La Colombe: Sauternes and Foie Gras

My last trip to La Colombe was stunning - fantastic food and a trio of stunning wines. But for tonight's meal my good friend Andreas put a bit more thought into the wine pairings, reviewing the menu before we went and bringing wines he thought would work well.

Like Sauternes and Foie Gras? Apparently a miracle pairing, but I rarely take part in either - I HAVE been missing out! The 2001 Château Bastor-Lamontagne was a very nice Sauternes - peaches and cream, tangy grapefruit, and a hint of sweet spice on the nose. Soft with tangy peaches on the palate, minerally and green - a magical pairing with a "foie gras poêlé" Score: 17/20

For my next course I ordered the snails in a mild blue cheese sauce, which I paired with a Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc - the dish and the wine were independently delicious, but these did not work together very well (any thoughts on what to pair with this one?).

My contribution for the evening was a 2002 Yalumba "Hand Picked" Shiraz+Viognier, which I attempted to pair with a large duck breast with a berry sauce on top. With a nose of plummy lavender, vanilla, peppery blackberries, smokey leather and slate it seemed a good match, and it was, but it was not as balanced as I had hoped - a touch more awkward on the palate than I recall from one year ago..., Score: 17.5/20

Andreas contributed a main course wine as well, the 2003 Morgante Don Antonio Nero d'Avola, which was a logical choice for the gamey comfort food featured at La Colombe. Notes of basil, tobacco and cedary plums on the nose, and plum, plum, plummy on the palate. Light and grainy in texture, but a touch hot and slightly unbalanced. You are unlikely to find a finer, more elegant, example of Nero ... another great match, for venison. Score: 17/20

With dessert wine for an appetizer, what do we do for dessert? Icewine! A hometown wine that I picked up last summer, the 2004 Taillefer Lafon Icewine delivered earthy, appley "Werther's" candy on the nose and spicy, tangy caramel apples on the palate. Very flavourful, some cripsness but bit cloying, Score: 16.5/20

I highly recommend, once again, a visit to La Colombe - a top notch BYO Restaurant in Montreal. And if you haven't tried Sauternes and Foie Gras, you just don't know what you are missing...

White Bordeaux? 2007 Chateau Bonnet Blanc

Chateau Bonnet. Source: winery

I don't drink dry white Bordeaux very frequently, and I don't think I am alone - I rarely, if ever, see other bloggers talking about these wines, and I never hear the sommeliers recommending them. Yes, just 7.8% of the Bordeaux vineyard is dedicated to the dry whites of this region (typically a blend of Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc), but somebody must like these - the prices are rarely cheap.

Thinking about this I walked home with a bottle of the 2007 Chateau Bonnet (white), a rather modest, but decent, producer of inexpensive Bordeaux reds. This wine, a blend of Sauvignon Blanc (50%), Semillon (40%) and a dash of Muscadelle, greeted me with a pleasing, but simple, nose of white grapefruit and dried apricots, some lavender-soapiness as well. Soft and gentle with mild acidity, this was a fresh, balanced and easy-drinking white. More enjoyable than my score implies, but not compelling, a pretty good price.
screwtop. 12% alcohol
Score: 15/20
Price: C$16.65 (SAQ)

2005 Beringer Alluvium Blanc

To celebrate the end of Prohibition I thought I'd uncork an American wine. Even better, tonight's pour comes from a winery established BEFORE prohibition, Beringer. Beringer was established in 1876, and survived the Prohibition years by selling sacramental wine for religious purposes. I applaud that entrepreneurial spirit!

I bought this wine as yet another experiment - after the great Alluvium red at our Merlot tasting I thought the white might be good? Well it was - very good, in fact. The 2005 Beringer Alluvium Blanc is an interesting blend of Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc. Yellow gold in the glass, the first nose is of toasty oak and lemon rind, with some papaya, honey and lemon rind as well. Dry, smooth and creamy on the palate, with a nice lemon rind finish, and only a slight hint of heat from the high alcohol. This is one of the nicest U.S. whites I have ever had, and a nice take on Semillon. A great pairing for homemade breaded filet of sole, this wine will show up here again.
cork. 14.1% alcohol
Score: 17.5/20
Price: C$29.95 (SAQ)

2005 L'Ecole Semillon

Well, the WWWWW piqued my interest in the wines of WA, and in searching for a WA Cabernet Sauvignon for WBW #34 I stumbled across this white. Always on the prowl for interesting whites, I thought WA Semillon sounds interesting, and the high Wine Spectator score was further inducement. I have to disagree with the Spectator (90 pts) on this one.

The 2005 L'Ecole No. 41 Semillon shows a nice golden hue in the glass, with interesting and powerful aromas on the nose - green apples and butter, with some pine, white flowers and banana in the background - pleasing, but not overly complex. On the palate this medium-bodied white was rich, with juicy green apples, but lacking structure due to its low acidity and somewhat off balance with that high alcohol quite noticeable. Overall, a nice sipping wine with a nice nose to ponder, but a bit flabby and uncomplex. Paired well with steamed sole and an avocado/mango salsa, but may pair better with crab or lobster?
14.3% alcohol
Score: 15.5/20
Price: C$23 (SAQ)