Loire Chenin Blanc Wine Dinner

I'm in a really great wine group now, and great ones are hard to find, trust me. This is a great one because the people are intelligent, easy going, and excellent company. And because our wine tastes are quite diverse. And also because we came up with a nice system for running the group. We rotate as hosts and the host provides everything. All the wine, all of the food, everything. The host picks a theme and decides how to explore that theme.

I like this system because it allows the host lots of freedom but also gives them lots of responsibility when it's their turn. It's also an egalitarian system - the host who feels flush can select 2002 Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru wines as the theme. The host whose employer is requesting a 20 Billion dollar bailout from the Feds, and who is not feeling flush, can select Muscadets young and old as the theme. Although vastly different in necessary expenses, both themes are fantastic in the hands of our capable hosts.

We've had a great time so far but I haven't been writing about it because, frankly, who wants to invite someone for dinner knowing that the dinner and wine will be dissected in a forthcoming blog post? When I host, I'm allowed to write about it. Recently it was our turn to host wine group and I chose Loire Chenin Blancs as the theme. I looked through my "cellar" and decided to go with the following wines:

Sparkling
2004 François Pinon Vouvray Brut (Magnum)

Dry
2005 Huët Vouvray Sec Le Mont
2002 Domaine du Closel Savennières Clos du Papillon
2000 Clos Rougeard Saumur Brézé (by generous gift of Joe Dressner, just for this dinner)

Off-Dry
2005 François Chidaine Montlouis-sur-Loire Clos Habert
2002 François Pinon Vouvray Cuvée Tradition
1996 François Cazin Cour-Cheverny Cuvée Renaissance

Sweet
1998 Domaine des Baumard Quarts de Chaume

I went with roast striped bass with oyster mushrooms for the dry wines and a pheasant pâté plate of sorts, including a dollop of home made quince paste, for the off-dry wines. Pear and honey cake for dessert. It pretty much turned out okay.
This night for me was further proof for me that the Loire Valley offers truly profound white wines at reasonable prices. Overall, the wines showed fantastically well. The exceptions for me were the Pinon wines - the Brut was fine but the 2002 Vouvray Tradition was just no good. Other people liked it, so it's just my opinion, but I found the seaweed/dried mushroom umami aromas to be extremely off-putting. And the 2005 Chidaine Montlouis-sur-Loire Clos Habert, one of my favorite demi-secs of the vintage, was in an awkward and closed phase on this night.

Here are some quick notes on the wines:

The Pinon Vouvray Brut was fine and lots of fun out of magnum, but objectively it just wasn't special wine. Other than Huët's, I have yet to be truly wowed by any Loire sparkling wine, I must say.

The dry wines were fantastic, each with its own distinct personality. The Huët ($26 in early 2007, decanted 3 hours ahead) was the most delicate of the three, and although it was lovely during the dinner, it was utterly gorgeous the next day. Makes sense - the dry wines need time to develop. The Closel wine ($24 a few years ago) was in my opinion at the peak of drinking. Perfectly mature at only 6 years old (odd for a Savennières, but whatever), it was full of waxy ripe fruit, herbal, honey, and mineral flavors. Beautiful stuff. And the Clos Rougeard (over $60), which I decanted almost 6 hours ahead of time, was incredibly deep, although even with the decant, painfully young and during the actual dinner, not all that approachable. It's funny because about a half hour after decanting it was pretty fantastic. It goes through phases I guess. I wish I had saved some for the next day.

The weakest flight was the off-dry wines, although the 1996 Cazin ($26) was, for me, the wine of the night. And this is an interloper, a wine made from the Romorantin grape, not a Chenin Blanc. So sue me. It was gorgeous and completely harmonious, really in a great place. Mature and regal nose of ripe fruit with some interesting petrol and earthy notes. The palate was perfectly balanced with great depth of fruit and a great vein of acidity, and there was real viscosity here - this is dense without being heavy, long without being ponderous, just elegant and deep wine. Although I am not a fan of the 2005, my commitment to cellaring my '02s and '04s is renewed.

The 1998 Baumard Quarts de Chaume ($39) showed very well too. Incredibly beautiful nose of ripe orchard fruit, dripping with mineral intensity, and so fresh and youthful. This wine has a long life ahead of it. On the palate it's a wash of apricot and herbal honey supported by crackling acidity, loads of minerals, and a finish that lingers and changes, becomes pleasingly bitter. This wine had a cleansing effect on the palate, so different from most of the dessert wines I come across.

What Would You Pour?

The other night Alice Feiring stopped by for a glass of wine. That's right, Alice Feiring! She was en route to an Olde English Ball (another story entirely), and she stepped out on the deck with BrooklynLady and me for a glass.

What do you pour for Alice Feiring?

It wasn't until after I suggested that she stop by that I realized this decision might destroy my already feeble mind. Should I pull out the best bottle of Champagne and call it a day? Maybe something not as obvious, like this Crémant du Jura that I really like. Or maybe instead open one of my daily drinking wines, like the beautiful Domaine de Cassagnoles Vin de Pays des Côtes de Gascogne. That would show her how cool I am - she comes over and I shrub my shoulders and open a $10 VdP...but it's delicious!

I waffled back and forth on this as if I were Hillary Clinton: this is what I'll do, no THAT is what I'll do, on second thought THIS is what I'll do. In the end I decided that the VdP type of pour is better for a return visit. I tried to think of something naturally made that Alice wouldn't often drink, something special and uncommon. And something that would make a good prelude for dancing. Maybe something a little sweet, in the hopes that there might be a gentleman of that same character awaiting Alice at said Olde English Ball.

I went with the 2002 Domaine des Baumaurd Coteaux du Layon Clos du Sainte Catherine, $28 on release, imported by Ex Cellars Wine Agency. Baumard is a top tier producer of dry wines from Savennières, and off-dry and sweet wines from Coteaux du Layon and Quarts de Chaume. I figured that Alice would certainly have had many a Baumard wine before, but even so, the off-dry but elegant and complex Coteaux du Layon wines are somewhat less common. And the 2002, a great year in this part of the Loire Valley, should still have plenty of ripe fruit to go along with complexity and some sweetness.

Was I really shaking as I poured the wine? I think so. But very soon the nerves went away, as it was a gorgeous evening and within 5 minutes Alice was giving BrooklynLady and me dancing lessons.

Of course I'm being a bit facetious, as hanging out with Alice was the fun part and what wine we drank was secondary, although I did spend too much time worrying about what to pour. Just to prevent this from happening again, I decided to prepare a list of what to pour in case certain people visit my home. Now, I will share some of it with you:

Barack Obama - Françoise Bedel Champagne "Entre Ciel et Terre." Naturally made, straight from the earth and expresses that very clearly, strong and floral, stands the test of time.

GW Bush - 2000 Yellow Tail Merlot. A lovely remembrance of the year he became President.

Struggling but very talented Yankees' rookie pitcher Phil Hughes - 2005 Blandine Chauchat Pic St Loup les Tonillières. Trust your stuff, you can be powerful and be elegant and honest at the same time.

Penelope Cruz - 1996 Fleury Rosé of Champagne. Enough said.

Julie Christie - 1996 Fleury Rosé of Champagne. Enough said.

Woody Allen - 2002 Carillon Puligny Montrachet. Reds are too acidic for him.

Thom Yorke - 1986 Terrebrune Bandol Rouge. He would get it - it would make him cry.

Alice Feiring - Not sure yet. I need to ask her how she liked the 02 Baumard CdL first.