?
LB: I like it for an apéritif a lot, to share a special or intimate moment with friends.
YA: That’s the best way to appreciate it. In an intimate moment.
L'O: Do you prefer to drink it in a coupe or in a flute?
LB: I prefer a wine glass. I have the impression that there’s more taste, more aromatics.
YA: Sometimes, we forget about the complexity of wine. Of course, the glass changes the feel of the wine.
L'O: Do you have any holiday traditions?
LB: We are not much of a fan of Christmas songs, but I would say that I like to watch this very traditional film that you hate, with Cameron Diaz and Jude Law, The Holiday.
YA: I don't like that film because I’m jealous of Jude Law.
L'O: How do you celebrate New Year's Eve?
YA: With a lot of champagne! On New Year’s Eve I’m always working, so we have a traditional end of service with caviar and champagne, and after that we go to Italy for the week. When you have restaurants, it’s a very fantastic period but very intense, too. We have to be focused on work and enjoy our time later on.
