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12 January 2005

Steak & Chardonnay....really

First the Chardonnay:
From Jarvis Vineyards - Finch Hollow Chardonnay, 2000, Napa Valley.
Anything and everything that can be done to luxuriate a wine was done to this big boy.  100% new French Oak barrels?  Check.  Sur lie fermentation?  Check.  Malo-lactic fermentation?  Check.  Unfined and/or unfiltered?  Check, and check.  Pampered Chardonnay indeed.

The Skinny
JarvisJarvis Vineyards Chardonnay Finch Hollow, '00 ($60)
Napa Valley, California

  • Shimmering, jewel-gold in color (reminded me of the yellow peg from my childhood Lite Brite set).  Very intense simply to look at
  • Scents of grilled pineapple (I actually have grilled pineapple slices before - top with ground green peppercorns, caramel & vanilla ice cream..yummm), clove, very ripe Jonagold apples and some caramel
  • In the mouth this wine was, of course, weighty yet I was pleasantly surprised to discover a balance between the high alcohol content and definite acidity.  Flavors of vanilla spice, "Autumn" (AKA damp earth) and baked apples.  The texture was creamy, tangy with slight tannins (most likely from the barrels).

**** (4 stars out of 5)

And the steak...

Together this was quite different from the typical Cabernet + steak dinner.  I enjoyed the unique flavor combinations.  However, I did notice that while the steak tasted sweeter, it wasn't necessarily succulent.  I chalk this up to the lack of heavy-duty, fat-chewing tannins that are normally present in large quantities in Cabs and Bordeaux blends.  Tannins will chomp up fat into little fat-particles.  This results in more intense, succulent flavors.

Overall, a nice change of pace.

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Comments

Noah

Nice post.

I recently had a 2002 Domaine de la Bongran Macon with some steak and it was an intriguing combination. This particular wine was so extracted (i reviewed it on my site) and the tenderloin had a gorganzola butter on it. They actually played well together.

It's fun to experiment with wine food combos. i think it really enhances ones senses.

cheers!

beau

*drooling* I love gorgonzola butter. I'm going to try that combination as soon as possible! sounds great.

Cheers,

beau - and I'll add you to 'le Blogroll'

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