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Archive for the ‘Chardonnay’ Category

Week 47: What to Eat with the 2008 Foxglove Chardonnay

26 Jul

First of all, my apologies to those of you who have been waiting patiently for, this, the CorkPopper Dinner post for Week 47 of the CorkPopper Project.  J and I spent a much-needed weekend relaxing on the back deck of Pop’s and SM’s boat, the Moana, over on Catalina Island.  We soaked up some sun (too much, in fact), did some reading (just finished Anthony Bourdain’s “Medium Raw” – I love that guy), and ate and drank to our hearts’ content.  In other words, your patience, I think, has paid off, as I have not one but two great recipes to share with you now…

First, as I think I’ve mentioned before, J and I are both huge fans of grilled artichokes, which are an easy and fantastic appetizer.  We paired ours with a 2008 Babcock Grand Cuvee Pinot Noir (which will make an appearance in Week 49 of the CorkPopper Project) because we needed to save the 2008 Foxglove Chardonnay for dinner, but this dish could easily pair with a wide variety of wines, including, of course a nice Chardonnay or even a dry rose…

Grilled Artichoke

Serves 2

Ingredients

  • 1 large artichoke
  • 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • Freshly ground pepper and sea salt
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • Lemon wedges

Preparation

Preheat grill to medium-high.

Rinse the artichoke well.  Slice it in half through the stalk.  Using a paring knife (and spoon, if necessary), cut out the choke (the hairy part in the middle).  Be sure to remove any stray hairs.  Drizzle with olive oil on all sides and season with salt and pepper.  Sprinkle the cut side with the minced garlic.  Seal tightly in aluminum foil.

Place the foil pouch on the grill with the cut side of the artichokes down.  Cook for about 10 minutes and then flip over and cook for another 5-7 minutes or so.  Check the artichoke by removing from the grill, opening the aluminum foil (beware the hot steam!), and pulling off a leaf or two.  If the leaves come off easily, the artichoke is about ready.  Place the artichoke halves back on the grill without the foil, cut side down, and allow to caramelize slightly.

Melt the butter.  Squeeze a bit of lemon juice into the melted butter.  When the edges of the artichokes are nicely caramelized, remove them to two plates and drizzle with some lemon juice.  Serve with the melted butter.  Appetizer: Done.

4 forks and 4 corked forks!

While our appetizer was delicious, dinner was, of course, the focus, as this was supposed to be a CorkPopper Dinner designed to pair the 2008 Foxglove Chardonnay with a perfect recipe.  Well, mission accomplished here, also.

California Chardonnay is, of course, an excellent wine to pair with seafood, but its natural tendency to be bigger than, say, a Sauvignon Blanc, means that you can pair it with bolder flavors as well.  I decided, therefore, to stick with seafood – Chilean Sea Bass, in fact – but make a really fresh and bold preparation that would make this bright Chardonnay shine.

Grilled Chilean Sea Bass with Lemon, Mint and Garlic Gremolata

Serves 2

Ingredients

  • 1 lb. Chilean Sea Bass steak, skin on
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 1/4 cup dry white wine (use the wine you’re going to drink, if possible)
  • 4 tablespoons garlic, finely minced
  • 1 medium shallot, finely minced
  • 2 tablespoons lemon zest
  • 2 tablespoons fresh mint, finely minced
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • Freshly ground pepper
  • Sea salt

Preparation

Mix together the lemon zest, the mint, 2 tablespoons of garlic, the lemon juice, and a couple of tablespoons of olive oil.  Season with salt and pepper and allow to rest while you prepare the fish.

Preheat your grill to medium-high.  Pat the fish dry with a paper towel.  Place the fish on a piece of aluminum foil large enough to fold over the fish and seal along the edges to create an airtight pouch.  Season the fish generously with salt and pepper.  Drizzle with the butter and wine.  Sprinkle with the remaining garlic and the shallots.  Fold the aluminum foil over the fish and seal tightly around the edges.  Place the pouch on the grill and cook about 4-5 minutes on each side.  Remove the pouch from the grill and carefully open the foil.  The fish is done when it is just opaque and the meat flakes away easily with a fork.  Err on the side of undercooking, as you can always put it back on the grill if it’s not done.

Cut the sea bass steak down the middle and place each half on a plate.  Top with some of the gremolata.  The buttery flavor and texture of the fish draw out the Chardonnay’s natural creaminess while the bright boldness of the gremolata highlights the wine’s steely acidity, creating a surprising balance between the wine and the dish.

4.5 forks and 4.5 corked forks here!!

Cheers and bon appetito!!

 
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Posted in 4 Corked Forks, 4 Forks, 4.5 Corked Forks, 4.5 Forks, California, Chardonnay, Foxglove, recipes, white wine

 

2008 Sebastiani Unoaked Chardonnay

22 Jul

This week’s final California Chardonnay – a 2008 Sebastiani Unoaked Chardonnay – hails from the Russian River Valley AVA in Sonoma County.  Nestled along the Russian River between Sebastopol and Santa Rosa in the south and Forestville and Healdsburg in the north, Russian River is a cool climate AVA that gets lots of fog from the Pacific Ocean and, as a result, is awonderful place to grown Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

The Sebastiani winery is one of the oldest in the area, started by an Italian immigrant in the very early part of the 20th century.  According to the Sebastiani website, it was the only winery to continue operations through the Prohibition era, making sacramental and medicinal wines.  So, with such a history, then, how is the wine?

Like the Foxglove Chardonnay, the 2008 Sebastiani Unoaked Chardonnay is, as its label indicates, fermented entirely in stainless steel (in other words, without any use of oak).  Some say that this method of fermentation allows the grape’s “true” characteristics to come through.  Not that the use of oak is necessarily a bad thing, of course.  Many a winemaker makes judicious use of oak, and it can lend excellent structure and balance to wine that might otherwise be uninspired.

Uninspired the Sebastiani Unoaked Chardonnay is not.  Light gold in color with a big green apple and limestone aroma, this wine is remarkably rich and deep for being unoaked.  Indeed, at first sip I had to check to see if I had poured myself the correct wine.  (I did.)  There’s some banana on the palate, which I think will turn J off a bit, but the crisp apple, white peach and minerality is what follows through to the end.

In short, if you like buttery Chardonnay but want to venture into the realm of the unoaked, give this one a try.  I tasted it this evening with a delicious Farfalle, Heirloom Tomato* and Basil pasta (photo below), and the crispness of the wine paired wonderfully with the white balsamic vinaigrette in which I tossed the pasta.  Yum…

You can find the 2008 Sebastiani Russian River Valley Unoaked Chardonnay at wine.com for $18.99/bottle.

3.5 corks popped!

Cheers!

* The heirloom tomatoes in this dish came courtesy of my good friend, LM.  If you don’t have your own personal heirloom tomato supplier, get yourself down to your local farmers’ market and see what they’re selling!

 
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Posted in California, Chardonnay, Sebastiani, white wine

 

2008 Clos Pegase Mitsuko’s Vineyard Chardonnay

22 Jul

This week’s second wine, a 2008 Clos Pegase Mitsuko’s Vineyard Chardonnay, hails from the Napa portion of the Carneros region, which actually straddles the Napa and Sonoma County line.  This is a distinctively cooler area of Napa, making it a perfect climate in which to grow the Burgundian varietals of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.  Clos Pegase, not surprisingly, produces its fair share of both.

Unlike the Foxglove Chardonnay, the Clos Pegase Mitsuko’s Vineyard Chardonnay was fermented in oak, at least a portion of which was new, lending a distinctive smoky, vanilla aroma and flavor that, to be honest, you either love or hate (my stepmom loves; J hates).  Accompanying those smoky sweet notes is a wonderfully intense flavor of sweet yellow peach, which, of course, makes me crave the grilled peaches I made for dessert the other night (recipe below).  Rounding out the deep flavors is just a touch of lemon zest, which perks up what could otherwise be a somewhat over-rich palate.

In short, although this certainly isn’t a wine for the ABC (“Anything But Chardonnay”) crowd, there are certainly those (my stepmom) who will love the long, buttery finish of this very respectable wine.  If you’re a buttery Chardonnay lover, you can find the 2008 Clos Pegase Mitsuko’s Vineyard Chardonnay at wine.com for $19.99/bottle.

3.5 corks popped!

Cheers!

Grilled Peaches

Serves 2

Ingredients

  • 2 slightly underripe yellow peaches, sliced in half and pitted
  • Brown sugar
  • Vanilla ice cream (optional)

Preparation

Pre-heat your grill to medium.  Sprinkle the cut side of your peaches with some brown sugar.  Place the peaches on the grill face down first.  Flip over after about 10 minutes and continue to cook, grill cover on, for another 10 minutes.  Flip over again and sprinkle with additional brown sugar and allow to melt.  Remove the peaches to bowls when they are just tender (but not mushy), topping with vanilla ice cream if desired.

 
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Posted in 3.5 corks popped, California, Chardonnay, Clos Pegase, recipes, white wine

 

2008 Foxglove Chardonnay

21 Jul

This week’s first wine, the 2008 Foxglove Chardonnay is made from grapes sourced from vineyards spanning California’s Central Coast (hence the “Central Coast” designation).  Pale gold in color with nice notes of orange zest, papaya and passion fruit, this wine shows lots of minerality and citrus on the palate.  It was entirely fermented in steel (rather than oak), so it has none of that buttery-creamy-toasty-vanilla flavor that most people think of when they think of California Chardonnay.  Indeed, you might say that this is about as pure an expression of the Chardonnay grape as you’re likely to get.  As such, I could see this wine easily pairing with all kinds of seafood, chicken, light pasta dishes, or pretty much any salad you could come up with.  I tasted it with an open-faced tuna melt with heirloom tomatoes and sharp cheddar cheese.  Remarkably good for a dish not exactly designed to pair with wine….

And at just $10.99/bottle from K&L Wine Merchants, it’s no wonder this wine earned 91 points from Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate and made it onto Parker’s “Fifty Super Domestic Wine Values List.

4 corks popped!

Cheers!

 
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Posted in 4 Corks Popped, California, Chardonnay, Foxglove, white wine

 

Week 47: California Chardonnay

20 Jul

Where last week’s three Oregon Pinot Gris came from the same area (Oregon’s Willamette Valley), this week’s wines span three very different California wine growing regions and, therefore, are likely to be much more varied than last week’s wines were.  Apples and oranges, perhaps, but an interesting experiment nonetheless.  Let’s see the contenders….

First, we have a 2008 Foxglove Chardonnay from California's Central Coast. It earned 91 points from Robert Parker's Wine Advocate and is available for an amazing $10.99/bottle at K&L Wine Merchants.

Second, I'll be tasting a 2008 Clos Pegase Mitsukos Vineyard Chardonnay from the Carneros region, which spans the Sonoma and Napa County lines. This wine garnered 92 points from Wine Enthusiast and can be purchased from wine.com for $19.99/bottle.

Finally, we have a 2008 Sebastiani Unoaked Chardonnay from the Russian River Valley, which earned 90 points from Wine News and is available for $18.99/bottle at wine.com.

Cheers!

 
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Posted in California, Chardonnay, Clos Pegase, Foxglove, Sebastiani, white wine

 

2008 Yalumba Eden Valley Wild Ferment Chardonnay

07 May

This week’s final Australian Chardonnay hails from the country’s Barossa Valley region along Australia’s central south coast.  It is one of Australia’s largest and most famous wine regions, and, in fact, if you’ve had Australian wine before, it was more likely than not a Barossa Valley wine.

Yalumba’s Eden Valley “Wild Ferment” Chardonnay is made using exclusively natural yeasts from the vineyard that are already present on the grape skins.  What the hell does that mean, you ask?  Well, many (if not most) wineries rid their grapes of any natural yeasts before pressing them in order to regulate the yeast levels and types so that they have more control over the fermentation process and the outcome.  By using only natural yeasts, then, the Yalumba winemakers are subjecting themselves to greater uncertainties in the winemaking process that may ultimately have a huge impact on how their wine tastes from vintage to vintage.  In other words, it’s a bit of a “fly by the seat of the pants” approach to winemaking which, in some ways, seems perfectly Australian to me.  Why do it?  Well, there are winemakers, like apparently those at Yalumba, who believe that winemakers should interfere with the natural fermentation process as little as possible to allow the wine to be an expression of the varietal’s natural character.  The contrary philosophy, of course, is that winemakers “craft” wines and manipulate the process as necessary to create the “style” of wine they’re looking for.

The Yalumba Eden Valley Wild Ferment Chardonnay is, as one might expect, a very typical expression of the chardonnay varietal.  Bright straw in color, this wine has an interesting aroma of lemon and lime zest along with almond paste and a bit of vanilla.  There is definitely some oakiness on the palate, although it is certainly not overwhelming.  In fact, it gives a not entirely unpleasant creaminess to the mouthfeel, which balances out nicely with the lemony acidity and the flavor of slightly underripe stone fruit.

In short, although neither J nor I were particularly offended by anything about this wine, we also weren’t particularly excited about it either.  And if you’re looking for a truly natural expression of Chardonnay, the Plantagenet Omrah Unoaked Chardonnay might just be the better way to go.

That said, at just $15.49/bottle from wine.com, you won’t break the bank giving this one a try….

3.5 corks popped!

Cheers!

 
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Posted in 3.5 corks popped, Australia, Chardonnay, Western Australia, Yalumba Eden Valley Wild Ferment, white wine

 

2008 Plantagenet Omrah Unoaked Chardonnay

05 May

Where the general reputation of Australian Chardonnay is that it is over-oaked and excessively alcoholic, this week’s second wine does its best to be the opposite.  Hailing from the Great Southern subregion of Western Australia, this wine was entirely fermented in steel (hence the “unoaked” designation).  As such, its flavors are pure Chardonnay.  Clear and day bright and medium straw in color, the 2008 Plantagenet Omrah Unoaked Chardonnay has lovely aromas of Meyer lemon, juicy red apple, and ripe canteloupe, along with a bit of chalkiness.  On the palate, the citrus is dominant, although there is a bit of slightly underripe stone fruit as well as a minerality to the finish that evens it all out quite nicely.

If you consider yourself part of the “ABC” (Anything But Chardonnay) crowd, then this might just be the Chardonnay for you, which is kind of funny, since it is a Chardonnay (and a pretty pure one at that).  Pleasant on its own, this would also be an excellent wine with steamed clams or roasted chicken….. hmmm….. I may have just had a flash of genius related to this weekend’s CorkPopper dinner.  I guess we’ll have to see how Australian Chardonnay #3 turns out!

You can find the 2008 Plantagenet Omrah Unoaked Chardonnay at Old Bridge Cellars for $15/bottle.

4 corks popped!

Cheers!

 
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Posted in 4 Corks Popped, Australia, Chardonnay, Plantagenet Omrah, white wine

 

2007 Innocent Bystander Chardonnay

03 May

This week’s first Australian Chardonnay hails from the Yarra Valley in the Victoria region in the country’s southeast. For those familiar with the country, this is where you’ll find the city of Melbourne, which has become one of Australia’s premier food cities. The Yarra Valley has a relatively cool climate, making it an ideal place to grow Chardonnay and Pinot Noir (two grapes which happen to comprise the traditional sparkling wine blend in Champagne, which may account for the relatively large amount of sparkling wine produced in the Yarra Valley).

The 2007 Innocent Bystander Chardonnay is, perhaps, an excellent example of Australian wine trying to bridge the gap between its over-oaken adolescence and its more mature and sophisticated adulthood. Day bright and pale straw in color, this wine has a huge nose of lemon, lime, cantaloupe and vanilla, along with a fairly strong whiff of alcohol (in other words, it stings the inside of your nose a bit when you take a hefty sniff). On the palate, it is creamy, which confirms the suspicion, created by the vanilla on the nose, that this wine spent time aging in oak – new oak, at that, given the intensity of the aroma and mouthfeel. That said, I am not turned off by the oakiness of this wine.  Nor, in fact, was J, and he is typically much more sensitive to oakiness in wine than I am.  Indeed, we both agreed that there is sufficient lemon and Gala apple notes to help balance out the creamy butter and a long lemon custard finish that is really quite pleasant.

Would I seek this wine out in a wine shop or on a wine list? Probably not. But I also wouldn’t turn down a glass if it were offered to me. Moreover, all that oak also makes this a white wine of some substance, which means that it could stand up to richer foods than your average Sauv Blanc or Pinot Grigio – a creamy risotto, perhaps, or fish with a buerre blanc (white wine and butter sauce).

If you’d like to give the Innocent Bystander a taste for yourself, you can find it at Old Bridge Cellars for just $14/bottle.

3.5 corks popped!

Cheers!

 
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Posted in 3.5 corks popped, Australia, Chardonnay, Innocent Bystander, white wine

 

Week 36: Australian Chardonnay

03 May

Let me start this post by making the argument that Australian Chardonnay has gotten a bad rap.  Years ago now it was tagged by critics and consumers alike as being too oaky and overworked and shunned as a result.  Of course, what those very people often fail to admit is that they were the cause of Australia’s Chardonnay sin.  You see, Australia is a relative newcomer to the wine world and, without the baggage of centuries worth of winemaking tradition, has been able to sort of craft its winemaking image as it wishes.  Enter Chardonnay.  Because Australia wasn’t forced to follow any particular historical or traditional method or style in its winemaking, it decided to focus instead on making wine for the market.  California Chardonnay, with much oakier characteristics than its French cousins, was hitting it big time with both critics and consumers.  I mean, people were buying and drinking the stuff by the gallon.  Australian winemakers, seeing this consumer trend, made their Chardonnay in a similar (some would say even more boisterous) style, with lots and lots of oak, big ripe fruit, and super high alcohol levels.  This was, after all, what the burgeoning American wine market was clamoring for, so why not?

Australia’s market-driven strategy worked well for a while.  Australia quickly became a serious player in the wine world, and Americans in particular were suddenly buying Australian wine like it was their job.  As Americans continued to consume more and more wine (as opposed to liquor or beer), however, their palates became more sophisticated, and their tastes began to change, making the Australian Chardonnay story one of the greatest case studies in why making wine to suit consumer taste (rather than tailoring winemaking to the soil, climate, fruit, and terroir available) is not a long-term strategy.  Consumers began to shy away from the super-oaky wines that (together with its Shiraz, which I’ll get to later in the month) had made Australia so famous and demand a subtler style of wine (e.g., the “French style”).  Suddenly, Australian Chardonnay was like the ugly stepchild no one wanted to play with.

While I would never argue that Australia should adopt a particularly “French style” of winemaking (as it is Australia, after all, not France, and should never try to be otherwise), I do think that Australian Chardonnay deserves another chance.  My guess is that they learned some big lessons in the past couple of decades and quite possibly have some beautiful wines to show for it.  Let’s see, shall we?  Here are the wines I’ll be tasting this week (and believe me, I’ll be brutally honest, as Chardonnay is not my white wine of choice):

First, we have a 2007 Innocent Bystander Chardonnay, which received 90 points from James Halliday, 89 points from Stephen Tanzer, and 88 points from Wine Enthusiast. It's available at Old Bridge Cellars for $14/bottle.

Next, we've got a 2008 Plantagenet Omrah Chardonnay, which can be ordered from Old Bridge Cellars for $15/bottle. Although the 2008 vintage has not yet been reviewed, the 2007 vintage garnered 90 points from James Halliday, 88 points from Stephen Tanzer, 88 points from Wine Spectator, 88 points from Wine & Spirits and 88 points from Robert Parker.

Finally, we've got a 2008 Yalumba Eden Valley Wild Ferment Chardonnay, which received 93 points from James Halliday and 90 points from Wine & Spirits. It's available at wine.com for $15.49/bottle.

Cheers!

 
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Posted in Australia, Chardonnay, Innocent Bystander, Plantagenet Omrah, Yalumba Eden Valley Wild Ferment, white wine

 

Happy Birthday to J!

07 Apr

Yesterday was J’s birthday, and although he was stuck traveling for business all day, I managed to make him a special (albeit late-night) dinner for his special day…. Slow-Roasted Halibut with Shaved Asparagus and Fennel Salad served with a 2005 Leeuwin Estates Art Series Chardonnay…. allow the salivating to begin!

Slow-Roasted Halibut with Shaved Asparagus and Fennel Salad*

Serves 4

Ingredients

For salad:

  • 4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 3/4 pound asparagus spears (about 1 bunch), trimmed
  • 1 small fennel bulb

For fish:

  • Non-stick vegetable oil spray
  • 2 1/2 cups fresh breadcrumbs
  • 3 tablespoons finely grated Parmiggiano Reggiano cheese
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped Italian parsley
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme
  • 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
  • 3 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 1 pound halibut filet

Preparation

For salad:
Whisk lemon juice and mustard in small bowl. Gradually whisk in oil. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Bring to room temperature and rewhisk before using.

Slice fennel bulb in half through the root.  Using a mandolin slicer (aka my favorite kitchen tool EVER), thinly slice the fennel and place in medium bowl.  Place 1 asparagus spear flat on work surface. Using vegetable peeler, shave asparagus into long thin strips. Place asparagus strips in medium bowl with shaved fennel. DO AHEAD: Can be made 4 hours ahead. Cover and chill.

For fish:
Mix breadcrumbs, cheese, herbs, and lemon peel in another medium bowl. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Drizzle melted butter over. Using fork, toss to incorporate evenly.

Coat rimmed baking sheet with nonstick spray.  Place halibut fillet on prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover the fillet with breadcrumbs , pressing to adhere. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 hour ahead. Cover and chill.

Preheat oven to 300°F. Bake halibut until opaque in center, about 25 minutes. Turn on broiler. Broil halibut just until breadcrumbs start to brown, about 1 minute.

Slice fillet into 4 pieces and plate. Pour dressing over asparagus and fennel mixture; toss to coat. Season salad to taste with salt and pepper. Divide salad among plates and serve. 

I paired this meal with a 2005 Leeuwin Estate Art Series Chardonnay.  Leeuwin Estate is one of the best wineries in Margaret River in Western Australia, and their Art Series Chardonnay is a revelation – truly a celebratory wine. 

Cheers and happy birthday, J!!

*This recipe is slightly tweaked from one found on Epicurious.com.

 
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Posted in Chardonnay, J, Leeuwin Estate, recipes

 
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