The dinner group I belong to convened last Tuesday night. It had
been two months since our last gathering and we were glad this
evening had finally rolled around.
The dinner group I belong to convened last Tuesday night. It had been two months since our last gathering and we were glad this evening had finally rolled around.
Our host, perhaps, was the exception. Although we scheduled this evening weeks ago, he was still sending us e-mails about his frustration of picking the right combination of food to go with the right combination of wine.
The wines of focus this time around were from the Burgundy region of France. Well-known British wine writer, Clive Coates, sums up the challenge: “Burgundy is the most fascinating, the most complex and the most intractable fine-wine region in the world. It is the most personal and the most individual. Nowhere is fine wine – occasionally great wine, but also, sadly, frequently disappointing wine – made in such small quantities, in so many different ways, by so many characters, each convinced that he or she has the magic recipe for success.”
Summed up by our dinner group’s resident quotidian: “Burgundy wine is the best wine I have ever had and the worse wine I have ever had.” I am sure our host was hoping to pair up with the former rather than the latter.
To start the evening off, we nibbled on artisan domestic and French cheeses, toasted baguette slices, sliced Campari tomatoes with basil and olive oil, Alaskan salmon that had been cured and smoked, fruit and very thinly sliced Berkshire pork tenderloin that had been flash-seared.
The predominant grapes that are grown and used in Burgundy wines are chardonnay and pinot noir.
We first tried two white wines from producer Aubert de Villaine, a 2002 and 2004 Bouzeron Aligote. Bouzeron is a village in the southern part of Burgundy, one where the Aligote varietal (a chardonnay hybrid) is exclusively cultivated on slopes. These whites should be drunk young, though they can age gracefully for up to 10 years. Both years had aromas of tangerine and grapefruit, nice minerals and were low in alcohol. I liked the 2002 a bit better. It seemed to have more finesse and still the purity of fruit. The cost per bottle was $17.
We also paired two red wines from de Villaine, a 2002 and 2004 La Digoine ($28). Like young Beaujolais, you can consume these wines within a few months after bottling, with nice forward, red-berry fruit. A year or two of aging can really add some structure, minerality and length on the palate. Again, I liked the 2002 a bit better for just that reason.
The next food course featured a salad mix of butter leaf lettuce, garden spinach and arugula. Fresh sea scallops were sauteed in Irish butter, salt, and paprika – then placed carefully on the lightly dressed greens. A chive garnish with fried pancetta bits finished off the presentation.
For this course, we tried one white and one red wine. The white was a 2002 Pouilly-Fuisse “Les Reisses” Domaine Robert-Denogent. This wine is barrel-fermented and revealed the sweetness of honey, tart lemon and chalky stone.
The red wine was a 2002 Auxey-Duresses “Les Hautes” Domaine Vincent. This wine was a bit austere, with strong earthy flavors. As the wine opened up in the glass, some of the nice subtle fruit started to come out of hiding. Both wines were around $30 per bottle.
These wines, along with others that we tried later in the evening, captured the essence of what Burgundy wines are all about – developing and expressing the relationship between the climate, soil and the vines. As I mentioned, most of the wine produced comes from the chardonnay and pinot noir grapes. What is fascinating is how nature, working in harmony with time-honored wine producing techniques, can yield wines that have unique characteristics – even those these vineyards are only a few miles apart.
Next week, we’ll rap up the Burgundy dinner experience. Until then, have a safe, joyous Thanksgiving weekend.
Cheers!
David Cox is a wine enthusiast and executive director of St. Joseph’s Family Center in Gilroy. He can be reached at wi**********@***oo.com.
