My brother and BIL came over for dinner last night. They drink more white than red, and budget issues have restricted most of their home drinking to cheap Grocery Outlet chardonnays. That said, both have great palates though Chris leans more European where John leans toward California oak, which is a weird dichotomy because in food, Chris loves sweet and John very pointedly does not. I selected four educational whites to go with dinner last night.
With warm goat cheese and wilted radicchio hand-pies, I started off with a wine aimed straight at John's usual preferences, and it was a home run.
2020 Sea Drift Chardonnay Monterey
Round, ripe flavors of yellow apple, green banana and hazelnuts. Very California-esque but not overtly tropical or cheap/artificial tasting like so many others in the $15ish price range. John agreed yes, this is his preferred style.
We chatted over the next wine while I pulled the rest of dinner together. John professes to hate aligote, but has he ever really had a good one? Apparently not, because he absolutely LOVED this and it's nowhere close to what he thinks he loves most.
2020 Domaine Michel Briday Bouzeron Cuvée Axelle
Very classy, in peak form, complex and evolved but not mature. Everything I appreciate about good aligote was here. Bravo Mr. Briday!
With salad of greens, watermelon radish, blue cheese, walnuts, and a lemon vinaigrette:
2020 Henri et Gilles Buisson Saint-Romain Sous La Velle Blanc Chardonnay
Very Chablis-like in the best ways possible: flinty with green apples and hay, highly aromatic nose and a long, satisfying finish. Classy, elegant, perfectly balanced. Just outstanding. We were all swooning over our glasses, and John declared this "probably the best chardonnay I've ever had". Score!
With a play on veal oscar (grilled veal chops topped with roasted lobster tail and a sauce bearnaise):
2022 Spottswoode Sauvignon Blanc North Coast
A fruity vintage for this wine with notes of green apple, honeydew melon, cucumber and watercress. Delightful, but not very herbal and it didn't play up the tarragon and dill notes in my sauce as I expected it to. Moreover, pretty hard to follow that Saint Romain.