Vintage Sardines - 2018

2018 Vintage Sardines by Mademoiselle Perle, delicately aged

The 2018 vintage sardines from La Perle des Dieux are oil-packed sardines from the Vendée, caught at the end of the season and aged for years in extra virgin olive oil. A fully matured vintage with its own unique design – and Mademoiselle Perle on her travels.

2018 Vintage Sardines are aged oil-packed sardines from the La Perle des Dieux cannery in Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie, southwest of Nantes on the French Atlantic coast, south of Brittany. Caught at the end of the season when the sardines had reached about 12% fat content and preserved ever since – the 2018 vintage has already been aging for a good eight years, a mature "sardine d'Exception."

Buttery, tender, mellow in aroma

After eight years in the tin, the sardine has become tender, the flesh buttery, and the aroma mellow and rounded.

Nothing remains of the sharp bite of a young catch – the 2018 vintage is gentle, nutty, and deep; the extra virgin olive oil has permeated and refined it over the years. A sardine that is in no hurry anymore, which is exactly why it tastes so good.

Classic on bread or with an Indian twist

It is best enjoyed pure: on crusty bread with a little butter, a few drops of oil, and that's it.

A dry Pinot Blanc goes well with bread and butter, its freshness balancing the buttery richness. In keeping with the "en Inde" (in India) design, it also works well on warm flatbread with a dollop of yogurt and a pinch of curry powder – the maturity carries the spice with ease. You can find more from the sea in our French canned fish collection.

For further aging: turn the tin every 6 months so that the oil completely surrounds the fish. Stored in a cool, dark place, such a vintage will last for a decade or more.

Mademoiselle Perle in a sari

La Perle des Dieux is arguably the most feminine cannery in the industry – founded in 2005 by Claudie Vardelle, who came from the Parisian fashion world.

Together with Philippe Gendreau, whose family has been canning fish for four generations, she wanted to restore the nobility of the sardine – using art instead of nets on the tin. This led to the creation of the poetic Mademoiselle Perle by Delphine Cossais from Nantes and the colorful Lulu by Coralie Joulin. Fresh from the catch, the sardines are cleaned and packed by hand within 48 hours.

The 2018 design is titled "Mlle Perle en Inde" and depicts Madame Perle traveling through India in a sari. Each tin represents a new country and is a small collectible – you can find the entire series among the vintage sardines from La Perle des Dieux, from the young Primeur to the mature Exception.

Content 115 g – Drained weight 86.3 g