WTN: Champagne, Brunello, Coteaux du Layon, TBA

Notes from an after dinner affair of wine and cheese with friends.

Laurent Perrier Champagne LP Brut NV - Sourdough character and a little butterscotch. Light to medium bodied. Some age on this. A little short on the finish. A good, basic Champagne. Brilliant match with epoisses.

Louis Latour Chablis 2004 - Stinky, flat, corked?

Castelgiocondo Brunello di Montalcino 1999 - Full, juicy, young, sweet. A little leathery with some smoke. Well balanced but still young and not showing too many layers or complexity. Makes for a great drink now but will age a long time. Very good wine.

Philippe Delesvaux Coteaux du Layon Clos de la Guiberderie 2003 - Honeyed, candied ginger. No complexity here. Monolithic and a little boring. Finish fades quickly. Just OK.

At this point I thought we were done with wine so I brought out the Woodford Reserve Bourbon to go with the baklava. The Woodford is very smooth and has lots of caramel character to it. I thought it went well with the baklava. Apparently we weren't done with wine yet as one more bottle "for the road" was produced:

Alois Kracher Chardonnay Trockenbeerensauslese Nouvelle Vague #9 2002 - Intensely honeyed and very smooth. Rich but not quite syrupy. The balance of the wine makes it quite easy to drink. The finish goes on forever. Superb wine and a great way to end the evening.

At this point I thought we were done with wine so I brought out the Woodford Reserve Bourbon to go with the baklava. The Woodford is very smooth and has lots of caramel character to it. I thought it went well with the baklava.

Baklava rocks! I'd never have thought of pairing it with an alcoholic drink though. We don't see Bourbon here (don't think I've ever even tasted one) so are there any whiskies, cognacs, etc. that would be similar enough in style to work with baklava?

It's the first time I've tried baklava with whisky. We sometimes have it with Oz stickies (liqueur Muscat works well) or maybe PX although that's piling sweet on sweet. The high alcohol of whisky is good for clearing the palate of the baklava's sweetness.

I can imagine that aside from the Bourbon, it probably would have paired nicely with Macallan 12 or 18 year old which have similar flavor profiles to the Woodford. Not too sure if Cognac would work, though.

I am a big Baklava fan too...and raisin pie!!! Many remember my "wines to go with raisin pie" from last year. Will repeat again shortly altho` just an excuse to open some sweetie halves!!!!