Okay, so this is kind of a redundant post since we just had Chicken Marsala with the '85 Brunello. But Kara is obsessed with the dish all of a sudden and keeps asking me to make it! It's like crack for her apparently... In order to keep it fresh, I decided to use chicken stock instead of beef and thought I'd pit a red against a white in a battle royal. New World vs. Old World. Red vs. White. Will the red win? Will the California Chardonnay come out on top once more? Will Kara finally get tired of Marsala? Can Rob chop the mushrooms fast enough? Will the dogs ever learn to poop outside?!!!
I did make a homemade loaf of French Bread...
So, for wines we had the Hafner Chardonnay 2007 from Alexander Valley. Everything about this producer reminds me of Jordan winery. The packaging, the profile, the fact that they only make Chard and Cab, the late release. They're even right down the street from each other. The Chard is actually very inexpensive and we've used it at Jar for a few years now as our low-end on the wine list. It's very clear-cut in its style and not really offensive except to snobs like me. The oak usage is moderate and not offensive with a creamy mouthfeel on attack, but uprising acidity on the finish. Kara was happy to drink it.
For red, since Kara HATES Beaujolais, I took this opportunity to drink a 2005 Calot Morgon Vielles Vignes. Old Beaujolais? Well, not that old. But it's drinking well still with lots of fruit and perfectly balanced. Refreshing ripe fruits of cherry, strawberry and raspberry with a little earth underlying. I put a little chill on it and was perfectly happy. I won't hold my last bottle too much longer, though.
The winner..? I don't know - neither of us tried the other's wine with the dish. But I was content with the Morgon and she said the Chard was a good pairing as well. I suppose we could have a rematch tonight as we have plenty of wine left, but that would mean making Marsala AGAIN... Kara wouldn't mind.
Not a chance.
No comments:
Post a Comment