Recent pairings

[Florida Jim]

With guacamole, hummus and baked blue corn chips:

2000 R&V Dauvissat, Le Foret:

This wine is completely about typicite and balance. And I really don’t think there is a higher compliment for a young wine. Served blind I might not get the year or the vineyard but I have confidence I’d say “Dauvissat, Chablis.”

Full fruit, biscuity, deep yet etched on the palate with everything perfectly balanced. Better, at this point, than the 2000 Raveneau from this lieu dit. A joy to smell and a delight with the food. It will be near impossible to keep my hands off my remaining bottles.

With cold, sliced, rare roast beef and a Caesar salad:

1999 Paloma, Syrah:

A meaty, young syrah with good fruit concentration, some pepper and earth accents and nice persistence. The fact that no new wood is used on this wine gives it the chance to really taste like ripe syrah – kudos to Paloma for this decision. Excellent with the beef.

With a lunch of crackers, cheeses, olives, cappa colla, mustards and pistachios:

2002 Clos Roche Blanche, Gamay;

A friend has recently told me he thought this wine was weedy. I don’t, but I can see what he sees. I think of it as high-toned and crisp – ah well, one man’s meat is another’s poison. I get lots of cherry, face powder and mineral on both the nose and palate with good cut and lots of sustain. Your mileage may vary.

Matches the cappa colla very well and is delicious with the rest of these lunch combinations.

With a grilled sandwich of mozzarella, pesto, tomato and Portobello mushroom:

1997 Rene Leclerc, Griotte-Chambertin:

A very odd wine that my wife loves (and this is our last bottle – isn’t that always the way?). The nose is wet earth, stems, mushroom and paraffin with just the slightest hint of red fruit; it really doesn’t smell like wine at all. OTOH, the palate is wide open, lots of soft red fruits, very approachable and seemingly ready but there are things that sort of stick out; first, some alcoholic heat; then, when that disappears, a little too much acid bite; and then, everything smoothes out but it gets a bit tannic. A medium length finish.

At first, I thought it closed. Then maybe past prime and starting to come apart. Finally, I went back to closed but just as the best possibility – not out of any confidence.

This has dropped much of the oak that was in evidence since release but what remains is not within my realm of experience.

Good with the dish.

Best, Jim