Tuesday, April 10, 2012

A Nice Day for a Wine Wedding

Whew!  That was one wine-derful weekend.  I reflect as I savor the few remaining sips of my last bottle of MacPhail 2010 Rose (100% Pinot Noir = delicious)...

The Mrs. and I had the privilege of attending a relative's wedding in New Orleans - and all the associated events - over the weekend.  It was one of the most interesting and enjoyable weekends for us in a while.  My relative, the bride, was born and raised in Louisiana, but she has lived in Europe for eight years.  Her groom is from Denmark, where the two met.  During their courtship, the couple has lived in Copenhagen, Zurich and, most recently, Sao Paulo, Brazil...making friends along the way.  The wedding guests and attendants were a fantastic 50-50 mix of foreigners and Southerners, and the ceremony and reception were a perfectly-designed blend of Southern U.S. and Danish traditions.  The Big Man Upstairs also helped out on this holiest of weekends with some primo weather.  Blue skies, temps in the low 80s, and nary a drop of humidity.  For New Orleans in April, it doesn't get much better.

Just your usual Danish-Louisianian nuptials at the Montegut House in the French Quarter


But this ain't one of those "wedding blogs".  What gives?

Just setting the stage, my friends. To the wine!

First, we had an incredible meal at a newer restaurant with an interesting wine list, which will be the subject of my next blog...stay tuned.

And now...the rest of the wine story.  My relative, after trying some of the California wines I brought to our family Thanksgiving dinner (Kunde Estates Chardonnay and Four Vines The Maverick Zinfandel), decided she wanted to serve hand-picked American wines at her reception (which included a three-hour, sit-down dinner) instead of the the standard caterer plonk.  She asked me to send her several American Chardonnays and Zinfandels that she could ask her caterer to source, that would pair with a Euro-Louisiana dinner of gumbo, crab cakes, filet mignon, and cheeses.  She also asked me about the caterer's sparkling wine offering, Cristalino Cava, which I promptly advised her to stick with (it's a consistently good value bubbly).

The results were some ol' reliables:  Chateau Ste. Michelle Columbia Valley Chardonnay and Bogle Old Vines California Zinfandel.  The Chardonnay, with its tropical flavors, creamy-smooth texture, and crisp acidity was a decent match with the spicy duck and sausage gumbo, crab cake, and cheeses.  The spicy, berry-vanilla Zin was an even better match for the gumbo, as well as the filet.  For a reception dinner that required some reasonably-priced, representative, delicious U.S. wines that could be consumed in mass quantities, the Chateau Ste. Michelle and Bogle fit the bill.

We wrapped up our festive weekend with a classic Easter dinner with family and friends at the hacienda.  Our Easter wines?  The MacPhail Rose I'm finishing off now, and a 2008 Acacia Pinot Noir DeSoto Vineyard.  The bottle of Acacia is a remnant from last summer's trip to Napa and Sonoma.  I remember it well...sitting outside at the picnic table at Acacia winery...with a server who claimed to be a "super taster" (but refused a blind tasting challenge several times)...on a cool and windy afternoon.  While we sampled A LOT of wines, and some details are...er...hazy, two wines still stand out:  the 2008 Lone Tree Vineyard and DeSoto Vineyard Pinots.  We couldn't take it and uncorked the Lone Tree months ago, but I've been coddling the DeSoto for a special occasion.  Easter definitely qualifies.

One tasty Easter vino


Acacia Vineyard, located on the Napa side of the Carneros appellation, was acquired by the massive beverage conglomerate Diageo a few years ago.  While the new owner has used the Acacia brand to push some massed-produced wines that aren't even made at the winery (see:  "A" by Acacia), Acacia still makes some incredible single-vineyard Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays that are only available at the winery.  The DeSoto Vineyard lies just East of the Acacia Vineyard, and enjoys the characteristic cool breezes and clay soils that give Carneros its identity.  The wine smells of cherry, spice, and savory earth.  Our bottle wasn't oxidized, but you can smell the ripeness of the wine.  2008 was an uneven year, climate-wise, but I find Carneros wines from this vintage are ripe and immediately approachable.  The DeSoto was a mouthful of big, ripe fruit on the initial attack. Then, the classic loamy earth and mineral notes from Carneros take over.  The fruit comes back on the finish, which was a little hot, probably due to the 14.8% alcohol, again indicative of a riper vintage.  The "heat" from the alcohol kept the wine from being a memorable comrade to our meal of smoked ham, hashbrown casserole, and baked beans, but it was still pretty darn good.  The rose also made for an excellent pairing, and was crisp and refreshing with our meal outdoors.

Stay tuned for more from my wine-derful weekend.




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