WTN: Wines with Raclette

[Jenise]

A number of bottles showed up at a Raclette dinner over the weekend, and these were the only ones worth talking about:

2014 Erath Pinot Noir Dijon Clone 115 Willakia Vineyard Eola - Amity Hills
The Pommard clone tannins have done well by this wine at 10 years. More earthy than elegant right now and a little gritty, but I loved it.

1999 Chateau Ste. Michelle Cabernet Sauvignon Canoe Ridge Estate Vineyard Horse Heaven Hills
Lots of oak here, more than I remember detecting in other old CSMs, but it's a nicely aged wine for those who like that kind of thing (I do).

2020 Tenor Sauvignon Blanc Columbia Valley
I brought this bottle. Tenor is the new premium line at Matthews, a long-established Washington winery of note. Seems a little drier and more harmonious than previous bottles. Lightly grassy nose and elegantly big bodied--absolutely perfect for the strong raclette cheese.

Glad the SB did well with raclette. No Chasselas/Fendant?

[Jenise]

No! Would have loved that. The SB was the best fit from my cellar--I skipped riesling because someone else was going to cover that base (but didn't). Instead there was a cheap and boring SB and three RS-ploddy new world roses that I didn't care for. Probably because the hostess notoriously prefers them. After dinner the host opened a very good WA chenin-riesling blend that would have probably been the best fit of all. But too late!