Restaurant La Grande Georgette

18 Rue Tronsson Ducoudray

51100 Reims, France

Tel: +33 3 26 83 18 18

BY ANTONIO GALLONI | APRIL 18, 2025

The Food:

Artichoke Soup and Black Truffle

Champagne Poultry with Black Truffle, Poulette Sauce

Pear and Black Truffle like Crème Brûlée

The Wines:

2019 Savart Brut Nature Le Mont des Chrétiens – 95

1995 Domaine Ramonet Montrachet Grand Cru - ?

2021 Domaine Hubert & Olivier Lamy Puligny-Montrachet Les Tremblots Vieilles Vignes – 92

2015 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tâche Grand Cru – 98

I am always on the hunt for new places to eat in Champagne. Located in the Cazerne Chanzy Hotel & Spa, literally in front of the Reims Cathedral, La Grande Georgette is a welcome addition to my personal list of favorites.

Chef Julien Raphanel offers a small, inventive menu. Raphanel’s cuisine is imaginative and quite contemporary, but also not overdone or heavy in any way. It’s a style I find very appealing within the context of French cooking. Diners can choose from several tasting menu options or order à la carte. On this night, the theme was truffles, truffles and more truffles. It could be worse.

La Grande Georgette offers a wine list that is both extensive and fairly priced, an increasing rarity these days. Guests will delight in the selection of grower Champagnes. There is so much I would like to order on this list. We start with Savart’s 2019 Extra-Brut Mont des Chrétiens, 100% Chardonnay from Ecueil. I loved the 2019 on release, and I love it today. Rich and expansive, with tremendous textural resonance, the Mont des Chrétiens is positively stellar. The 2019 was vinified and aged in 500-liter barrels, then aged on cork. It is, in my view, a wine that perfectly encapsulates Fred Savart’s style.

Artichoke Soup and Black Truffle.

The Artichoke Soup with Black Truffle is delicious. Rather than a true soup, the dish is best described as having a risotto-like texture in the way the artichokes and black truffles are finely chopped and bound in liquid. It is a wonderfully rich, heady dish ideal for a cold winter evening.

Sadly, the 1995 Ramonet Montrachet Grand Cru is both oxidized and corked. What a shame, especially considering the rightfully lofty expectations that accompany bottles with this pedigree and price tag. We fare much better with Lamy’s 2021 Puligny-Montrachet Les Tremblots Vieilles Vignes. There are pricier options on the list, but my preference is to look for value, for wines that overdeliver. The 2021 Tremblots does that and more. Aromatic and beautifully layered, the 2021 is complex but also understated. Moreover, it’s a terrific wine for the dinner table. It brings back fond memories of the days when I used to visit Olivier Lamy at his family’s estate. What a gorgeous wine.

Champagne Poultry with Black Truffle, Poulette Sauce.

The Champagne Poultry with Black Truffle is another creative take on a classic. Thin slices of black truffle cover the chicken, which is served with a reduction sauce and a brighter, classic Poulette sauce that ties all the ingredients on the plate together effortlessly. The 2015 Domaine de la Romanée Conti La Tâche is an exceptional match. I have been fortunate to taste and drink the 2015 on multiple occasions, including twice on this weekend, as absurd as that sounds (don’t kill me). It has never been anything less than profound. Bright and beautifully focused, with tremendous purity of fruit, the 2015 is so dynamic, so compelling. Is it ready to drink? Not for readers who enjoy fully mature Burgundies. But there is something thrilling about catching a wine like this in its youth, when it is still so vibrant and fresh.

Pear and Black Truffle like Crème Brûlée.

Pear and Black Truffle like Crème Brûlée is an intriguing dessert that melds sweet and savory elements. A delicate sugar sphere breaks into the custard, creating a dynamic interplay of flavors and textures.

Overall, this was a fabulous dinner. Food, wine and service were all top-notch. My only regret is not having tried more of the menu. There’s always next time. Last, but not least, the view of the Reims Cathedral on the way out is nothing short of spectacular, especially in the evening.

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