Enjoyed this lovely Chardonnay from California with a nice home cooked dinner out of Dreena Burton's great cookbook "eat,drink & be vegan."
As we tasted this wine Diana's eyes popped wide open with a big smile across her face and I knew why. She did not believe it was California Chardonnay saying, "I don't usually like California Chardonnay." She happens to love French Chardonnay especially when it comes from Meursault in Burgundy, where they make Chardonnay as nature intended. No heavy Oak. We have had Mersault on many special occasions, a lot of cherished memories.
This beauty won 90 points from Wine Spectator and first came on the market in the mid $20's. Wine competition being what it is, a buyers market, you can now find this most excellent wine for close to $12. Best place to try is www.winechateau.com
The ingredients in this recipe included an array of spices like paprika, cumin, cinnamon, and lime with the deep flavors of sweet potato and tasty beans all called for a wine of balance and structure with unrelenting flavor. We intensified the dish with tasty "Caramanto Cranberry Beans" and an all powerful "New Mexican Red" chili powder from the awesome and unbeatable Rancho Gordo.
We also cheated on the "vegan" and topped the dish with an ample portion of grated Pecarion Romano cheese and served with some nice Ciabbatta rolls. All in all it was a fabulous dinner.
90 Points Wine Advocate: The 2009 Chardonnay Lot 238 is a strikingly pure beautiful wine laced with bright varietal fruit. It shows terrific textural richness, beautifully integrated oak and classy balance from start to finish. This is an impressive showing, not to mention a fabulous value. Anticipated maturity: 2011-2014. Buy it at www.winechateau.com.
That sounds like a great one to add to my list of wines to try - thanks!
Posted by: Lisa D (This Little Piggy) | 02/24/2012 at 16:39