Help with reverse wine pairing

Hi All,

Recently, I received some bottles of nice wine from a client in return for a favor. Since they are much better than the swill I usually drink, I wanted to savor them properly. I can figure out what to do with the reds. It is one particular bottle of French white wine, I need some advice on. The wine is a 2002 Chablis Grand Cru Valmur. I am not terribly familiar with French whites and hoped some of you might have a few suggestions for some food that might properly accompany the bottle (a sort of wine pairing in reverse). The dish does not necessarily have to be an entree. It could be cheese, sausage or pate. Another option would be to bring it to a BYO restaurant. Or should I just hang on to it for awhile?

Thanks in advance.

It's basically a Chardonnay - the standard pairing would be fish or a light poultry (chicken, quail, turkey, etc.).

Check this out:

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nr706 wrote:Check this out:
http://www.boissetamerica.com/products/ ... ?PrdId=117

Thanks, that link was very helpful. I bookmarked the site. I didn't even know that Chablis wines were made from Chardonnay grapes. Among other things, the site says the wine is excellent with shellfish, which I hadn't considered.

Originally, I was planning to serve it at Thanksgiving. But then, I thought that might be a waste, considering my friends are all beerdrinkers who wouldn't know Grand Cru from 2 Live Crew. Now instead, I think I will get some Penn Cove mussels overnighted from Washington for my upcoming birthday, and drink it with them.

It's a Chardonnay but a totally different creature than a typical California powerhouse. It's aged in steel so there's no oak, and you won't get that big, buttery taste. It's a more austere, food friendly wine that imo pairs better with seafood than poultry. Mussels with white wine would be a very good pairing, along with simple grilled seafood or shellfish.

Most quality Chablis have a tart, minerally character that pairs well with mildly-flavored dishes that have cream or butter in them. The fat is important because it counteracts the high acidity of a good Chablis.

Many types of creamy soups are wonderful with Chablis, potato-leek being my favorite. And Chablis with a good goat cheese is a magnificent match...

Please dont take this as a plug (disclaimer: the authors sent me a review copy)

Andrew Dorenburg and Karen Page's What to Drink With What you Eat is a great resource for this sort of thing. Cross referenced lists of food and beverages compiled from the country's beverage experts on what goes with what. And why. "Ethereal" suggestions aggreed upon by the experts are highlighted.

In the book the highlighted Chablis pairings are Fish especially white (e.g. Dover Sole) lobsters (esp. with Grand Cru) Oysters esp. raw and esp. west coast, Belon, Malpecque, Olympia.

Paul Roberts, the Master Sommelier from French Laundry and Per Se, is quoted "Chablis has a seaweed quality to it that makes it especially good with West Coast Oysters."

I get a wine newsletter from Natalie MacLean -- Nat Decants -- and the most recent one offers a wine and food pairing database.

Here's what she says about the database:
"I'm launching a new feature on the web site this week: an interactive food and wine matcher. You simply choose a dish or a wine and it suggests complementary matches. I believe that this is one of the most comprehensive wine and food databases on the web. Please let me know your suggestions and we'll keep building it together. I hope you find it useful."

I figure some of the people in this group will enjoy learning from her database and some could be major contributors.

Here's here web address: http://www.nataliemaclean.com/index.asp

d4v3, I do not know this wine, but the mussels sound very good. You might follow 's counsel and prepare them with creme fraiche, shallots, and white wine. Should you have any wine left for the cheese course, I can offer you the benefit of wisdom shared with me some years ago. I was fortunate to attend a wine and cheese event in Paris given by a wine consultant/journalist (whose name I can no longer recall). The premise of the pairings was that the most harmonious combinations occur when the wine and cheese are from the same geographical location. Supposedly, this permits the shared terroir to be experienced. All the pairings that evening were exceptionally harmonious. We were skeptical, and even tried to see if we could achieve similar harmonies while mixing up the prescribed matches. However, it seemed that the origin-matching approach did indeed work. Still, who knows, after a few glasses of wine it all tastes good. BTW, Happy Birthday.

Sounds like a lovely wine - me, I would wait a couple of years to drink it, though, if you have any place to store it properly. And it will probably drink well until 2015 or so. The shellfish pairing is a great idea, though you do not want to go too heavy on the garlic if you are doing mussels.

dicksond wrote:Sounds like a lovely wine - me, I would wait a couple of years to drink it, though, if you have any place to store it properly. And it will probably drink well until 2015 or so.

Really? I was afraid that white wines wouldn't age well over 5 years. I can certainly hold on to it. I have it in a small rack in the basement which stays fairly cool year round.

Who is the winemaker? A quick WS search brought up one 2002 Chablis Valmur - Christian Moreau. WS gave it a 91, and ended with the comment: "Give it time, best from 2006 through 2012." This is from a 2004 tasting, at release I assume. In my experience, WS undrestimates when most wines will be at their peak, so it would be good until at least 2015.

I suspect it will be bright with more fruit now, but in 3 to 5 years it will show more complexity and more balance. In 10 years, it will be different again, but whether you would like it depends on if you like a little oxidation in your whites.

Try an old white sometime to see. This happens in about 5-6 years with a California Chard, after 10 years or more with a white burgundy.

And I do not think that some Rieslings, particularly German, but also Alsatian and Austrian, ever reach their peak - they just keep going.

The winemaker is Jean Collett et Fils. I found their website and looked up the wine (imagine that). They say the wine is slow to age and "begins" to open up in 5 to 8 years, but can be kept longer. So, I guess you are right, this one stays on the shelf for another couple of years. Though, I still want to make those mussels with cream sauce, that Josephine suggests. Any recs for a decent accompaniment for this dish that is ready now?

http://www.domaine-collet.fr/uk/chablis_grand_cru.html

Another wine I received was a 2000 Ribera del Duero from BODEGAS RESALTE DE PEÑAFIEL. The wine is made from 100% Tempranillo grapes. I am absolutely unfamiliar with Spanish wines, but my friend said I would probably like this varietal based on other wines I have liked. Is this another one that needs more time? How shall I drink this one?

thanks for everybody's insight

I have very little experience with 2000 Ribera del Dueros. Based on my limited experience, I know they are made to be drunk younger than more traditional Riojas, but it still is likely to be good for another 10 years. My guess - you are at the beginning of its drinking period so you can try it any time you wish, but it will probably be better in 3-5 years. But that is mostly a guess.

Let me think a little on the creamy mussels. I was sufficienly inspired to take out a 1999 Chablis and see if I could find some mussels to drink with it, but the restaurant I chose did not have them so I am still holding the Chablis.