WineLife365

Posts Tagged ‘Chardonnay’

It all started around 9 o’clock, while kicking back on the couch, listening to Cuban music and enjoying a gin and tonic with my resident hottie.  My wife and I were home all alone, enjoying our stay-cation this past 4^th of July weekend, while our sons were away having fun at the beach with their grandparents.  So there we were, kid-free, having a lovely evening when all of the sudden, like a deranged Arthur Spooner, I shouted:  I WANT SOFT-SHELL CRABS!

For the record, I haven’t a clue why I yelled out like a mental patient, frothing from the mouth, wanting soft shell crabs.  To be honest with you, I can’t even remember the last time I even had them.  Whatever it was, the thought of succulent soft shell crabs was securely cemented in my screwy head.

I sprang from the couch and called every seafood joint that I could find within a 15 mile radius. Unfortunately, neither fisherman, market, nor restaurant could be found at this hour (and this far inland) to come to my emotional food rescue.

Out of this burning, yearning feeling, deep down inside of me came Plan B:  this poached egg concoction made on-the-fly, two different ways.

Here’s the stuff you’ll need:

• Soft shell tortillas
• Red onion
• Capers
• Fully cooked bacon (Oscar Mayer, Hormel etc…)
• Manchego Cheese
• Small package of smoked salmon
• Eggs
• Olive oil
• Garlic salt
• Fresh cracked black pepper

To assemble:  Our soft tortilla shells were larger than we wanted, so my wife pulled out a small funnel from the cabinet and cut out cute little circles – just large enough to rest a poached egg on top.

  The next steps, you’ll really have to time accordingly:

• Boil a pot of water for your eggs.  Don’t put your eggs in just yet!!
• While your water is starting to boil, dice up some red onions, slice some small pieces of Manchego cheese and smoked salmon.  Tear up some small pieces of the fully cooked bacon and have the capers out and ready.
• Turning your attention back to your naked shells, drizzle or pat olive oil on the top only.  Sprinkle tops with garlic salt and black pepper.  Add a small slice of the Manchego cheese, a little bit of chopped red onions, capers and some bacon.  Place in toaster oven until melted.
• While this is in the toaster oven, it’s time to poach the eggs.  Don’t worry if you’ve never poached an egg before, here’s an easy way.

To finish:  Either place the poached egg right on top, or lay down a slice of smoked salmon and then top with the poached egg.  Both ways are delicious!

As for the wine pairing, you can go in several interesting directions with this creation – depending on what you’re feeling.  How about a bubbly from Bordeaux?  Say what??  Yup, Crémant de Bordeaux.  The Chateau de Lisennes Brut, Crémant de Bordeaux (Sample, MSRP $17) is a blend of 80 percent Semillon, 10 percent Muscadelle and 10 percent Sauvignon.  It’s brewing in tiny bubbles and charms with its crisp lemon and orange-zesty flavors.

For a white pick, you can’t go wrong with the 2009 Foppiano Vineyards Estate Bottled Chardonnay (Sample, MSRP $22).  Winemaker, Natalie West, demonstrates that you can achieve a creamy, full-bodied Cali Chard that doesn’t beat your chops with a 2×4 (BTW – she also makes a killer Petite Sirah, too!). 

Finally, if you’re in the red zone, consider this bangin’ red from Chile – 2009 Apaltagua Envero Gran Reserva Carménère (Sample, MSRP $15).  Made from vines that are over 50 years old, this estate grown Carménère (93%), with a splash of Cabernet Sauvignon (7%), is like a deep pool of dark fruit, with oak and spice flavors floating throughout – the flavors seems as if they will linger all summer long.

And to think, this all started with a hankering for a little soft-shell crab…

Enjoy!

Chardonnay.  No other wine has experienced the sweet smell of success and the bitter taste of disdain from wine consumers over the years.  Things got really hot and heavy for this varietal in the 80s, and the love affair continued well into the 90s.  Everywhere you turned, you could hear the echoing sound of, “I’ll have a glass of Chardonnay, please.”  Consumers and restaurateurs cheered this super wine from coast to coast.  Then suddenly the party came to a screeching halt as a revolt ensued against this once noble grape from a group known as the ABC Crowd (Anything But Chardonnay).  This alliance was fed up with the Dr. Frankensteins who were churning out over-oaked, butter monsters that destroyed the most important component:  the fruit.

“Did I request thee, Maker from my clay
to mould me man?
Did I solicit thee,
from darkness to promote me?” John Milton’s Paradise Lost

 Fast forward to current times.

Over the past few years, more and more Chardonnays have been getting “Naked” or “Unoaked,” as they say on the label.  Increasingly, more producers are leaving the timber in the forest and embracing a more au naturale approach to allow the fruit to shine through.  This technique is creating more balanced and interesting expressions than ever before, and has begun drawing wine lovers back to this storied grape.  

Apaltagua Winery, located in the Apalta region in Chile’s Colchagua Valley is known for making outstanding Carménère, but after a recent experience with the winery’s 2010 “Unoaked” Chardonnay, I’d say that winemaker, Alvaro Espinoza, also knows a thing or two about producing delicious Chardonnay as well.

Imported by Global Vineyard Importers, the 2010 Apaltagua Reserva Unoaked Chardonnay (MSRP: $12, Sample) is packed with crisp, juicy and refreshing grapefruit, lemon, lime and other tropical fruit flavors.  The fruit flavors were bursting with so much crisp acidity that it reminded me more of a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc than a Chardonnay.  This Chard is pretty darn tasty and perfect for light dishes, salads and sunny days.  And yes, you gotta love that all of this lovely goodness was not soaked in a vat of oak chips and mixed with a tub of butter before bottling. 

3 Stars out of 4 for 2010 Apaltagua Reserva Unoaked Chardonnay.  Lots of creativity without the mad science.

I said it once and I’ll say it again:  Concannon Vineyard, in the heart of California’s Livermore Valley, is turning out some very solid (and affordable) Chardonnay! 

Known by many for their Petite Sirah, this winery’s expanding line-up has hit the sweet spot with its 2009 Glen Ellen Proprietor’s Reserve Chardonnay, especially when looking at it from a quality/price standpoint.  For $9.99/1.5L (Sample), Chardonnay lovers are greeted to a harmonious combination of apple, pear and butterscotch flavors – with just the right amount of oak that doesn’t leave you with the lingering aftertaste of tree bark in your mouth. 

3 Stars out of 4 for the 2009 Glen Ellen Proprietor’s Reserve Chardonnay.  There’s more to like at Concannon Vineyards these days than just the Petite Sirah…

A few weeks ago, I was asked by Spark Magazine to provide some advice for wine consumers based on my experiences in 2010.  My response was:

“If I could offer consumers one piece of advice that I learned in 2010, it would have to be: don’t judge a wine by its package.  I’ve had several terrific box wine experiences in 2010 – I hope to see this category continue to grow and that consumers give them a try.”

Now I’m sure that some of you that are reading this may have just spit out your wine in laughter or think that I was completely hammered when I made this statement.  However, I assure you that I was not inebriated…so get a napkin and wipe your chin!

In 2010, more than just a few boxed wines were damn fine, and actually earned the right to put the words “Premium Wine” on its cardboard outer shell.  Don’t get me wrong – there’s still plenty of undrinkable plonk on the shelf that deserves to be put in a time machine and dropped back into the 70’s with plaid bellbottoms and polyester suits, with no hope for return.  However, the wine industry is moving in the right direction by offering several boxed wines that taste good and are affordable to the masses.  That is something definitely worth cheering about!  So here are my picks for the best boxed wines of 2010:

Best All-Around Boxed White Wine

Winner:  La Petite Frog, Picpoul de Pinet, 3L box. It’s a box full of 100% Picpoul, otherwise known as Folle Blanche.  It has terrific acidity, supported by grapefruit and a zest of lime.  This wine is superb alone or with chicken, fish, Mediterranean foods, salads and even Tex-Mex; and the best part – it costs less than $30 for the equivalent of 4 standard bottles of wine.

Honorable Mentions:   The Octavin Home Wine Bar line-up.  Octavin has completely elevated the box wine category to a whole new level with Silver Birch Sauvignon Blanc (New Zealand), Big House White (California), and Monthaven Chardonnay (California).  These wines are all crowd-pleasers and CHEAP, CHEAP, CHEAP!

Best All-Around Boxed Red Wine

Winner:  Big House Red (3L Box).  This past week, I had several folks taste a bar-length table full of boxes filled with red wine, and the Big House Red garnered the most compliments and universal approvals among these tasters. 

Some comments from them were: 

“A lot going on the front, middle and finish.”
“This is a nicely put together New-World style wine.”
“It’s very pretty.”
“Complex, yet very easy drinkin’.”
“Tastes like you’re trying something new.  It expands your palate without being intimidating.”

I sum up the Big House Red, as being a killer value-red for under 20 bucks that pairs well with just about anything.  It’s a very food-friendly red wine.

Honorable Mentions:  My little tasting group also had lots of nice things to say about the French, terroir-driven La Vieille Ferme (3L Box) Rhone blend.  Tasters remarked of its “Good Character,” that “Everything is in balance”, and it had “Nice layers of flavors.”

Finally, California’s popular Black Box Cabernet Sauvignon (3L Box) made a lasting impression on our tasters as well with its “Brawny,” “Big,” and “Meaty” black-cherry and vanilla-spice flavors.

All in all, I’d love for more wineries give the box a shot and see more wine drinkers try these box wines with a fresh and open mind. Still can’t get past the box – especially when entertaining?  Try pouring the wine into one of your fancy decanters and hide the box in a cabinet!

Very special thanks to my friends at Branmar Wine and Spirits for agreeing to an impromptu tasting and for helping me to power through the boxes of red!