Louis Jadot Pinot Noir `08 $17.99 **

I got home from work and found JPH prepping eggplant. It was going to be a comfort food night.  There was a chicken in the fridge that needed to be roasted, potatoes to be baked & mashed, parsley to be chopped and rosemary that needed to be harvested from the patio. (finally the plants are outside  - I am trying to convince S. to start a gardening blog, she has done amazing work with the garden).  As I was seasoning the chicken, JPH pointed out that a wine needed to be selected.  I hesitated on this French Pinot Noir simply because it is a $17.99 bottle of plonk - that is steep for a Wednesday night table wine, but hey, why not?  JPH also challenged me to a review and since I have been slipping in that department this year, I accepted.

This is a classic French Pinot Noir from the classic Bourgogne power house Maison Louis Jadot.  That being said, it is simple French table wine and we were opening it on the down side of it's peak.  It has some forward spice and a watery finish, which is not unattractive in a wine to have with a well seasoned dinner.  At 12.5% ETOH, JPH noted that you could just keep drinking and drinking this with a meal. We wondered just how many French restaurants have it as their house red. We're guessing a lot - Maison Jadot has a winery dedicated exclusively to the production of Bourgogne Pinot Noir. This is high quality, mass production wine and it is the backbone of Burgundy, good wine that you can drink that won't break the bank.

"Well Balanced" was the catch phrase for the evening.  It is an even drinking wine with no surprises.  Slight tannins made it a good astringent foil for the roasted chicken, and the earthiness made the truffles stand out more in the truffled mashed potatoes.  (seriously, between the wine and the potatoes, I wondered if I put any butter in at all)

This is a "safe" classic French wine.  You could bring it to your in-laws and be deemed cultured.  As for me, I am just thrilled that we hit the pairing out of the park.  Dinner was the highlight of my day. Chicken roasted with lemon and rosemary, sauteed eggplant in garlic scented olive oil with parsley and truffled mashed potato. It doesn't get much better on the comfort scale.

I'll leave you with my chicken as it just came out of the oven, and the eggplant waiting to be plated. It was a rainy Spring night, and comfort food hit the spot.

Poggio Trevvalle Santippe, IGT `09 $12.99 ***

Poggio Trevvalle Santippe made a liar out of me.  I used to say that I don't like Sangiovese but I really liked this Tuscan 100% Sangiovese. It it light, easy to drink and fruit forward (rich strawberry) with a subtle earthy finish and very light tannins.  The joke is on me though... it is 14.5% ETOH.  It goes down waaaaayyyy too easy.  This is a wine that I need to watch myself with, it is beguiling and wonderful but could lead to a regrettable morning after.

Made by two Italian brothers at their vineyard Poggio Trevvalle in Maremma, Tuscany, between the towns of Grosseto and Campagnatico, this wine shows their commitment to the area "terroir".  It s a delicious, straightforward juicy wine that could easily be our house wine for Spring 2012. (JPH ran out to buy three more bottles after we polished off the first one with the dinner pictured above)

We paired it with chicken cutlets filled with buffalo mozzarella and parsley, wrapped in prosciutto,; eggplant cubes sauteed in olive oil with a hint of garlic and pasta with a simple red sauce. It was a delicious meal.

This wine can even make you smarter. (if you are lucky enough to have a brilliant Ph.D at the table)  After she had a sip and liked it, S. looked at the bottle and exclaimed "This is named after Socrates's wife!".  Well, that is fascinating (after all, I have always been quite fond of Socrates - as a child, my pet white goat after him)  History was not overly kind to his wife though.  For the original Xanthippe "strong willed" is one of the kinder sentiments that have survived the ages.  Shakespeare mentions her in the Taming of the Shrew which is what has really put her reputation to the test over the centuries. Jet Wine Bar wrote a great review of this wine that touches on a lot of history. I'll let you click over there to read more if you want to.


As for me, as soon as I hit "publish", I'm going to take the glass of Santippe here on my right and go take a walk in S's garden on this beautiful sunny Spring day. I think that Socrates and the brothers Umberto e Bernardo Valle won't have a problem with that!

Gruet Blanc de Noirs NV $13.99 ***

Styled and photographed by MEH

April 21, 2012 - Our first al fresco evening of the year!! Of course it called for bubbly. Gruet Blanc de Noirs is S. & JPH's "go to" bubbly - it is a surprising representation of their love for both classical Europe and the American South West in a bottle.  

Gruet is a family business: Gilbert Gruet and his wife Danielle had a dream of making Champagne.  At first in their native Bethon, France and then while touring the Southwest in the 1980's outside of Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, they came across some transplanted French winemakers with vineyards.  This surprise discovery sparked an idea that consequently became Gruet Winery (run by son & winemaker Laurent and daughter Nathalie). Gruet winery is now firmly established in New Mexico, producing classic European wines that are sold throughout the "Lower 48".  (I have seen Gruet on the shelf at the Belfast, Maine Co-op Store). 

Gruet Blanc de Noirs is a gentle 12% ETOH blend of 75% Pinot Noir and 25% Chardonnay.  It's a classic Champagne sparkling wine.  Nice and toasty, with an effervescence that lasts but isn't too constrained.  The yeastiness is delicious and it has a creamy finish without being overpowering. 

This Blanc de Noirs is a subtle wine that worked really well with our patio "nibblies":  Cajun Peanuts, Truffled Mortadella, chunks of Parmesean, with slices of fresh, crusty French bread as a delivery system for pâté and JPH's homemade pork Rillette (quick thawed from the freezer).  Cheese sticks, sea salt bread sticks and homemade guacamole with tortilla chips rounded out the menu.  This was an impromptu night on the patio.  With an hour's notice, JPH ran out to shop and we were able to cobble together a feast.  What made all of these "nibblies" a feast?  Good, inexpensive, classic French sparkling wine from the American Southwest.

Another Southwestern treasure that S. & JPH have introduced me to:  Ed Samules, an artist that makes his home and studio near Santa Fe.  This canvas called "Distant Rain" now resides in the living room here in New York.  It is daily reminder of the colors, vibrancy and landscape of New Mexico.

Breaux Vineyards Nebbiolo `05 $72.00 ****

I travel.  Sometimes when I travel, I bring back wine to be tasted at a future date.  Which is why S. was very happy that we were finally drinking the "Leonardo" (that's a Da Vinci self portrait on the label) from the wine rack.

Leonardo never had it so good.  This Virginia Nebbiolo is a really good wine, with a GREAT story.

Lat year, I was lucky enough to tour Breaux Vineyards in Purcellville, VA, just an hour from Washington DC. While I was there, I fell for their Viognier, a lovely white that Jancis Robinson and Oz Clarke like too. But for me, the star is their hill of Nebbiolo grapes and the way that Spanish winemaker David Pagan Castaño creates a magic Italian elixir from the fruit.

Where else can you have a classic indigenous  Italian varietal, grown in rural Virginia by a family with deep Louisiana roots, with a second generation Spanish winemaker producing a delicious "true to the varietal" wine that holds it's own against famous DOCG Borolos and Barbarescos?  Only in America. 

E. Paul Breaux likes wine.  The story behind Breaux Nebbiolo was told to me by Chris Blosser and his wife (Paul's daughter) Jennifer Breaux Blosser, who now run the day to day of the Vineyards. As we sipped chilled Viognier in the August heat, I asked "why Nebbiolo?"  Chris answered:

One evening while visiting Italy Mr. Breaux had a conversation with an Italian man (their only common language was wine) about the noble Nebbiolo grape. It was such a great night (I believe wine consumption was involved) that he decided to come home to Virginia and plant some Nebbiolo vines.  This shows that the real estate magnate is also an iconoclast who is willing to take risks; in the spirit of the founding fathers, he took European originals (Nebbiolo and winemaker Castaño) and made a rich, flavorful American wine with Piemonte roots.

I opened the bottle while making Marcella Hazan's Risotto with Beef, Rosemary, Sage, and Barolo Wine, Alba Style.  This is where I tell you that taste does not photograph well.  I intentionally cropped out dinner from the photograph above because as I call it "Hamburger Risotto" is mouthwateringly delicious, but it looks like Ginny's dinner.  I didn't want to sully your view of this amazing wine:  Aged to perfection, with a slight orange tinge around the edge, no tannins that I could taste and a rich fruity structure with mellow earthy undertones.  It is great for sipping and paired with delicious food. At 13.8% ETOH, this is a full flavor wine, but there was no overly alcoholic kick back.

Thomas Jefferson's dream has come true.  They're making delicious wine in Virginia.

Breaux Vineyards, Summer 2011: