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Andreas Larsson

@legrandsommelier

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Best sommelier of the world 2007. Sommelier by profession, rustic home cook, dreamer, guitarist, improviser, food & wine lover, music lover, lover...

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The Swedish ” plank steak” used to be a dodgy dish found in simple restaurants where a mediocre piece of meat was drowned in a tsunami of bearnaise surrounded by mountains of mashed potatoes served on a plank or wooden board! It got such a bad reputation so people started to love it. Then came the age of refinement where better restaurants revisited it and made better versions from better products. And who can deny liking a nice steak bearnaise? Today’s version à la maison is an aged picanha , sautéed haricots verts with a glorious bearnaise surrounded by pommes duchesse with Parmesan, I simply skipped the plank! A simple dish still deserving a fine wine. 2015 Seña certainly ticks those boxes. Even if no one cares anymore I believe this was the first 100-point wine from Chile. Points aside a great classic having gained refinement and nuance over the years. If Bordeaux-like is a compliment I say so. If distinctly Chilean is a compliment I’d say so as well. A nuanced blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenère, Malbec and Cabernet Franc. Nuanced and layered with a refreshing herbaceous spiciness - sage, mint and bay leaf with cassis, cherry and ripe, yet fresh fruit. This vintage is finely opening up starting to show some more earth, truffle and graphite and most oak is already digested, velvety, yet plentiful tannin adding loads of freshness to the crunchy dark fruit, long and layered with fine complexity and vigour. A rather decent simple lunch if a may humbly say so myself! #simplecooking #cookingsommelier #winesfromchile #sommlife #asisomms by @legrandsommelier

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a month ago

September is here. Heartier food on the plate. Another simple dish at home. Succulent and slow cooked Iberico pork cheeks in a lovely gelatinous red wine gravy with honey and pistachio glazed carrots and that delicious buttery puré. Luxury for a peasant like yours truly. Another simple dish perfectly adapted for a great wine. Found the 2020 Dominio de Es showing beautiful harmony today, even though its density and concentration vouches for a substantial life in the cellar. Mainly old vine Tempranillo with pinches of Garnacha and Albillo and even smaller pinches of other traditional varieties. Well concealed oak, pure and ripe yet fresh fruit with a pleasing dry spiciness, high concentration yet balanced extraction and a tremendous length! Rather decent lunch if a may humbly say so myself… #riberadelduero #simplecooking #cookingsommelier #asisomms #sommlife by @legrandsommelier

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Is Château Musar a True Grand Vin?
Well, opinions differ.
Some find it too volatile, unpredictable, perhaps overrated. Others love it, adore it and collect it obsessively.
For me, Château Musar was one of my first encounters with truly great wine when I entered the business almost 30 years ago. Then, for a while, I grew a little tired of it. Eventually, I came back.
The real revelation came around ten-fifteen years ago, when I was asked to conduct an extraordinary vertical tasting for a Swedish wine collector of Lebanese heritage, deeply proud of his country’s ancient vinous tradition.
Five decades of Musar, tasted side by side. Vintage after vintage, the personality was unmistakable—and remarkably, we didn’t encounter a single disappointing bottle. It completely renewed my respect for the wine.
Because, in the end, what defines a truly great wine?
For me, above all else, it is personality.
Château Musar is a wine you can recognize blind. It has an unmistakable identity. It has personality, character and an extraordinary ability to age. You may love its particular expression or you may not—but it is never anonymous.
And that brings me to today’s lunch.
I wouldn’t exactly call it spontaneous, considering that this beautiful lamb shank had been braising for hours—tagine-style, richly spiced, fragrant and decidedly Oriental in character.
What wine could possibly accompany it better?
Without hesitation: Château Musar 2012 from magnum.
And conveniently, a magnum should just about be enough for the three of us over lunch.
So, is Château Musar a truly great wine?
Yes. It is. #chateaumusar #grandvin #cookingsommelier #tagine #sommlife taken in Le Bistro De La rue du Vigneron by @legrandsommelier

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a month ago

Homecoming = comfort food = a juicy Swedish pork chop with cafe de Paris butter = I need a bloody generous, meaty, dense and juicy wine with it! The 2010 does the job perfectly - classically dark and savoury fruit where cassis, black plums, black cherry and a lot of black things mingle. It still shows the density expected but with finely melted tannin and a rounded texture, with approaching mature notes of truffle and forest floor. Very good level of drinkability today. One of the most common questions I get, particularly from my Swedish friends is ”age worthy value for money wines at Systembolaget”. Well this is probably THE best example. Current vintage 2020 (nr 220401) costs 199 SEK, even if the vinification and ageing is a bit more supple and refined today, offering an earlier drinking window, this will still easily age and develop for 20 years. A great expression of traditional terroir and grape varieties with a tastefully modern touch! #madiran #simplecooking #cookingsommelier #tannat #sommlife taken in Le Bistro De La rue du Vigneron by @legrandsommelier

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2 months ago

The annual magnum dinner was a great success! Great wines, great food prepared by the amazing Philippe Mille and the truly remarkable host, Pol Roger. However, in the end, the event is rather about great friends! A lovely line-up of wines, too many to go into detail, slightly deceiving white burgundies, a dead Barbera, but otherwise just greatness. Standout wines: 2009 Domaine de Chevalier showing its place as one of the greatest white wines in the world. 1999 Grand Vin de Latour - I expected greatness; we got perfection: the perfume, the silk, the nuance, the layers! Wow! And then - 1911 Pol Roger - I am the last person to be impressed by something just because of its age, and I often think that 20-25 years is good enough for the greatest cuvées. Yet the 1911 showed tremendous purity, intensity, complexity and vitality! Having never left the cellars of Pol Roger, it certainly appeared much younger when we had it blind. Such a surprise and emotional moment when it was revealed! Downright my best old champagne ever, perhaps my best champagne ever and doubtlessly one of the greatest wines I ever had. Enjoy in moderation, folks #magnumdinner #asisomms #sommlife #sommelierproblems #anotherharddayatwork taken in Avenue De Champagne, Épernay by @legrandsommelier

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2 months ago

Perhaps I’m an old boring fart, perhaps you agree? #gastronomy #petpeeves #molecularcuisine #asianfusion #truffleoil taken in Le Bistro De La rue du Vigneron by @legrandsommelier

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2 months ago

Simplicity wins again - late summer flavours - poached lemon sole, sautéed chanterelles, broad beans, and a buttery crayfish sauce. It would certainly work with many wine styles, but a great burgundy does the job exceptionally well. The 2022 Vougeot 1er cru Le Clos Blanc shows, just like a lot of white wines from the Côte de Nuits, more of a red wine texture in terms of tannin, extract, and a somewhat more rounded acidity; even aromatically, there´s a slightly ”darker” element there, quite unlike what we would find in Meursault or Puligny. Nonetheless, a downright simple, straightforward, and utterly delicious summer lunch! #simplecooking #cookingsommelier #chanterelles #sommlife #asisomms taken in Le Bistro De La rue du Vigneron by @legrandsommelier

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2 months ago

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2 months ago

I still remember meeting @legrandsommelier for the first time. I was just starting my career in wine, and he had recently won the ASI Best Sommelier title.I had to decant a bottle for him and his group, and my hands were honestly shaking. 😳 I was lucky to meet him so early in my career, and since then he has always been someone I really looked up to. So it’s quite amazing how life turns out - years later, I got to sit down with him and interview him for the @nosediment wine Podcast.
We spoke about his journey to becoming a sommelier, what it took to achieve the ASI title, and how the role of the sommelier has changed over the years. We also touched on some hot topics: wine scores, current trends, changing tastes, and how the wine world itself is evolving. 🍾
Thanks to @winecollectors.lv for providing these beautiful premises! 🥰
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To watch full video and other educational and entertaining WINE VIDEOS and PODCASTS, check out my YouTube channel No Sediment. Link in bio! 👆👆👆
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#wine #vino #sommelier #winepodcast #nosedimentwine taken in Wine Collectors by @legrandsommelier

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3 months ago

When I was young, I never thought I would ever dine at a Michelin star restaurant. Eventually I got to do that! One of my first 3 star experiences was at L’Auberge de l’Ill today 2 stars. And it makes you ask, does a restaurant have to be creative and modern to keep its stars, or can it be just classic and great? Well that’s another subject! Some memories from 2002 when I was served by the legendary Serge Dubs who started his career there back in 1972! Later becoming best sommelier of Europe 1988 and the world in 1989! A young me never ever thought I would win the same titles a few years later… Kudos for a long and fruitful career to gastronomy and sommellerie! Last weekend was his last service and we had the pleasure of having lunch there, impeccable service and great classic food in the most picturesque environment! Enjoy a few days off Serge - we really didn’t change did we? @sergedubs @aubergedelill @asisomms_ @mademoisellegardinier #guidemichelin #aubergedelill #vinsdalsace #anotherharddayatwork #sommlife taken in L'Auberge de l'Ill by @legrandsommelier

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If Celestins is Romanée-Conti, Marie Beurrier is La Tâche… so I’ve heard and would tend to agree! Even though the Bonneau wines might be difficult to find, they are still affordable enough to drink… I suppose that’s what it’s all about in the end? 2017 Marie Beurrier shows all the depth, complexity, ripeness and character one expects. Garrigue, bay leaf, Kirsch, menthol and an abundance of red berries with all of the dry spices and lusciously meaty notes. This could of course go on forever but I consider close to 10 years of age a rather good drinking window where youthful power approaches mature complexity. Silky and concentrated on the palate with layers and layers of that spicy and meaty fruit with a very long and distinct finish. Some might consider today’s rustic dish a bit too rustic for this ”fine” wine? Let me know your thoughts! On the plate - Ratatouille made from veggies roasted with plenty of olive oil, then a small addition of sweet San Marzano tomatoes to bind it together, Swedish lamb rack with a crust of basil, pistachio, and pecorino, (not that it is a recipe, I just had the stuff at home as i always improvise in the kitchen)! Rather delicious if I may humbly say so myself! #henribonneau #chateauneufdupape #finewine #cookingsommelier #sommlife taken in Le Bistro De La rue du Vigneron by @legrandsommelier

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3 months ago

I just love the simplicity, rigour, and purity of the Japanese kitchen! However that’s something you tend to have in restaurants, unlike French, Swedish or other Asian staples that are far easier to do at home. Anyway, far from a ”genuine” Japanese dish my red miso marinated Swedish Char turned out truly well with a heavenly moist flesh served on its crispy skin with sweet and savoury, truly umami flavours served with just rice and Japanese pickles! The fourth component might be the most important though! The wine! Another excellent occasion to grab one of my many Kabinetts from J. J Prüm doing an excellent job in adding freshness, succumbing to the slight sweetness and not having an issue with the pickled acidity. And then; adding all those layers of white peach, ripe citrus, lemongrass, floral notes and that very pristine, pure, crystal clear and sharp finish cleansing your palate and luring you to have another sip. Very easy to finish in the positive sense of enjoying in moderation! #simplecooking #cookingsommelier #sommlife #japanesecooking #anotherharddayatwork taken in Le Bistro De La rue du Vigneron by @legrandsommelier

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