A Quick Drink: Rose

"I f%&#ing love rose!"

One of us over here at Blackened Out Delinquent Bloggers, et al. is very fond of saying the above quote. But to allow both of us to tell our mothers the other one is the foulmouthed brat, we will keep his identity a mystery. What is rose? Well besides the single best overall food wine? Rose is a fantastic summertime wine. Rose is also perfect in the wintertime when infected with secondary fermentation and turned into Rose Champagne. Rose is the perfect funeral wine. One thing is for certain, The Biebs isn't putting on a leather shirt, sipping rose, and sitting courtside at a petanque match anytime soon.

Rose is a good wine to drink while swimming laps or lounging on the beach. Rose's color makes it a perfect match for front porch sitting or intensive games of Trivial Pursuit. We recently returned from a beach vacation where we succeeded in setting a new land speed record for rose consumption. Rose is best consumed in pairs of two; our record is about a half a case over a long afternoon. Good luck trying to top it. But if you attempt it, invite us over.

Basically rose denotes a wine in which the grape juice is allowed a very brief period of contact with the skins. The skins give the wine color and a distinctive dryness. Rose is a staple in the South of France, typically Provence, where the immense heat of summer and temperamental mistral of winter tends to make producing affordable wines of either white or red character difficult. So Provence's offering to inventions's mother is rose. If you've been to Provence, you likely believe in heaven. This is God's juice.

The wine pictured above however, those of you with a rudimentary understanding of Basque language will understand, is not Provencal rose. Instead, I've shown you what is one of the least talked about fantastic wines in the world. A txakolina rose from Ameztoi produced just outside of San Sebastien, which has a slight effervescence. In fact, I think it is the best wine in the world under $20 a bottle.

But you want to know my favorite part of rose wine? No one ever pays attention to or bothers to develop lengthy, boring, erudite tasting nights about rose. Rose is a fun, uncomplicated wine.  Seek it out and drink it up. You will thank me later this summer.

A Quick Drink: Riesling

You and I aren't drinking enough Riesling (pronounced Reese's Peanut Butter Cups). The International Association of Riesling Exporters and Importers' (IAREI) states that the average American drinks only 1 tablespoon of Riesling every two years. Art Vandelay, head of the IAREI, recently expressed his firm desire to "get that number up to 1/4 cup at least every eighteen months."

Well, you might be saying, why should I drink more Riesling? Chances are you are going to go out for spicy food, seafood, barbecue, or Asian food soon. Likely the waiter will come by first to take your drink order and you will request something disgusting like sweet tea or Pepsi. The reason you want these drinks is because of their inherent sweetness. Sweetness brings stability and helps balance out aggressive, bold flavors. Put down the sweet tea and ask for a Riesling instead.

What is Riesling? Riesling is a type of grape, grown mainly in Germany, but also Germany-light (Alsace), the Finger Lakes Region of New York, and other cool areas, such as Washington State and Sean Payton's bachelor pad. Besides having a touch of sweetness or honey on the palate, Rieslings can also have some acidity which makes them the George Gershwin of wines. You can pair them up with fancy food like smoked salmon and caviar or dress them down and pair with boiled crawfish. Try it with poached salmon with a grapefruit and ginger beurre blanc.

In short, drink more Riesling.

Grapefruit and Ginger Beurre Blanc

I use less butter than is traditionally called for per Ms. Child's classic recipe, as I do not think you really need 2 sticks of butter to achieve a rich and luxurious sauce. But look, Mrs. Child is probably right.

1 Shallot, minced
1 joint of ginger about the size of your thumb, peeled and roughly chopped
3 tablespoons of grapefuit juice
3 tablespoons of white wine
8 tablespoons of butter
Salt and Pepper, to taste

In a saucepan, combine the shallots, ginger, a pinch of salt, a few cracks of pepper, wine, grapefruit juice and 3 tablespoons of butter and bring to a rapid boil. Allow this mixture to reduce to a syrupy consistency. Take the remaining 5 tablespoons of butter and cut into small pieces roughly the size of your thumbnail. Or if you are a giant, the size of your pinky nail.

Strain the reduced sauce into a clean, unheated sauce pan. Immediately, add 2 pieces of the reserved 5 tablespoons of butter. Whisk furiously. Then, place pan on low heat and whisk in the remaining butter and remove from heat. Taste, adjust for seasoning, and spoon over poached or grilled fish for best results.

A Quick Drink: White Burgundy

There are three main areas of Burgundy which produce white wine. From north to south they are: Chablis, Cote de Beaune, and Maconnais. Each of those areas can be further divided by village or vineyard. That is a chore you can study on your own time. There are also wines simply labeled Bourgogne, which for one reason or another can't be classified by region, village, or vineyard. The French hold grudges and luckily for you this means there is the opportunity to grab some great wines at a low price.

Burgundy is the land of the negociant. A negociant buys grapes from growers and turns it into wine. So a good way to find which wines you like from Burgundy is to start by figuring out which negociants you like. Their names are on the label making it easy for you to remember.

Chablis: The wines of Chablis are generally high in acid and perfect with raw or lightly cooked seafood. Think of Chablis as still Champagne; it isn't a perfect analogy but it will get you there. The wines of Chablis go particularly well with most of the crabmeat, crawfish, shrimp dishes in the New Orleans culinary canon. In a crowded room, if you note that it is steely, lemon kissed, or that it is like drinking seashells, people will probably think you are goober who knows a lot about wine.

Cote de Beaune: According to some, birth order is everything. Usually the middle child suffers from a lack of attention and does crazy things like drop out of college and follow String Cheese Incident. But here, in Burgundy, the middle child is thriving. In fact the wines from the Cote de Beaune give the region its gravitas. Read here: there are some shockingly expensive wines that hedge fund managers covet. Of course, there are plenty of fantastic options for those of us balling on a budget. Look for the name Mersault or Puligny-Montrachet on the label. Suggesting that this wine would be perfect with lobster with tarragon cream sauce or veal tenderloin with mushrooms should make people wonder if you are in the 1%.

Maconnais: The further south you go in many countries, the warmer and friendlier the people become. The food is generally better, also. The wines of Maconais are good wines to sip at the end of the day while you cook dinner. If you are getting married or throwing a party, pick a wine from Maconnais as your white. People will thank you. These wines are unfussy, simple pleasures which get along with a wide range of foods. There is no better co-pilot for roast chicken than a Macon-Villages. Best of all, these wines are generally affordable enough to make opening a second bottle a no-brainer.

Syrah and Lamb

Dark red fruits, hard herbs, smoke, pepper, and bacon. No, this does not describe the newest fragrance from the people who brought you Sex Panther, but rather the aromas and flavors of Syrah. I love Syrah. If I had my druthers and the bank account of a star NFL quarterback, I would pretty much only drink wines from the Rhone Valley (with maybe just a bit of Burgundy and Champagne thrown in for good measure). Alas, every man bears a cross and mine is law school loans which keep my druthers in the drawer.

The good news is the wine market is quite overloaded with Syrah. Syrah is planted all over the Rhone Valley and other parts of France (the bottle in photo above is from an area in southwest France). In the Northern Rhone, Hermitage and Cote-Rotie generally let Syrah stand on its own, although occasionally it is mixed with Viognier, a white wine grape which tends to add a softer, floral edge to the wine. The further south you travel down the Rhone, Syrah gets blended with a variety of grapes giving it more herbal flavors, reaching its pinnacle in the world class wines from Chateauneuf-du-Pape. In Australia, they call it Shiraz because a colony of prisoners always does thing strangely. In California, they call Syrah ""Pinot Noir" and sell it as such. 

More importantly, Syrah is a perfect match for grilled, juicy meats. Roasted lamb in particular is a fantastic excuse to open a bottle of Syrah. I will concede that roasting a leg of lamb is an ambitious project for a weeknight dinner. But you know how to make burgers right? If you answered yes, this recipe should be right in your wheelhouse. The juicy lamb sits on a bed of peppery kale and is topped with an herb fueled yogurt sauce. It just may make you crave a leg of lamb and more bottles of Syrah.

Lambsbury Steak with wilted kale and yogurt sauce

For the burgers
1 pound ground lamb
Salt and Pepper

Carefully form lamb into patties. Season with salt and pepper on both sides. Cook on a grill or in a cast iron skillet. Either way use medium-high heat. 3-4 minutes per side.

For the Kale
4 cups kale
1 shallot, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
Sherry vinegar
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper

Heat a saute pan and add olive oil. When oil shimmers, add garlic and shallot and cook for one minute. Add kale and toss to combine. Add salt, pepper, and a few dashes of sherry vinegar. Once kale has wilted (about 2 minutes) turn off heat. Taste adjust seasoning if necessary.

For the yogurt sauce
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/4 cup of watercress, chopped
4 radishes, minced
1/4 cup of mint, chopped
1 tablespoon of sherry vinegar

Combine all of the above in a bowl, stir to combine.

To assemble

Kale on the bottom of the plate. Add lamb burger. Top with yogurt sauce. A few diced tomatoes aren't a bad idea.

Grape Expectations

A few days ago I went to Rare Cuts to load up on research material for a future project.  I spared no expense: dry aged strip, wet aged spinalis, twice baked potatoes, creamed spinach, and a medallion of foie gras for good measure. While driving home I called The Folk Singer and told her that in light of the beautiful weather, we would be cooking and dining outdoors on that particular night. Plus, top quality beef begs for top quality wine, and so I proclaimed that we would be opening a bottle of wine from the "lower levels" - code word for the area of my wine cooler reserved for bottles only to be opened on a special occasion.  It was a Thursday, and what better reason need there be to enjoy a fine meal and nice bottle of wine.

Searching through my cooler, I decided on a bottle of 2007 Caymus, one of the most popular cabernets from the Napa Valley. TFS and I have lusted over Caymus ever since a dinner with The Pope at Charlie's Steakhouse when we shared a bottle of 2001 Caymus Special Select, probably one of the best wines that I have ever tasted. We had a few occasions to sample other vintages, but not in at least a year or two. Still, the '07 was definitely a bottle that we had looked forward to drinking.

The evening started out splendidly. We loaded up the cart in our apartment with all of the essentials and rolled it down to the outdoor grill. The wine had been opened and breathing for over an hour, plus we had our handy dandy Venturi aerator at our disposal.  The beef slowly rose to room temperature before hitting a grill as hot as Dante's Inferno.  After a few minutes, the potatoes and creamed spinach were ready to go, the steaks were well rested, and the seared foie had rendered enough fat that I was using it as butter on a crusty loaf of sourdough.

But the wine sucked. At the risk of raising my ACI and of proving myself an oenophilic fraud, this wine tasted like grape juice mixed with rubbing alcohol; a definitive California cabernet fruit bomb. But perhaps my palate is not sophisiticated enough to recognize the genius of these wines; I was not impressed with Opus One the first time that I tasted it either. Still, my expectations were high, and this wine fell far below.

The theme of this story does not revolve around the wine but the disappointment. I fancy myself an amateur wine collector and have a small collection of wine that I have mentally reserved for long term cellaring. Each time I reach into the cooler to pick out a wine to bring to a dinner party, an internal debate always ensues as to whether a particular bottle is ready for opening and if this occasion is worthy of said bottle. Usually, I err on the side of holding, telling myself, "This '05 Barolo is going to be ridiculous. There is no way that I am drinking it with The Pope's grilled chicken wings."

But the fact of the matter is that I have never tried said '05 Barolo or many of the other wines in my cooler, and there is no guarantee that any of those wines will not be a certifiable flop like that bottle of Caymus. Wine, just as life, is full of surprises. When I finally open that bottle of 2001 Valduero Gran Reserva which I have been saving, there is a chance that I may experience the same disappointment (but on a much lower level) as the young doctors and lawyers and such who study for years only to realize that their professional lifelong dream is actually a nightmare.

Thankfully, such an experience helps one gain perspective. It would be difficult to appreciate the truly great wines enjoyed over one's lifetime were it not for a number of disappointing bottles along the way. TFS and I never finished that bottle of Caymus; it's still sitting in our fridge. But the lesson did prompt us to reminisce about that cool fall evening a few months back when we boarded the streetcar and rode up and down St. Charles for a few hours while soaking in the sights and sounds and sipping 2008 Justin Savant out of plastic Mardi Gras cups. An unexpected but welcome trip down memory lane.

On to the next bottle.

Cooking With Wine

The wines made by Abe Schoener are unique, to put it mildly. His Scholium Project crafts wines which often bear no relation to any wine you have ever had. Take for instance, his wine called the Prince in His Caves, which is a sauvignon blanc aged in old red wine barrels. The wine is bottled unfiltered and with a mild orange hue,  it looks more like a wheat beer and tastes like biting into a grapefruit. It is perhaps the strangest, and most memorable wine, I've ever tasted. So when Mad Max's box o' wine revealed the 2009 Naucratis, let's just say a straightforward dish would not due. This wine is made from 100% Verdelho, a varietal more common in Portugal and used almost exclusively for Madeira. The wine is lush, almost oily in the mouth with crisp acidity.

So with those flavors in mind, we wanted to do something that would be able to stand up to the heft of the wine while benefiting from its palate cleansing acidity. What resulted was a leftover meal fit for a king. I must confess though most of the heavy lifting was borne by Lindsay. Should be no surprise then, that this was our favorite wine and food pairing so far.

Mexican Chicken Pot Pie

The night before, Lindsay made chicken enchiladas based on a recipe pulled from one of her television boyfriends, Tyler Florence. The recipe left us with a large pot of black beans and chicken in a tomatillo veloute. So we took a logical step and combined a cup of the beans with the remaining chicken veloute. We tucked it into ramekins and topped it with sheets of puff pastry. Then bake it at 350 degrees until the top is brown and crusty.

Chicken Pot Pie is often boring and bland. This one was anything but. Robust, spicy, with deep flavors and varying textures. Plus, anytime you can add puff pastry to leftovers, you create a dish much greater than the sum of its parts. Which sort of reminds me of Schoener's wines. You can find the 2009 Naucratis at August, Rue 127, Loa, Delachaise, Rambla, Wino, Dick and Jenny's, and Cafe Amelie. It retails for just under $20.

Winesday

Rene: Loads of vibrant fruit, raspberries, blackberries and the like, on the palate. All I really get is fruit; this has to be a California Cab. The wine is very soft in general. I have a bad habit of wanting to drink lush, opulent, likely expensive wines with simple food. It is not any disrespect to either the wine or the food, just an affirmation that the pairing of food and wine doesn't always need to be fancy. Normally a wine like this would have a suggested pairing of thick steak, mushroom sauce or hollandaise, and a fat stack of potato gratin. But you can get a similar pairing without breaking the bank twice. Earlier in the day, I tasted the roast beef po-boy from Grand Isle. With its succulent braised meat, gravy, streak of mayo (not much different from a hollandaise, in theory at least), crusty bread, and few fresh vegetables (cherry tomatoes, sliced jalapenos, etc...), I can't think of a better match for this wine.

Peter: Juicy. I taste the grape first and foremost. Not much acid; I would guess this a merlot. Some wines drink best with food, but this wine would do well on its own. But maybe just a little something to nibble on. Thinking a cheese plate from St. James, or a simple tomme de chevre rolled in ash.

Joe the Wine Guy: This wine is 70 years old. OK, not really. The 2006 Beaulieu Vineyard Georges de Latour Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon commemorates 70th vintage of this wine. In 1936 Latour made the first California private reserve. This wine marries refined elegance with opulent intensity and robust character. It woos the senses with heady aromas of blackberry bramble, ripe cassis, mocha and spice. Dark, concentrated fruit picks up across the palate, joined by Rutherford notes of black licorice, loam, and coffee. Formidable body is balanced by firm tannins that span the mid palate and linger with cocoa through the smooth finish. This wine retails for $99.00 and you can find it at Morton's of Chicago and Bacchus Fine Wines.

Winesday

Rene: First whiff of the wine smells like cinnamon and a humidor. On the palate, this wine is heavy but flighty, jumping from spicy flavors to the almost overwhelming taste of cherries. This is a very smooth wine that would be perfect in front on a fireplace after a long meal. Unfortunately, it rarely gets cold in enough in New Orleans for a fireplace. This wine wants grilled lamb, but something with more bite than simple lamb chops. How about the grilled lamb ribs from Patois. That'll do.

Peter: This wine is rich but not overly tannic, with a slight burn down the back of the throat (Ed. Note: Say to yourself, "That's what she said"). The first flavor profile that comes to mind is cocoa. Thinking red meat (shocker, I know). Had a few veal and beef cheek dishes lately, thinking of the one from Sylvain that is the dinner menu.

Joe the Wine Guy: With great structure, depth, and concentration, the 2006 Three Palms Vineyard Merlot from Sterling Vineyards is intense with ripe black cherry aromas and expansive flavors. On the palate you get mineral, mocha, spices, rose and toasty oak. You can find it at the Renaissance Arts Hotel and Mandina's; this wine retails for around $30.

Cooking With Wine

In the last few years, Brussels sprouts have emerged as one of the favorite vegetables in our house. Sometimes we roast them with bacon, garlic, and salt, other times we blanch them before slicing them in half and slowly caramelizing in brown butter and finishing it with shallot and lemon. For the last few weeks, Lindsay has been raving about the shaved Brussels sprouts salad at Sylvain and asking me to make something like that.

When Mad Max dropped off a substantial white wine with notes of lemon, green apple, citrus, and grapefruit my mind immediately went to trying a version of shaved Brussels sprout salad. The 2009 Ribolla Adriatico from Bastianich Wines has a firm minerality and a lot of acid, with just a touch of sweetness at the end. That made me want to incorporate some spice and sesame oil to take the dish in an Asian direction. You can find the wine on the list at Green Goddess, Bacchanal, and Whole Foods, where it retails for under $20.

Shaved Brussels Sprouts Slaw with Poached Chicken

The chicken is optional. But if you want to add it, it works best in salads when poached. Bring 6 cups of water up to a simmer, add some cloves, salt, bay leaf, and a half cup of white wine. Add the chicken and simmer for 25 minutes or so.

A mandoline is one way to slice the sprouts into thin rounds. But be careful and it helps to listen to this song while doing it. A food processor with a slicing blade is a much better option. Once your sprouts are shaved, place them in a deep bowl. Thinly slice the radicchio and add this to the Brussels sprouts. Toast about a palmful of slivered almonds until light brown. Add this to the above, along with salt and pepper.

Finely dice the green chili and some garlic (if you have ginger, by all means use it). Place this in a second bowl. To this add some soy sauce, the juice of one lemon, a tablespoon of rice wine vinegar, and a teaspoon of honey (you need the sweetness to counteract the bitterness of the raw radicchio and Brussels sprouts). Whisk. While whisking stream in a about tablespoon of sesame oil, then finish the dressing with olive oil. Taste. Adjust seasoning.

Pour dressing over the Brussels sprouts and radicchio top with poached chicken and mix to combine. Let sit for a few minutes before diving in. Chopsticks or forks are acceptable.

Cooking With Wine

Sometimes a meal just comes together without a plan. When this happens the result is not at all unlike giving a speech. There is the meal you wanted to make, the meal you made, and the meal you should have made. What I intended to make was a pork roast that sat atop firm stewed lentils. What ended up on the plate was a stew of lentils which had thickened the braising liquid by bursting forth from their shells. What I should have done is cook the two separately.

The wine was partially to blame or credit depending on your point of view. Mad Max's offering that week was winemaker Brian Graham's 2009 Parlay "Bookmaker" blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Syrah, Syrah, and Petite Verdot, which kept changing in the glass. There was jammy red fruit, and black pepper, calling to mind that incredible Italian dessert of ripe strawberries with balsamic and black pepper. Sharp and firm tannins led to a quick, pleasing finish. This great everyday red wine retails for about $20 and you can find it at Mondo, Whole Foods, Le Foret, Ste. Marie, Cork & Bottle, and Stanley.

Roast Pork Loin with Lentil Stew

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

A two pound pork loin (not tenderloin) benefits from a brine. If pressed for time, just season with salt for an hour or so before cooking. Rinse off brine and dry thoroughly. Season with salt, pepper, and smoked paprika. Sear in olive oil in a dutch oven until brown and crusty on all sides. Remove. Into the pot, add an onion and three carrots roughly chopped. Saute on medium heat for about 10 minutes until softened.

 Add in a cup of lentils and a few cloves of garlic. I had red ones which turned a muted orange once cooked. Then 4 cups of water. Add back in the pork roast, bring to a boil and, place in oven, uncovered until pork is cooked through and the lentils have absorbed most of the liquid. Remove pork, allow it to rest for 10 minutes, slice and cube. Taste stew, adjust seasoning - a little cumin at this point is a great idea, a dash of vinegar also. Ladle lentil stew into a shallow bowl, top with diced pork, and leaves of parsley.

Winesday

Rene: Rich spice on the nose; get some coffee and dark berry flavors. The tannins are tight and restricted, wound up like a kid on Halloween. This wine screams out for something like rich duck with crispy skin or maybe lamb braised. Let's split the difference and go with the roast quail with steamed buns from Nine Roses. They also have it at Tan Dinh if you cross the bridge today and find Nine Roses closed.

Peter: This baby needs to open up for a bit to let the peppery flavors mellow out. Not much dryness going down the throat from the tannins. I'm thinking something gamey like venison. How about the wood fired goat at Domenica or the lamb neck from Herbsaint.

Joe the Wine Guy: The Numanthia 2007 is made from 100% Tinta de Toro and is both intense and complex with several layers of aromatics in the lively nose: red and black fruits first, then sweet spices like cinnamon and nutmeg, and then vanilla and toasted black pepper. On the palate, this wine is expresses dark fruits with concentrated and velvety tannins. This full bodied wine shows exceptional acidity revealing some chocolate, toasted, and spicy notes. The juice was aged in new French oak Bordelaise barrels for 18 months. The 2007 Numanthia retails for $59.99 and you can find it at Emeril's and Cork & Bottle.

Cooking with Wine

Today's episode is brought to you by the Texas Board of Tourism. In case you haven't heard, Texas and its various boards, commissions, cowboys, and people who love big hair paid a whole 10 gallon hat of money to have Top Chef film in its various locales. Now, me personally, I don't see anything wrong with that. What I can't understand is why they didn't pay any money to keep Most Eligible Dallas from airing. Such a boneheaded decision really has me question their supposed supremacy in things like "living" or "modern cities" or "producing good football teams".

Chili is revered by Texans like Ted Hall who once threatened to kill me if I ever included beans in a bowl of Texas Red. Pinto beans always make me think of some stagecoach cook shutting up a guy named Slim with a scoop from a dutch oven. Couple this with bottle of zinfandel from Mad Max that had me thinking of something spicy and tomato strewn and the stage was set to make a chili that would send a Texan running to the Alamo. I used torn, dried chiles to bring not just heat, but a fragrant fruitiness to the party. Some kale chips (wash, dry, olive oil, salt 300 degree oven for 20 minutes) were the crowning jewel on a mockery fiercer than any Tony Romo joke.

All of this got along very well with the 2009 Saldo Zinfandel released by Orin-Swift wines made under the stewardship of owner/winemaker Dave Phinney. Zinfandel is a wine that wants something robust and brash, and making fun of Texas sure is. The wine retails for around $28 and you can find it at Sylvain, Whole Foods, Iris, Commander's Palace, K-Paul's, Wine Seller, and Maximos.

Messed With Texas Red

Soak 1 pound of pinto beans overnight or while at work. In a Dutch oven, saute over medium heat one whole onion diced with two or three jalapenos diced fine. While that melts, de-stem and de-seed one dried ancho chili and cut into roughly one inch squares. Add these to the pot, and cook for a minute or so. The heat will soften them. Now add in a tablespoon of chopped garlic along with a teaspoon of cumin, a hearty pinch of oregano, and a teaspoon of chili powder. Stir so the spices can absorb some of the oil.

After a minute or so, add a tablespoon of tomato paste. Stir. Let cook for about 2 minutes (doing so deepens the flavor). Deglaze with half a bottle of beer and a 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar. Once the beer has mostly evaporated, add in a 28 ounce can of whole tomatoes and their juice. Using the back of a spoon mash the tomatoes. Drain beans from soaking water and add to the pot along with a quart of water. Bring to a boil, lower to a simmer and cook uncovered until beans are tender and the sauce is thick..

Crown with queso blanco, parsley, the kale chips, and a dig at Mack Brown's coaching prowess. 

Winesday

Rene: Crisp and mineral this wine has a faint taste of salt, the ocean. I get a little bit of citrus, like a squirt of grapefruit. It is a perhaps a little heavy for an aperitif, but it definitely needs seafood. Maybe some fried seafood, but not in a heavy batter. I'd want a batter more resembling tempura, so maybe the fried Gulf shrimp with sambal and grapefruit that is always on the menu at Coquette. Or ditch the batter and go with the marinated Spanish anchovies with stewed onions from Lilette. If you choose the latter, just make sure your date will kiss you regardless.

Peter: This is a nicely balanced wine. Kind of heavy in the mouth, a little buttery but not overly oaky or rich. This wine tastes like a pear with a little effervescence. Would go well with the Veal Alyssa from Mr. John's playing nicely with the saltiness of the capers and the tang of the lemon beurre blanc.

Joe the Wine Guy: 93% Pinot Grigio and 7% Chardonnay make up this 2009 Stellina di Notte Pinot Grigio. This is a gorgeous fresh, dry white wine with fragrant floral, fruit, and spice aromas. The silky flavors are filled with pear, kiwi, melon, honey, and spice notes that culminate in a lemony finish. This Pinot Grigio makes the perfect aperitivo and pairs well with light, fresh salads and seafoods. The wine retails for $12.99 and you can find it on the wine list at Byblos and Cafe Amelie.


Editor's Note: When we saw the price of this wine, it became clear of all the wines tasted in this series, this may be the best value we have run across. Thanksgiving is coming; stock up for Aunt Gertrude. 

A Vintnerview with Michelle Gueydan

Michelle Gueydan left New Orleans after high school for college in New York. After college she worked for then gubernatorial candidate Mark Warner and then a job as a private event manager eased her into the wine world. She returned to New Orleans where she is in an integral member in three wine related businesses. At Swirl, she is a "wino" helping customers choose a wine to take home. As the principal in VinoSolutions she outsources sommelier expertise to restaurants and home collectors to organize and build their wine holdings. Recently, Gueydan partnered with Brian Dias to start NOLAWineSpeak, a wine education company. Twentyish questions on the clock....

I was in college in upstate New York. Had done most my partying in high school so when I got to college found partying sort of boring and focused more on studying. Close to college was the Finger Lakes region which makes a lot of wines, so one day I just volunteered to help pull leaves at a vineyard. It was there I first learned wine could be art and not just pink stuff that got you drunk.

I had been working for a few years as the event planner for a guy who owned a real estate asset management company. My boss also did a lot of philanthropic work with Quincy Jones so we were always planning dinners of some sort. Or we were flying to a dinner and talking about wine while reading food and wine magazines. So originally pairing was something of a foray into an unknown world, but I still knew very little about wine. After a series of events on the Mediterranean, I hadn't slept in a week. I was sitting on a yacht and the steward came over and asked if I'd like a glass of wine. I said sure, whatever you have. She brought a white wine that was so perfumey and unctuous that I asked what is this. She said Chardonnay and I didn't believe her. From then on, wine became a side passion and then an obsession.

Well, that bottle of Meursault on the yacht. But I don't remember the producer or vintage or anything like that. The other bottle I chase and will never catch again was a 1905 Chateau La Tour. I was in Colorado helping my boss organize his cellar before leaving to start a job in a tasting room in Alexe Corton when I got a call that the French government would not allow an American girl such a prestigious job. So I was pretty despondent and my boss cheered me up by asking, "What should we open?" I told him the 1905 La Tour was leaking a bit. So he pulled down that bottle, a 1929 Mouton, a 1950 Haut Brion, and a 1961 Petrus. Of all those bottles, the 1905 was far and away the best with the fruit still prominent after over 100 years.

I never thought I wanted to come back to New Orleans. All of my family here has died, so there was nothing to come back to, until Katrina. And then I felt a really strong urge to come home. At the time, I was the sommelier at the Inn at Little Washington. Came down here and got a job with John Besh as sommelier at August. In general the position of sommelier in New Orleans is not as supported as a free standing position in a restaurant as in other cities. In other cities, if you are the sommelier on the floor, it is your job to help guests select wine and manage the wine list of the restaurant. As a sommelier in New Orleans you are expected to be a manager as well. So I've had this idea of a sommelier education program to make more sommeliers truly sommeliers in New Orleans. But it was just an idea until I met Brian. The goal is to see be progressing with our wine thought in New Orleans. And that is what we want to do with NOLAWineSpeak.

I can't stand formulated wine descriptions. The one I hate the most is gooseberry. I didn't have the slightest clue what a gooseberry tasted like when I started learning about Sauvignon Blanc as tasting of gooseberry. I still dont know what a gooseberry tastes like. But people use that term as if everyone is eating gooseberries all the time. Other thing I hate is wine descriptors that are awful images but used in a positive context like "wet dog" or "barnyard". Who wants to drink a wet dog?

Best way to ease the tension with customers who are apprehensive about wine is just to start a conversation with the guest. Find out what they are interested in, what they are in the mood for, what do they normally prefer to drink. Sometimes people ask me what I like to drink and I tell them it depends on the day.

Rose. Across the board there is no wine better suited for New Orleans cuisine. A dry rose, with good fruit, good weight, and good acidity is nearly perfect match for the spiciness of our food. Always enjoyed rose, but I really started liking them with food when I moved back to New Orleans.

I hate the single palate based point systems which dominate the wine world. There is value in ratings that are group efforts but just go to off a single palate? I don't like that. I went to Bourdeaux to barrel taste the '05s. We were tasting 200 wines a day and there were a lot of us. But every winery was waiting for the scores of Robert Parker before prices could be set. You could sense the stress in the room and in all of the producers while awaiting Parker's judgment.

If I made a wine, it would be an eclectic, off the beaten path varietal that would challenge me to make it into a single varietal bottling. Turning something that is usually just blended with other grapes into its own wine that is what I love and it would be a limited bottling all hand sold.

Windows on the World. Extremely Pale Rose. A great book for the intro level person is The Wine Bible. Karen MacNeil does a very good job of adding fun tidbits and making wine an interesting read. All that said, I prefer to read magazines and newsletters like Decanter and Food and Wine for wine info. Mostly because wine is always changing and books are sometimes outdated by the time the fifth chapter is written.

I like that people are more adventuresome with their palates. Nowadays, people are open to try other varieties other than Chardonnay and Cabernet. On a winemaking level the focus on sustainability and artisinal approaches are things I really like.

To enhance enjoyment at home, try new things but try them with food to make the daily task of having dinner a grander experience. Really try and think about how the flavor profiles of wine and food could work together.

Yes, but I have been pretty fortunate in that I've normally been offered a taste and not have to think, "Man, I wish I could drink that." But I found that while at August, visitors, New Yorkers specifically, thought their expertise outshined that of any local sommelier. So they would often not offer me a sip.

Vietnamese - Riesling. Tex-Mex- Tequila, my second favorite thing to drink. American Chinese - An Austrian Gruner Veltliner. Crawfish Boil - Rose.

I've pretty much drank through most of my collection I had built up. Former employer called and said he had been diagnosed with cancer and wanted to know what the most expensive bottles in his cellar were because he was going to drink them, chemo be damned. So I thought, why am I holding all these wines that one day I may never be able to drink? I had First Growth Bourdeaux and Italian wines that I drank. I still have some 1982 Margaux, Lafitte, Mouton, older Pahlmeyer. But what do I drink? My heart is in Burgundy, my pocketbook in Spain. I drink Tempranillo and Albarino. Also, drink a lot of boxed wine. James Moises is releasing a boxed Oregon Pinot (at right) that is pretty amazing in my book. Higher quality boxed wine with no chance of spoiling is on the rise.

Boucherie. Nathaniel (Zimet) and James (Denio) have managed to build a wine list that presents wines off the beaten path at an affordable price point that don't intimidate. And then of course, Commander Dan at Commander's Palace. From a revered wine list stand point, Commander's Palace best in town. From a consumer's point of view, Boucherie.

Boucherie, Cowbell, Herbsaint, and Coquette. Ohh and can I add Patois, I can't just pick four restaurants?

Hall and Oates - Chardonnay. Not because it is cheesy, but because it is a wine that was really popular back in the day. Mozart- German Gerwurtztriminer. Dr. Dre- Australian Shiraz.

Most memorable food and wine experience was at 2941 Restaurant in Virginia. The wine was a Madeira. The dish a soup sort of similar to our version of turtle soup but not quite the same. Madeira was new to me and the combination of it with the food created a third flavor, different than either the soup or the wine  which enhanced both the soup and the wine. Just a great pairing.

Desert Island wines? That is tough. 1905 Latour. 1990 E. Guigal La Landonne. Aged Vouvray-Huet would be first choice, but it doesn't matter. I just love aged Vouvray and we need more of it. Sake Daiginjo. Meursault, nothing specific because I like to many producers.

Winesday

Peter: OK, I'll admit that I knew exactly what this wine was just by looking at the red neck of the bottle. This is the best bottle of wine that I have tasted in two trips to the Napa Valley. Plain and simple - this is the easiest drinking cabernet on the market. Dark in color but smooth going down. This wine is made for food or for sitting in front of the TV on a Tuesday night watching Sons of Anarchy. Thinking the beef carpaccio and arugula salad from the Italian Barrel.

Rene: Deep, fruit filled noise but floral as well - violets. The taste is that of stewed dark fruits - blackberries, say. A soft wine in the mouth, though with velvety tannins. The words elegant and Stifler's mom comes to mind, which leads my mind to one of the dishes at Stella! Perhaps the duck five ways or the Kabayaki glazed beef tenderloin.

Joe the Wine Guy: 2006 Hewitt Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Rutherford has intense layers of dark fruit, bittersweet chocolate, black licorice, clove spice, mineral and cedar. This is one of Napa's most voluptuous cabernets. The palate is packed with black cherry, plum and blackberry character. Then malted cocoa powder tannins enhances the wine's plush, opulent texture. The elegant, fruit-imbued finish lingers with espresso, toffee, and nutmeg. Pair this with rich, robust meals, like seared beef tenderloin with shitake mushroom sauce. You can find it at Speckled T's and Royal Palm, and it retails for around $80.

Cooking With Wine

As soon as my grubby little paw grabbed the bottle of Curveball Spinning White Mad Max had stashed into his box of treats, I knew precisely what dish I wanted to make: Spaghetti Carbonara. Carbonara is one of the world's most perfect dishes, combining eggs, pork, cheese, pepper, and starch into an elegant sauce. Fact: carbonara is the only pasta dish in the world which can double as breakfast.

The composition of the Spinning White is an interesting one. At 85% Sauvignon Blanc and 15% Gewurztraminer there is a nice acidic kick but also this white plays very nicely with spicy foods. This wine is also made by Paul Hoffman. You can find it for under $20 at Cork & Bottle, Mondo, and Rum House.

A fattier chardonnay might be many peoples first choice with a dish like carbonara. I prefer something that can handle spice a bit better, which this wine can. The reason is that black pepper can lose a lot of its spicy and aromatic characters when you cook it above a certain temperature or cook it for long periods of time. With carbonara, you aren't doing much more than warming than pepper, so be prepared for a simple battery to your sinuses, if you make it correctly.

Note: The beauty of carbonara lies in its simplicity. Do not try to muck this up with North African Wild Hyssop or Guatemalan Coffee reductions. And if you do, please don't write in about it.

Spaghetti Carbonara

Like roast chicken, I almost never make carbonara the same way twice. One time I might use fettucine, another time one egg and one extra yolk, the third time I mix the bacon into the sauce first, etc... But always, the same 5 ingredients: pasta, eggs, cheese, pork, and black pepper. Normally, I substitute bacon and Parmesan for the traditional guanciale and Pecorino Romano and you can too.

Cut bacon strips into quarter inch rectangles. Fry until crisp then place on a paper napkin lined plate to drain. One package spaghetti, boil in heavily salted water. As you can see, you do not need a doctorate in culinary arts for this dish.

While, pasta is boiling crack an egg into a deep bowl. Grate roughly a half cup of Parmesan over the egg. Whisk. Now take a pepper mill and crank it twenty times. Whisk again. Few more cranks and you should be ready to go.

Once cooked, drain the pasta but reserve a smidge of the starchy, salted water. Add the pasta and the water into the bowl and mix rapidly. The warm pasta will melt the cheese, warm the eggs, and awaken the pepper, essentially playing the role of the Uniter. Once combined, mount on plates and top with bacon, more cheese, and a crack or two of pepper.

The Maestro

Patrick van Hoorebeck recently opened Patrick's Bar Vin in the St. Louis Hotel. A native of Belgium, The Maestro as he is known in certain circles, has lived in New Orleans for the last twenty-five years. As the king for life (redundant, yes but in Carnival speak) of the Krewe of Cork he has found a way to combine business and pleasure at his new bar. Let's put twentyish questions on the clock and get to know The Maestro.


Photo courtesy of Judi Bottoni.

While in Belgium I was working as a beer salesman for a brewery which had a beer called Vieux Temps (Old Times). I sold a lot of that beer so the men at the brewery called me Patia Vieux Temps, which translates as Pat Old Times. I had not seen my father in twenty years. He was living in Lafayette, I flew to New Orleans in June 1986. He picked me up at the airport and took me to Bourbon Street. I walked onto Bourbon St. and saw a sign for Pat O's and thought, "How cool is that?" So my father and I went into the bar and had a Hurricane. At the time I asked my father, "How long till the day there is a bar in the Quarter with my name on it?" He told me, "I don't think I'll live long enough." He was right.

My name full name is Patrick Philippe Daniel August van Hoorebeck, my sister's name is Evelyn. Our father loved Irish whiskey and ran a bar called the Old Irish Inn in Brussels. I ask him one day why we, proud Belgians, had Irish names and he told me that "Before he met our mother, he fell in love with an Irish girl."

We wanted to open the bar on St. Patrick's Day, but completion of the bar was delayed because of the wine bins. We ordered them in November from a company in California and they told us they would be here in three months. Six months later they arrived and we opened on Belgian Independence Day.

Joe Yaeger, who owns the hotel, asked me what I wanted to do. I told him there was no true wine bar in the French Quarter. There is the New Orleans Grapevine, but that has evolved into a restaurant. So, Mr. Joe bought this hotel and this spot had a liquor license already. So we sat down and had a talk and this bar was uncorked.

Like any bar owner, I want to make this a successful business. But also, I want to create a libation emporium, a spot where every drinker can find his vice.

With wine, people in United States drink better products, know more about wine, and educate their palates better now then they did when I first got here. But wine is still a trend in America. I can see in next ten years wine consumption going up and hard alcohol staying same or dropping a bit.

I've been drinking since I was very young. When my father had a restaurant in Brussels, he would take me to go see his wine distributor. The guy who owned the place, to entertain me while they tasted wine, would hand me a cigar box filled with labels and a book of wines. I would sit there and whenever I matched the wine in the book to a label, he would give me a franc to buy candy with. So I learned to become familiar with names and labels. When we would go to restaurants on Monday nights, I would always get a sip of whatever my dad was drinking.

The wine I chased, and caught eventually, was a very special wine. In 1964 after my parents had divorced, I was a skinny, feeble kid. Maybe I was depressed or mad or something, but we didn't have those terms when I was a kid. So, in 1964 my father takes me Switzerland when I am ten years old to place me in boarding school. We spend the night in the Grand Hotel de Montrieux and had dinner. At that dinner he ordered a 1954 Chateau Haut Brion. We drink it and he tells me (begins to tear up), "Patrick, you are going to boarding school tomorrow. But tonight we will drink this wine from the year of your birth. My wish is that someday you will drink this same wine at another time in your life." I did that two years ago in Las Vegas and it cost me a pretty penny (laughs).

With this wine list, I had to keep in mind that I had a budget which is not something I'd had to worry about before. But I did not want the list to become pretentious. I also filled the list with wines from people whose relationships and support I cherish, the wines of previous Grand Marshals of the Krewe of Cork, and wines from how do you say The Good Old School Club (Editor's Note: he means Good Ole Boys Club). You know the expression politically correct? Sometimes you have to be wine correct.

Next month we are going to start a Reserve Wine List. That list will have wines from the private collections of 2-3 men in town whose wines I will sell on a consignment basis. So that will be the high end, while on the low end I'll always have what we call the vin de patron - a wine the owner drinks which is at $20 a bottle. Right now that is a red from the Languedoc, that I drink myself and only $20 a bottle. That is amazing.

Running a bar in the French Quarter has caused us to invent a term. You know that movie Wedding Crashers? Well, there are Bar Crashers in the French Quarter - guys who stumble in at 11 pm, just because they see a light, who can't see much else and they just want another beer. They are very drunk and probably do not even know where they are.

Keeping it fun is intentional. Wine can get very serious if people let it. All of our signature cocktails feature wine or wine based liquors as the main ingredient. Things like Lillet. With our cocktails we like to keep simply simple. Let me say this, I have a lot of respect for modern cocktails and mixologists. But when I go into a bar with a good buzz and it takes them 15 minutes to get me a drink, I get aggravated. Do not waste a good buzz.

Put it this way, you are going out to dinner with your wife or girlfriend. And first you say, "let's get a drink." So you go somewhere and want an aperitif, which you know comes from the Latin word "to open." You want a drink to stimulate your palate, open you up. They already make drinks for this like Campari, Vermouth. There is no need to order an elaborate drink that costs you $32 for two drinks. Just order two sherries or Camparis at $6 a piece.

I am a white burgundy guy. When on a budget, I will tolerate Macon-Villages. Pouilly-Fuisse will be deja vu. I like to be drinking Meursault-Chassigny and Puligny-Montrachet. If I win the lotto, Batard-Montrachet.

I do not like the markup in the wine business. But it is what it is. But I don't like it. My father would say, whatever you buy wine for, sell it for double. But big business believes everything has to have a margin of 350% to be profitable. It rips people off and I dont like it.

New World wines have a friendliness to them that Old World wines do not. Wine is like a woman. Any woman can put a smile on your face, but the question is is that a real smile.

The French are bored with wine. Look, you have this young generation. They see wine everyday, their grandfather drinks wine, their mother drinks wine, wine is everywhere. Wine is boring to them. Over ten years ago, I went to France with a girlfriend who only drank martinis. I brought a shaker with me and would go to the bar and find out if they had vodka. If you asked for a martini, they would ask White or Red (he points to bar where two bottles of Martini vermouth sit). No one in France had heard of Grey Goose. Now, Grey Goose is a symbol of French pride and everyone drinks it. The French aren't drinking as much wine as before because of a generational shift and boredom, that is all.

Best advice to people who are beginning to build wine collections is to be patient. Before you go to a store, get on winery mailing lists of wines you like. And most of all, when you go into a restaurant, always order a wine you don't know anything about. Like driving a car. You may love Mercedes Benz's, but there is nothing wrong with test driving a Jaguar now and then.

Romanee-Conti and Cheval Blanc, to start. Some Chateauneuf-du-Pape, of course, Hermitage, Chateau Haut Brion, Margaux, and Batard-Montrachet. Richebourg, Champagne, California Cab, Sauternes, and Vintage Port, that would be a nice case of wine.

At end of day, I want a big glass of beer. Everywhere you go in the wine world, every wine maker say, "It takes a lot of beer to make good wine." And it is true.

Living in the French Quarter is living as a Bohemian. If the French Quarter did not exist, I would be back in Brussels. I went back to Belgium many years ago, and my friends asked me why I stayed in America. They would tease me and say, "Tell us, come on, you stay in America because you fell in love with a woman." I would say back to them, "No, I fell in love with the French Quarter."

What Dat You Drinking

Sorry WNBA, but football is back and no one cares about your sport again. That's right food fans, the Saints of New Orleans open the NFL Season on the road on the Frozen Margarita Tundra owned by the Packers of Green Bay. The excitement in households across America is palpable as people wake up, rub the sleep from their eyes, and come to the realization that there is an NFL game on tonight and they don't have to watch Real Housewives of Minneapolis. Productivity will drop to near historic lows as offices switch their focus to more important things like whether or not to call their fantasy football team We Must Protect This Winehouse.

So to help you help yourself, we enlisted the help of some alcohol pros, Joe Briand and Jeremy Labadie of Carte des Vins and TheBeerBuddha.com respectively to tell us what you need to be sipping on tonight. Notice we left cocktails off? That is because you only need to know the name Dark n Stormy, great drink and if you use your imagination it is Black and Gold.  Even if you hate football, I have a feeling after the President's jobs speech we are all going to need a drink.

Beer Buddha -  LOCAL, LOCAL, LOCAL!!!!


Covington Brewhouse Ponchartrain Pilsner- This refreshing,  german style pilsner is an easy drinking local brew with a nice malty profile and subtle hint of hops.  Available:  Steins Deli, Cork & Bottle, Rouses.


Tin Roof Perfect Ten Amber -  This canned offering from Tin Roof has an nice aggressive maltiness which is perfectly balanced with a grassy hop bitterness.  Available:  Steins Deli, Cork & Bottle

NOLA Brewing Hopitoulas Draft Pack- For those that want a little bite in your brew this IPA is for you!  Hopitoulas has an amazing piney, hop bitterness with hints of grapefruit but is balanced well with a nice, subtle caramel maltiness.  Available:  Cork & Bottle, Rouses, Whole Foods

Joe Briand

Terriero Prosecco $15 – Pronounced Pro-Sack-O on game days.  I never ice down champagne until the game is over but I’ll drink a nice crisp clean Prosecco all game long.  Prosecco is great for fried and fatty game day foods and can cut through the fat of Nachos or anything else “cheesy.”

Etrna Flor Montsant Blanco 2009 $18- This Spanish white is 70% Grenache Blanc and 30% Macabeo.  I recommend this because it is a white with a bit of weight (from the Grenache blanc) as well as great minerality.  I like versatile wines like this because they appeal to both the Chardonnay set as well as the wine geek set.  Great with chicken, pork and can stand up to some spice as well.

I think Cotes du Rhone might be one of the great game day wines.  It is affordable, usually drinks well above its pay grade and has the weight big Cab drinkers like and the soft roundness that Grenache from the Rhone valley delivers in bunches.  If you prefer the bigger more fruit forward style search out a 2007 and if you’re looking for a little more refinement search out one of the newly released 2009s.  I’m recommending 2 different Cotes du Rhones today.

Undrafted rookie budget: Vidal-Fleury Cotes du Rhone 2007 $10

Long Term extension Contract- Saint-Damien Cotes du Rhone “La Bouveau” 2009 $15

Cooking with Wine

It is too damn hot to cook. The heat index is currently hovering around temperatures usually reserved for spacecraft reentry and foundries where a young Irish kid looking to walk on to the football team at Notre Dame works while going to community college.  In short, I don't want to cook. I don't want to turn on the oven or the stove. If I could subsist solely on snowballs and cold beer I would.

But this article beckons, which is why this week the title should read Not Cooking with Wine. This week, Mad Max sent over a 2009 Highway 12 Carneros Chardonnay made by Michael Sebastiani. The accompanying notes say, "This '09 Nueva is every bit what you've come to love about the modern style lush Chardonnay, with a touch more minerality. The balanced acidity makes it fresh and crisp, while letting the buttery finish shine complete with a new Stelvin closure."

What I took out of that description was acidity, crisp, fresh, and butter and that Stelvin sounds like the last name/nickname of your roommate in college. That triggered a craving for a version of the Wedge salad made with heirloom tomatoes, romaine, and homemade blue cheese dressing. Bacon would have made the salad complete, but that would have required cooking. Still, it was one of the best things I've never cooked in my kitchen.

Blue Cheese, Tomatoes, and Romaine

Hold stalks of romaine horizontal in front of you. Cut it across the rib in one inch sections. Wash, dry, and pop in the freezer for a spell.

For the tomatoes, this time of year places like Whole Foods and the like start stocking this multi-colored orbs of tomato goodness. They have exotic names like Brandywine, Green Zebra, and Bob Marley Spliff. Ok, I made that last one up, Caddyshack fans. Pick out a few, that are soft and ready to burst. Take them home, core them, then slice into fat rounds (along lines of latitude, not longitude). Season with salt and pepper.

Dressing couldn't be simpler. Your silver ware set has two sizes of spoons, right? You know the larger one? Use that as measuring stick. Take one heaping spoon of sour cream and blend it with three heaps of mayo. To this add about 12 cranks of black pepper, a tablespoon of white wine vinegar, a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce, and a pinch of salt. Stir to combine. Now break in a wedge of blue cheese roughly equivalent in size to the door stopper at your elementary school. I like the dressing to be chunky. Stir and let the flavors come together for about an hour.

Place slices of tomato on a plate, top with blue cheese. Toss romaine in a touch of olive oil, then stack on plate and top with more blue cheese. More cracked black pepper is always welcome.

Winesday

Rene: Pale gold in color. Get some crisp apple flavors at first glance. Don't get the bread aromas that mark a blanc de blancs, could be a blanc de noirs, which is not my preference in Champagnes. Very fine bubbles, but a little too sweet for me. Although I generally like a touch of sweetness in white wines, I like champagnes to be very bone dry. The sweetness needs something brassy to play against. Which brings to mind the lamb sliders from Three Muses with tomato chutney and herbed goat cheese. The feta fries from there also would do just fine as well.

Peter: Yeasty bouquet. Flavor profile is very dry. I would not call this a refreshing Champagne. I know that I have played this card before, but this would make for a great kir royale, the creme de cassis adding a welcome sweetener. A simple cold appetizer would do well - the crabmeat maison at Galatoire's or the the Plateau de Fruits de Mer at Luke.

Joe the Wine Guy: Most Champagnes are house blends, meaning different vintages are blended to create a house's signature style. Every now and then, when there is an exceptional year, the Champagne houses declare a vintage year - and bottle a champagne with grapes specifically from that vintage. Such is the case with this 2002 Veuve Clicquot which is made up of 60% Pinot Noir, 7% Pinot Meunier, and 33% Chardonnay. The nose is open, pure, and complex, with a mineral flavor and flowery notes of Acacia, yellow fleshed fruit and pastries (brioche, marzipan). These give way to delicately spiced aromas, followed by elegant notes of licorice and high-bred teas. On the palate, the wine has fruity and floral notes, mineral and spice tones, and menthol and toast flavors. Try it with bass tartare, poached turbot served on fresh pasta, or cappuccino of Bresse chicken with candied fruits. Keen devotees will enjoy it as an aperitif for very special occasions. You can find it at Ralph's on the Park and Martin Wine Cellar, where it retails for $79.99.