A Wine Dinner of Classics and Other Notables

 Recently, I was invited to the curate the wine selection for a friend's dinner party.  The original idea was to feature wines a bit off the beaten path, which we did indeed do, supplemented by a few French classics as well as other readily available favorites.

I have often touted the excellent value of crémants, French sparkling wines produced in regions outside of Champagne.  For this occasion, I offered a crémant de Bourgogne from my own cellar which I was anxious to share with other wine lovers, and indeed, it was a great success.  The Savoie blanc de blanc was one of the off-the-beaten- path selections as it is vinified from a blend of several different varietals, including a few regional ones that are particular to this Alpine region.

The South African Chenin Blanc is another crowd pleaser and a delightful alternative for the Pinot Grigio sector. For those Pinot Noir aficionados, do not overlook those Spatburgunder from Southern Germany; they may be harder to find, but worth the trouble, and usually a very good value.

There is nothing quite like a top Beaujolais cru from Morgon as a great food wine, also a very affordable pleasure.  And is there any other way to finish off a delicious meal than a Sauternes paired with a freshly prepared dessert?

A tip of the tocque to our host Robin for organizing and preparing the menu, as well as the guests who whipped up the creamy corn soup and delicious fruit crumble. (My bad for forgetting to snap a picture of this luscious dessert!) 

All wines were purchased at the Pennsylvania wine and spirits stores, although some may have limited stocks.

JCB No. 21 Brut Crémant de Bourgogne NV (Non Vintage)

Origin: Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC) Bourgogne, France

Varietals: Pinot Noir; Chardonnay

Production/Tasting Notes: From the house of Jean-Charles Boisset, who grew up the village of Vougeot, Burgundy; his portfolio features over 40 wines, including vineyards in Burgundy, Napa and Sonoma; this sparkling wine exudes a fresh, fruity nose (green apple, pear) with almond and white flower aromas; laced with crisp acidity, citrus; brioche; full, generous mouth feel. (90 points, Wine Enthusiast)

Alcohol: 12%

Food Pairing: Shrimp salad on toasts; stuffed cucumber barrels; olives

        

    

Varichon & Clerc Privilège Blanc de Blanc Brut NV

Origin: Savoie, France

Varietals: Altesse; Molette; Chardonnay; Chenin Blanc; Maccabeu

Production/Tasting Notes: Méthode champenoise; smooth, creamy; flavors of pear, apple, vanilla, toast.  Altesse is a white grape varietal prominent in the eastern France noted for its full-bodied, concentrated wines, featuring floral, nutty notes with good acidity. Molette is also primarily planted in the Savoie region and typically used as a blending grape.

Alcohol:  12%

Food pairing: Shrimp salad on toasts; stuffed cucumber barrels; olives

            

Ken Forrester Petit Chenin Blanc 2021

Origin : Western Cape, South Africa

Varietal: 100% Chenin Blanc

Production/Tasting Notes:  Hand-harvested; fermented cool; duplex soil with decomposed granite and fine sandy loam on a clay base; fresh, youthful wine with pear, quince flavors intertwined with green apple, grapefruit notes; tangy finish.

Alcohol: 13.5%

Food Pairing: Fresh corn soup

             

Weinhof Scheu Spatburgunder Pfalz Trocken 2017

Origin: Schweigen, Pfalz, Germany

Varietal: 100% Spatburgunder (Pinot Noir)

Production/Tasting Notes: 22 year old vines; clay soils; hand-harvested; 14 day maceration followed by 10 day fermentation; aged in 2500 liter oak barrels for one year before filtered and bottled; complex aromas of black cherry, cassis, wild berry with underlying notes of oak wood.

Alcohol: 13.5%

Food  Pairing: Stuffed chicken breast; vegetable tian; salad

         

   

Jean-Marc Burgaud Morgon Côte de Py 2020

Origin: Morgon AOC

Varietal: 100% Gamay

Production/Tasting Notes:  Intense bouquet of black cherry, forest berry, black olive, saline notes; medium-bodied with silky-smooth tannins; notes of bitter chocolate; lively acidity; long, persistent finish melding black cherry, blueberry, blood orange, citrus fruit. (95 points, James Suckling)

Alcohol:  13.5 %

Food Pairing: Stuffed chicken breast; vegetable tian; salad

            

Château Laribotte Sauternes 2018

Origin: Sauternes AOC

Varietals: 95% Semillon; 4% Sauvignon Blanc; 1% Muscadelle

Production/Tasting Notes: Complex notes of acacia, white flower, lemon, honey; rich, fruity mouth feel with flavors of candied fruit, orange peel and apricot. (90 points, Wine Enthusiast)

Alcohol: 13%

Food pairing: Cherry fruit crumble à la mode

 

Adventures in New Jersey Wineries

You don't have to go to all the way to California, Oregon or even upstate New York to spend a pleasant afternoon sipping wines and nibbling on small plates of cheese and charcuterie, and perhaps enjoy some live music to boot.  Granted, you can't expect to always find top quality quaffs in the Garden State, but chances are you'll come across at least a few wines that appeal to your tastes.  So far, I haven't discovered a particular winery across the Delaware River whose products have blown me away.  Still, each of the three establishments that I visited recently offer at least a few wines and/or amenities that make the trip worthwhile, especially if the weather cooperates.

The White Horse Winery in Hammonton is located just a few miles off the Atlantic City Expressway (and so, is easily accessible if you're spending some time down the shore near the gambling mecca), and features estate grown wines as well as wines sourced from outside the state - indeed, all three wineries reviewed in this post include a mix of estate and non-estate grown wines, which is quite common in most Jersey wineries.  

Although the wines that my companion and I sampled - from both sources -  were very respectable and generally well-made, the real selling points are the lovely, and mostly shaded, grounds, relaxed ambience and generous, friendly service.  There was also live music in the form of a singer on acoustic guitar.

Food options included small plates provided by the winery as well as an independent food truck situated near the outside seating area.

My friend and I decided to order both the white flight and the red flight to get the widest sampling of White Horse's offerings.  The white sampler featured two estate wines - Albarino and Vidal Blanc, whereas the red sampler included just one estate wine - Chambourcin.  (There is also a sampler of sweet wines that includes an estate Traminette.)  Albarino, largely associated with Spain (and Portugal as Alvarinho), is becoming more visible in Pennsylvania and New Jersey vineyards. The White Horse version was even more full-bodied and lush than I would have expected, exuding notes of white stone fruit, white flowers, and almond, laced with undertones of minerality and bright acidity.

Generally speaking, I'm not a big fan of Chambourcin as I find that it's a difficult grape to vinify well, often producing thin, angular wines that are not well-balanced and not integrating well its herbaceous and fruit characteristics.  That said, White Horse does a reasonably good job in bringing these various elements together in a pleasant, enjoyable wine featuring spicy, herbal notes along with black cherry and plum flavors on the palate.

Lastly, the food boards were attractively presented and more than ample to satisfy a couple of imbibers.  We were lucky to visit on a rare, comfortably warm, low-humidity summer day, of which there  have been precious few this season.

 

Cape May County has quite a few wineries, both within the town limits as well as in the surrounding area, so you have a choice as to how far afield you want to go in case you're staying there for a few days or more.  On my trip down there, my companions and I visited a few wineries within a mile or two of each other off the same road so we didn't have to worry about losing our way,

The Natali (pronounced nah-TAL-ee) Vineyards, situated down a long gravel stone one-way lane off Route 47, offers an oasis of seclusion and rural respite from the beach crowds and hustle and bustle of the boardwalk and town centers with plenty of outdoor seating (although the heat our day of visit precluded imbibing en plein air).  The inside tasting room has plenty of room to stretch in an air-conditioned environment with small plates available to accompany your tasting.

As evident in the above photo, the charcuterie plate is quite abundant (and tasty!) and can easily serve 3-4 people.  There is also a food truck on weekends or for live music evenings during the week.  As for the wines, we sampled an array of whites and reds that are served in small plastic cups which you can then pour into a stemmed wine glass to fully appreciate the wine.  Most of the wines are estate grown or sourced from New Jersey, although some are vinified from out-of-state grapes.

The "Goshen" is a blend of  Albarino and Viognier which complement each other very nicely balancing the floral notes and acidity of the Spanish grape with the more viscous, apricot flavor of the French varietal.  The real stand-out, however, as expressed unanimously, was the Cabernet Franc with its smoky nose and cherry aromas, supported by smooth, elegant tannins and food-craving acidity.  At $24 a bottle, this is worthy of some of the best Jersey Cab Francs fetching much higher prices.  I also enjoyed the Tempranillo which features jammy notes of fig and dried plum and would pair well with spicy red-sauced pasta or grilled lamb.

The winery also produces its own mead as well as several fruit wines sourced from the Garden State.  Look for locally made jams as well, especially the Black Aronia jam from Jalma Farms sold in the tasting room.

Two connoisseurs inspecting the grapes at Natali

Just a mile or so down the road from Natali is Jessie Creek Winery which also features estate bottled wines as well as others produced from grapes sourced from outside the New Jersey.  The tasting room is a rather large space with a hodgepodge of comfortable sofas and couches along with up-right chairs and tables.  There is an outdoor area reserved for tasting, but on a such a hot day, there was no question that we opted for a cool, inside refuge from the afternoon sun.  

After ordering a wine sampler in the reception area, you can pick up the wines in the lounge to relax and sip. (On the other side of the reception area is a gallery space featuring works by local artists.)  Sample wines are presented in wine spirals which makes it easy to track the wines as you taste from top to bottom.

There are several options for sampler : red, white, off-dry, port/ice, anniversary, as well as build-your-own.  You can also choose to pair wines with chocolates.

We chose the Anniversary sampler which included 2 whites, a rosé, and 2 reds.  Only the Pinot Gris in this selection was estate grown, and it was hands down the top of the pick - a lush, powerful, medium to full-bodied wine with complex flavors of white flowers and stone fruit, and a lingering finish.  Of the reds, the reserve Cabernet Sauvignon was disappointing in that the typical characteristics of the varietal were not well integrated or balanced, especially in consort with the high alcohol content.  

To sum up, Jersey wineries can offer a pleasant experience as a get- away from the day-to-day routine, especially when the weather cooperates, and among the run-of-the-mill wines available, you just may find a real gem.  There are many more wineries to explore in the Garden State, so this report is by no means a definitive assessment.  It does, however, point to its potential, and as quality improves, there is all the more reason to seek out locally produced fruit of the vine.