Félicitations to my young friend, Olivier Magny, the O in Ô Chateau! Olivier has received the 2012 Wine Spectator Award of Excellence that was only bestowed on 9 other restaurants in Paris, and totally 18 in all of France. He has joined the ranks of Taillevent, Alain Ducasse and La Tour D’Argent, less than 18 months after opening!
Enjoy this short video about Ô Chateau…
Olivier started his wine ventures in 2004 with tastings in a building near the Seine. From there, he began Champagne cruises on the Seine and day trips to Champagne. The next part of his wine journey took him to an old wine cave near the Louvre, where he held tutored tastings and where I attended my first Ô Chateau event. Simultaneously, Olivier was writing his blog “Stuff Parisiens Like” in 2008 that culminated in the French edition of the book soon after and the English version in 2010. Last summer Olivier came to the US with a book tour in a few cities. Ironically, Olivier told me was also working on a wine-related book about terroir, but his editor preferred “Stuff”, which is a humorous take on his fellow Parisians.
In spring 2011, Olivier along with his friend and business partner, Nicolas, opened the fruit of their labors of the past seven years…Ô Chateau Wine Bar and Restaurant at 68, rue Jean Jacques Rousseau, just a six minute walk from the Louvre in central Paris’ 1st Arrondisement. His program has expanded to wine dinners, wine and cheese lunches and various tutored tastings that include Grands Crus in either the elegant main floor tasting room that resembles a classic library, or the lower level cave that is used for tastings and dinners. The wine bar itself is large by Parisian standards, complete with pouring dispensers full of wines from all over France, including some special, high-end Burgundies and Bordeaux. One can enjoy starters, cheeses and charcuterie while tasting at the wine bar, either before dinner, or as a light meal.
It seems that I need to make my reservations for October ASAP, as I know how booked a place in Paris gets after excellent reviews, let alone an award from a prestigious and influential American wine magazine.
For more information about Ô Chateau and to make reservations, go to www.o-chateau.com.
Until next time, à votre santé!
Photos by Christine Humphrey ©2012
