Vintage Sardines Lulu – 2019

2019 Lulu Vintage Sardines, mellow-aged with a cabaret motif

The 2019 Lulu vintage sardines from La Perle des Dieux are sardines in extra virgin olive oil from the Vendée, caught at the end of the season and aged in the tin for years. A vintage fish with a smooth maturity – and a lid like a cabaret stage.

2019 Lulu vintage sardines are aged oil-packed sardines from La Perle des Dieux, hailing from the fishing port of Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie on the Vendée coast. Caught at the end of the season when the sardines had a fat content of about 12%, they have been confited in the tin since capture – the 2019 vintage has already been aging for about seven years and has long since lost any harsh edges.

Round, mild, and deep in flavor

After seven years, the 2019 vintage is one of the mature "d'Exception" years: the flesh is tender, the aroma round and deep.

It tastes less like a fresh sea breeze and more like the warm south – nutty, gentle, with an oil that has permeated and refined the fish over the years. A fish that rewards patience.

As rillettes on toasted bread

Mash the sardines with a fork, add a squeeze of lemon and some chives – and you have fine sardine rillettes for toasted bread.

For an aperitif, we enjoy them with a chilled Picpoul de Pinet or a dry rosé from Provence. They also go wonderfully alongside ripe tomatoes and a soft-boiled egg. Browse our sardines in olive oil for more.

To help your vintage continue aging: turn the tin every 6 months so that every side remains covered by the oil. Stored in a cool, dark place, a tin like this will easily last another decade.

Art on the lid, craftsmanship in the tin

La Perle des Dieux is arguably the most feminine cannery in the industry – founded in 2005 by Claudie Vardelle, who previously ran a fashion boutique in Paris.

Together with Philippe Gendreau, whose family has been canning fish for four generations, she chose painters over fishermen and nets. The freshly caught sardines are cleaned and packed by hand within 48 hours. Two series have built their reputation since then: Mademoiselle Perle by Delphine Cossais and Lulu by the painter Coralie Joulin, named after factory worker Lucienne and her over forty years of service.

The 2019 motif is titled "Le cabaret de Lulu" and depicts Lulu in a corset amidst fish and a magician's hat, every bit the cabaret diva. Every vintage features a new picture – which is how vintage sardines from La Perle des Dieux find their way from the plate to the shelf. For those who wish to collect the sister series, it can be found as Mademoiselle Perle.

Content 115 g – Drained weight 86.3 g