TN: Dinner in Arai

[jrufusj]

DINNER IN ARAI - French Restaurant at the Resort (12/27/2005)

Tired kids, ski-fatigued adults, very slow service...and a wine list with about five red choices and five white choices. One of those order the wine before the food and hope situations. It was amde easier by the fact that the choices were pretty obvious. The fact that most of the table ordered foie gras, then duck or beef didn't hurt either!

• 2001 Château Montus Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh Sec - France, Southwest France, Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh
  Lightish straw yellow, even to the rim. Nose shows the presence (not overwhelming) of some sweet new oak and of rich fig and apricot fruit. The richer fruits are buoyed by brighter apple and kumquat notes, along with a little candied nut as well. Palate is completely dry despite the sweetish presentation of the nose. A moderate amount of acid keeps everything in balance as the rich stone fruit and honey palate turns into chanterelle on the slightly oak-spiced finish. A great accompaniment to my wife’s foie gras and to my pork terrine, this does less well with my main of sole in a lemon cream sauce. Made in a modern style with a dose of new oak that might normally put me off, this is still a great choice with foie type dishes as the fruit has enough richness and body to balance the oak. My first experience with this and I will be going back for more.
  
• 2002 Domaine Parent Pommard - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Pommard
  Deepish burgundy red, clear but not particularly bright. As this was served much, much too cold, the nose was almost non-existent when it was first poured. After warming up, it shows sweet cherry, meaty shiitake mushroom, and earth on the nose. The palate is a little rough on entry and exit, but has a nice burly core of thick-skinned cherries and deep sweet plums. Finish is only of moderate length, but combines coffee spice with more meaty cherry. A little rustic and little rough, but pleasing with the duck and steak ordered around the table. Comes off like an old, old-style Pommard minus the sun in the sack or mystery mix from the Rhone. My first experience with this domaine. I won’t be buying them for the cellar, but they’re a new reasonable choice for restaurant lists.
  

Other than with my fish, these turned out to be good matches. The Parent definitely needs to duck or beef to smooth its rough edges. Who would have thought I would discover Pacherenc on a ten-item list in a restaurant in the middle of Niigata prefecture? Even a blind squirrel...

Posted from CellarTracker

[Phil Ward]

<<Who would have thought I would discover Pacherenc on a ten-item list in a restaurant in the middle of Niigata prefecture?>>

Jim,

Heck, it would be almost impossible to find the above wine in many/any restaurants in a major metroploitan area. I would have been pleased to have tried either one of the wines you enjoyed let alone both.

Phil