Braised Abalone with Oyster–Soy Glaze
~ 紅焼鮑魚 ／ Hong Shao Bao Yu ~
2023 Maranges Vieilles Vignes — Quentin Philippe Jeannot ／ Côte de Beaune, Burgundy
An entire abalone is gently steamed after being scored, then cloaked in a mellow hong shao glaze—soy layered with white broth, sweetness and savor folded into quiet depth.
The flesh is supple yet resilient, releasing waves of oceanic umami as it yields, while the glaze leaves a warm, lingering echo.
With each bite, the sea’s minerality meets a soft hint of earth—a conversation as calm as it is profound.
To accompany this, a Pinot Noir from Maranges, Burgundy’s southern edge.
From vines more than fifty years old, Quentin Philippe Jeannot crafts a wine that unites
clarity, restraint, and quiet strength.
Traditional extraction, native yeasts, and thoughtful barrel work keep the fruit pure—cherry, raspberry, a trace of spice—all carried by a line of refined acidity.
That acidity gently softens the soy-glaze sweetness, while smoothing the salt’s sharper edges;
the tannins remain silk-like, mirroring the abalone’s tender resilience.
The fruit notes brush against the shellfish umami, creating a suggestion of sweetness that doesn’t come from sugar at all—but from alignment.
Here, the five tastes move in a circle:
sweetness and salt from the glaze, umami from broth and abalone, a faint herbal bitterness, and the wine’s bright acidity completing the arc.
Like a quiet “change of key,” each bite feels renewed, as though the wine were subtly refreshing the dish from within.
The textures, too, find one another:
the gentle chew of steamed abalone and the flowing, supple frame of Pinot Noir meet in the middle, until sauce and wine seem to share a single surface.
What lingers is a soft impression of fruit and broth—deep, serene, and composed.
A young Maranges with the voice of old vines:
freshness paired with maturity, energy carried by grace.
In that dialogue, Burgundy’s elegance meets the contemplative umami of the East—a quiet statement of Ji-Cube’s cuisine at its heart.
Ji-Cube
Sommelier Kiyoshi Yoshioka
#ji_cube #jicube #ジーキューブ #高級中華 #隠れ家中華 #隠れ家 #ワインすきな人と繋がりたい #ワインマリアージュ #ワインペアリング #接待ディナー #接待で使えるお店 #カウンター中華 #西麻布中華 #六本木中華 #プライベートレストラン #jicubeソムリエ #完全予約制 #西麻布グルメ #六本木グルメ #美食 #ソムリエ #chmpagne #bourgogne_wine #記念日レストラン
