It's been a while since I've done a Famous Drunk Guys post, so what better way to get back to it than with one of my favorite composers, Frederic Chopin? Name another composer besides maybe Liszt who, when played right, makes women want to swoon, cry, and make love all at the same time. One of my college profs attributed the magical effects of Chopin to his frequent use of the partially diminished seventh chord. I learned his Nocturne in B Flat minor, Opus 9, No. 1 in college, and it's the piece I think about when I ponder going back to playing piano. This guy plays it much better than I ever could.
So, what do you drink while listening to Chopin, swooning, crying, and maybe even making love? French wine, of course! I've picked out a few options, one white and two reds, from our recent (and not so recent) adventures:
Le Grande Noir (Coteaux de L’Ardeche): 70% Chardonnay, 30% Viognier
Gardenia-peach with lime nose. The body has the fruit/floral characteristics of the Viognier plus the citrus chard backbone.
Rating: Very Good
(Available at Feast Restaurant in Decatur)
And then a favorite from our Belgium trip:
2007 La Sartan (Cotes du Ventoux, France)
A blend of Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, and Cinsault, it's full-bodied, fruity with enough oak and butter to make it silky, and nicely balanced, as it went well with food and on its own.
I'm not sure about the U.S. availability of the La Sartan, so you could try to find the 2007 Janasse Cotes du Rhone Terre d'Argile (Rhone Valley, France): 40% Grenache, 30% Syrah, and 30% Mourvedre
Super fruity.
Rating: Very Good to Excellent
(Quality Wines and Spirits distributor)
Whatever you open, light some candles, eat some buttery food, and make it a romantic night to celebrate the birth of this remarkable Romantic-era composer!
Showing posts with label Le Grande Noir. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Le Grande Noir. Show all posts
Monday, March 1, 2010
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Tasting Notes: Flight Night at Feast
Okay, I'm not sure exactly what Feast calls its Tuesday night wine special because it's not on the web site. We heard about it through their email list. Tune in on Thursday to see Hubby's and my (but mostly his) idea for addressing this lack of centralized wine special info.
Here's the deal: go to Feast on Tuesday night, and for $10, you get four tastes of any of the wines that are available by the glass. We like Feast, we weren't doing anything last Tuesday, and miraculously, we were both home by 6:30, so we decided to try it out. Since there were two of us, we got to try eight. You can get them one (or two) at a time or have them bring out all eight at once. Yeah, if you know us, you can easily picture us having eight glasses of wine lined up at the table.
The wines (no vintages listed on menu):
Cypress Sauvignon Blanc (California):
Light-bodied. Floral nose and grapefruit-citrus palate.
Rating: Good
Santa Julia Organica (Argentina): 100% Torrontes
Peachy-honey-herbal nose. Floral on the palate with a grassy finish.
Rating: Very Good
Martin Codax Albarino (Spain):
Honey, tropical fruit, and wet sheep nose. Mineral and stone fruit on the palate.
Rating: Good
Le Grande Noir (Coteaux de L’Ardeche): 70% Chardonnay, 30% Viognier
Gardenia-peach with lime nose. The body has the fruit/floral characteristics of the Viognier plus the citrus chard backbone.
Rating: Very Good
Roseum Vina Robles (Paso Robles):
Cran-strawberry nose. Very light-bodied with good acidity and little fruit kick to finish. It wants food and brings out the flavor of cheese. Also remarkable in that it's a pink wine that Hubby liked.
Rating: Very Good w/ food
La Monica Montepulciano (Abruzzo):
Leather-raisin nose, but a strumpet with only a light body with ripe fruit.
Rating: Okay
French Maid Pinot Noir (Pays d'Oc):
Butter and dark fruit all the way through. Very smooth with a little smoky oak. According to Hubby, "black forest cake in a glass."
Rating: Excellent
Delas Feres Cotes du Rhone (Rhone Valley): Syrah, Mourvedre and Grenache
Dark fruit & spice with a lingering finish and a hint of herb.
Rating: Good to Very Good
We worked on the wines through the meal, so I don't have specific pairings. We started with the "Mushroom Chips," breaded and lightly fried slices of mushrooms served with a creamy dipping sauce. We then split a large Feast salad. Here's a hint: the small salad is $6; the large is $10, but if you split it, there's a $3 sharing fee. So, two small salads are $1 cheaper than splitting a large. Hubby had the Cedar Planked Atlantic Salmon, which he pronounced to be very good. I went for the Shrimp, Spinach, Mushroom, and Tomato Pizza, which would've been better without the strong-tasting shrimp. For dessert, I had to have my favorite -- the Kahlua cake. Hubby had a glass of port.
Yeah, the wines were the main attraction that evening, although Feast is still one of my favorites in Decatur for a casual dinner. If you're not familiar with wine, try sitting at the bar. We observed two wine newbies being guided through the process by the very knowledgeable bartender. Just skip the shrimp pizza and get your own salad.
Here's the deal: go to Feast on Tuesday night, and for $10, you get four tastes of any of the wines that are available by the glass. We like Feast, we weren't doing anything last Tuesday, and miraculously, we were both home by 6:30, so we decided to try it out. Since there were two of us, we got to try eight. You can get them one (or two) at a time or have them bring out all eight at once. Yeah, if you know us, you can easily picture us having eight glasses of wine lined up at the table.
The wines (no vintages listed on menu):
Cypress Sauvignon Blanc (California):
Light-bodied. Floral nose and grapefruit-citrus palate.
Rating: Good
Santa Julia Organica (Argentina): 100% Torrontes
Peachy-honey-herbal nose. Floral on the palate with a grassy finish.
Rating: Very Good
Martin Codax Albarino (Spain):
Honey, tropical fruit, and wet sheep nose. Mineral and stone fruit on the palate.
Rating: Good
Le Grande Noir (Coteaux de L’Ardeche): 70% Chardonnay, 30% Viognier
Gardenia-peach with lime nose. The body has the fruit/floral characteristics of the Viognier plus the citrus chard backbone.
Rating: Very Good
Roseum Vina Robles (Paso Robles):
Cran-strawberry nose. Very light-bodied with good acidity and little fruit kick to finish. It wants food and brings out the flavor of cheese. Also remarkable in that it's a pink wine that Hubby liked.
Rating: Very Good w/ food
La Monica Montepulciano (Abruzzo):
Leather-raisin nose, but a strumpet with only a light body with ripe fruit.
Rating: Okay
French Maid Pinot Noir (Pays d'Oc):
Butter and dark fruit all the way through. Very smooth with a little smoky oak. According to Hubby, "black forest cake in a glass."
Rating: Excellent
Delas Feres Cotes du Rhone (Rhone Valley): Syrah, Mourvedre and Grenache
Dark fruit & spice with a lingering finish and a hint of herb.
Rating: Good to Very Good
We worked on the wines through the meal, so I don't have specific pairings. We started with the "Mushroom Chips," breaded and lightly fried slices of mushrooms served with a creamy dipping sauce. We then split a large Feast salad. Here's a hint: the small salad is $6; the large is $10, but if you split it, there's a $3 sharing fee. So, two small salads are $1 cheaper than splitting a large. Hubby had the Cedar Planked Atlantic Salmon, which he pronounced to be very good. I went for the Shrimp, Spinach, Mushroom, and Tomato Pizza, which would've been better without the strong-tasting shrimp. For dessert, I had to have my favorite -- the Kahlua cake. Hubby had a glass of port.
Yeah, the wines were the main attraction that evening, although Feast is still one of my favorites in Decatur for a casual dinner. If you're not familiar with wine, try sitting at the bar. We observed two wine newbies being guided through the process by the very knowledgeable bartender. Just skip the shrimp pizza and get your own salad.
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