Acclaimed Parisian Chocolatier Christian Vautier Launches US Debut on the Lower East Side

Chocolatier Aditi Malhotra of Christian Vautier Le Concept, the newly opened chocolate boutique and café, has been busy in her underground chocolate factory crafting scrumptious Easter packages.  Featured within are the shop’s sublime and artistic house-made sweets, like white chocolate truffles hiding bursts of tart and fruity raspberry, lime and passion fruit fillings, as well as other exclusive-for-Easter treats, including dark chocolate eggs filled with surprising treasures and dark chocolate rabbits.

Three different package options have been crafted for your holiday celebration and are available at Christian Vautier Le Concept, beginning Friday March 30.  They are as follows:

Petit Package

$53

Dark chocolate egg filled with surprising treasures, atop a bed of dark chocolate hazelnuts

Dark chocolate rabbit atop a bed of dark chocolate hazelnuts

Passion fruit & mango jam

Moyen Package

$97

Dark chocolate egg filled with surprising treasures, atop a bed of dark chocolate hazelnuts

Dark chocolate rabbit atop a bed of dark chocolate hazelnuts

Passion fruit & mango jam

6-pack of white chocolate truffles in raspberry, lime and passion fruit, all coated in coconut

Mendiants – milk and white chocolate discs topped with nuts and dried cranberries

Grand Package

$152

Dark chocolate egg filled with almonds, atop a bed of dark chocolate hazelnuts

Dark chocolate rabbit atop a bed of dark chocolate hazelnuts

Passion fruit & mango jam

6-pack of white chocolate truffles in raspberry, lime and passion fruit, all coated in coconut

Mendiants – milk and white chocolate discs topped with nuts and dried cranberries

White chocolate covered chocolate crispy cereal

Grignotines – milk, dark and white chocolate clusters of almond, puffed rice cereal and orange peels

Christian Vautier Le Concept is located at 254 Broome Street on the LES and is open daily from 11 AM to 11 PM.  Call 212-473-3200.

Copyright 2012 By Punchin International. All Rights Reserved.

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TENUTA FRESCOBALDI DI CASTIGLIONI 2009 PROVES HOW GOOD A $25 WINE CAN BE

LEGENDARY FAMILY-OWNED TUSCAN WINE COMPANY PUTS NAME PROMINENTLY ON FRONT LABEL FOR FIRST TIMEimage

While a $25 SRP may be a celebratory wine to some Americans, to others it is the benchmark, where retail wines become agreeably drinkable. Fitting tin that category, we are always delighted to discover a $25 wine that is better than many carrying a $50 (or more) price tag. And while Marchesi de’ Frescobaldi is hardy a secret in the wine world, it is reassuring to know there re names we can trust and depend upon.

All you ever want to know and more can be found below, but the truth is in the bottle and it is terrific now and will last some years. Make sure it is cellar temperature and opened a good 2 hours before drinking. We loved the generous fruit, structure and subtle tannins. Great with chicken, beef, lamb, medium firm cheeses.

Highly Recommended. We plan a tasting of the complete line one of these days.


Marchesi de’ Frescobaldi Releases ‘Tenuta Frescobaldi di Castiglioni’

Marchesi de’ Frescobaldi launches its first wine in the US market bearing the family name, ‘Tenuta Frescobaldi di Castiglioni’. A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (50%), Merlot (30%), Cabernet Franc (12%) and Sangiovese (8%), Tenuta Frescobaldi di Castiglioni comes from the original Frescobaldi family estate, Castiglioni, located approximately 20 kilometers west of Florence, in Val di Pesa, along the Arno River. The wine (2009 vintage, SRP $25), which has been marketed under Tenuta di Castiglioni previously, will be available in the US from January.

President of the company, Marchese Leonardo Frescobaldi asserts, “We found it was appropriate to add the Frescobaldi name to this exclusive wine because it comes from the oldest estate where my family began to cultivate vineyards and produce wines over 700 years ago. Since that time, the family passion has flourished and continued to the present 30th generation.”

“The soil of the Castiglioni estate is located southwest of Florence on gentle hills,” he continues, “and is characterized by a mixture of sand, clay and limestone. The land offers a fitting home for the different vineyards cultivated with perfect exposure. The wine is very much characterized by this particular terroir and offers a great intensity of fruit with a long lasting finish, elegance, and its richness is extremely stylish.”

Tenuta Frescobaldi di Castiglioni expresses the typicity and character of the territory of its origin and is consistent with the philosophy and mission of the family to ensure that each estate’s wine maintains its unique identity. The Frescobaldi family traces its origins back to the 11th century in the area where the Castiglioni estate was established in the 14th century. The vineyards at the 513-hectare estate are 200 – 250 meters above sea level. The local climate is warm and dry and the vineyards, completely replanted to high densities in the 1990s, favor the production of wines that display rich aromas of wild red berry fruit, classic to this Chianti area.

Tenuta Frescobaldi di Castiglioni is understated and refined, much like the Frescobaldi family itself, with a rich, deep, ruby-red color that is striking to the eye. The bouquet is fragrant with dark fruit that blends with notes of cocoa powder and roast espresso beans. The tannins are well integrated and offer a warm, lingering finish.

Marchesi de’ Frescobaldi, the leading wine producer of Tuscany and one of the most historic and respected wine companies in the world, combines centuries of tradition with progressive winemaking techniques and practices. Founded in the 14th century and a supplier of wines to the royal courts of Europe for generations, Marchesi de’ Frescobaldi is still a family-owned company today. Comprised of nine distinct estates totaling approximately 1,100 hectares, Marchesi de’ Frescobaldi produces wines utilizing only the grapes grown in its own vineyards. The company continually upgrades and modernizes its grape growing and winemaking operations, maintaining a relentless focus on producing unique wines that express the individuality of each unique terroir from which they are produced

Copyright 2012 By Punchin International. All Rights Reserved.

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