Pasta with a pureed sauce of fresh grape tomatoes, basil, garlic, olive oil and almonds:
2001 Edmunds St. John, Los Robles Viejos Rozet Vnyd.:
Attractive red fruit aromas with hints of earth and spice; supple, flavorful and moderately complex with excellent balance, etched flavors and good length. Showing young but has the potential for greater complexity as the syrah, grenache, counoise blend continues to develop. 14.2% alcohol and about $27, full retail; I’d buy it again.
Chosen to compare with a recent nebbiolo opened with the same dish. While this was balanced against the dish and complimentary, that was not the synergy of the nebbiolo.
Lunch with Claude and Anna-Marie:
Gazpacho with cheese biscuits:
2005 Foreau, Vouvray Sec:
This is beautiful wine and although it is very young and shows it, it also delivers a full sense of place and great flavors. One of those wines I wish I had cases of. 13.2% alcohol, imported by Rosenthal and about $29, very worth it.
Chosen because Claude asked for Vouvray. Claude had invited us for lunch and prepared all the food so I followed his suggestions for wine. This was a world record match and one that I will never forget. There is a stony edge to the wine that worked perfectly with the earthy character of the soup and the flavors seem to weave together. I don’t think I have ever had a wine and food pairing that worked as well. The wine is truly great; the pairing is other-worldly.
Crab salad:
2005 Dom. Vissoux, Fleuire Poncie:
Probably my favorite wine right now and one that always delivers fresh, bursting fruit flavors and yet remains true to its terroir; there really is no missing that this is Fleurie. 12.5% alcohol, imported by Weygandt-Mtezler and about $20; I bought tons.
Chosen because Claude thought that cru Beaujolais went well with lobster so it would go well with crab. And while I question the premise, his first choice had been so astoundingly good, who am I to argue. ‘Missed by a mile.
The salad was good with the Vouvray (I had saved some) but did not work with the Beaujolais at all. But I saved one of the cheese biscuits and once we were done with the salad, I ate the biscuit with the Beaujolais and it worked very well.
For dessert we had homemade Ovaltine sorbet and no wine. The sorbet was stellar – who’d a thunk?.
Best, Jim