Restaurant Spitalfields Château Plaisance Penavayre Dinner

7th July 2023

5 course tasting menu with wine pairing to match

£95pp

Château Plaisance Penavayre covers 30 hectares of certified organic vineyards on terraces above the Tarn valley in the commune of Villaudric, about 35 km north of Toulouse.

This domaine was established in 1971 by Louis Penavayre, although the Penavayre family have been cultivating vines in the area for generations.

The soils in Fronton are characterised by boulbènes – acidic, sandy-gravel mixes also seen further north in Bordeaux – but on the terraces, the soils are particularly poor and gravelly, forcing the vines to dig deep for water and restricting yields.

Local variety Négrette is the main focus of the domaine. Thought to be related to Malbec and Tannat, Négrette has been cultivated in the area for millennia. It produces deeply coloured wines that can vary from soft and fruity to full-bodied and powerful, depending on the terroir, and typically shows flavours of blackberry, raspberry, black pepper, liquorice and violets.