WTN: Lobster Wines with Jenise Loire, Burg

Stayed over with Bob and Jenise after a lavish dinner, and was treated to a lobster boil – 2 lb. critters, butter, great salads and some interesting wines.

She pulled 3 corks so we could decide what would work best with the critters.

2003 Michel Niellon Chassagne Montrachet 1er Cru Les Vergets - decent nose with sulfur hints that did blow off, and some peachy notes. A bit simple but very pleasant in the mouth, smooth and with decent body and finish.

2008 Silex d’Orfeuilles Vouvray - quite a surprise as it kicked butt on the Burg. Excellent nose with tropical fruit and hints of cinnamon, switching over to lime in the mouth, with a long smooth finish. Went beautifully with the lobster.

2011 Lecole 41 Chenin Blanc – more lime and spice in this nose and less intensity and complexity, lighter weight but well balanced and good length.

Winner – the modestly priced Loire, loser, the high priced white Burg. Go figure.

I've found that Vouvray is an excellent match with lobster. I did the same experiment in 2004 for a lobster dinner at my sister's, in Maine, with the same results: http://www.wineloverspage.com/user_submitted/wine_notes/tn_478061.html.

Interesting, Howie. I also like the older Auslese suggestion as I have experienced excellent Rielsing and lobster pairings in the past.

[Jenise]

Bill, agree with your assessments all down the line. That Vouvray was killer, and exceptional period but especially for the price ($21 retail, though I only paid $14). Btw, re the L'Ecole, I would add that it was sweeter than the Vouvray which made it seem simpler. But later in the day, Bob and I had another glass of that and it showed a lot better with more complexity on the mid-palate and more obvious structure in the finish. Given some cellar time to lose the baby fat, it might be more like the 2010 that I fell in love just two-three months ago than I first thought.

[Jenise]

Oh, and:

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I've enjoyed Vouvray with lobster, but white Burg can be good too. The Niellon Vergers is a sentimental favorite for me, but they ripped up and replanted in mid-90s, I think 03 was first vintage back. Young vines and '03 heat probably not very compelling wine.

[Jenise]

I've enjoyed Vouvray with lobster, but white Burg can be good too. The Niellon Vergers is a sentimental favorite for me, but they ripped up and replanted in mid-90s, I think 03 was first vintage back. Young vines and '03 heat probably not very compelling wine.

You're so right, Dale. I bought that after asking a very Burg-expert friend if I should even consider it, to which he said "absolutely it's NIellon and get me a few while you're at it". Not the best advice I ever got.

[David M. Bueker]

I go for Chardonnay based Champagne, Chablis or dry Chenin (mostly Vouvray) with lobster.

2 lb bugs...small ones!

Another good combo with giant crawdads is a good Muscadet, believe it or not. Had a 2009 Bonnet-Huteau that would have done well.

[Jenise]

Another good combo with giant crawdads is a good Muscadet, believe it or not. Had a 2009 Bonnet-Huteau that would have done well.

I have a terrific one in the wine cooler, wish I'd thought of bringing that out. Same maker as the one I made Suz buy you in Bow Edison, but a different cuvee/vineyard/whatever.

No white Rhone?? Argh!

Corton Charley, Vouvray demi sec or if I may confess to heresy in some quarters a big CA chard goes fabulously.

[Jenise]

No white Rhone?? Argh!

I gave Bill pretty much free reign of the cellar to choose. Only had two candidates in that department and one of those I brought to his last brown bag lunch, so probably for that reason neither seemed to light his fire.

[Jenise]

Corton Charley, Vouvray demi sec or if I may confess to heresy in some quarters a big CA chard goes fabulously.

Don't disagree, that's usually my choice if butter's involved. But I did find myself leaning toward Burgundy that day, and I actually don't have much in the way of big CA chards at the moment. Basically I had one Hanzell, the Martin Ray I served the night before (which would have stylistically been marvellous, just too familiar), and some Mer Soleils that are way too big and something I stock for a particular annual tradition but nothing else.

We had lobster in a quite rich sauce a few days ago and it worked quite well with an Alsace Riesling Herrenweg de Turckheim 2000 from Zind-Humbrecht. This wine surprised me by its sweetness, opulence and quite low acidity (it was the last vintage before Humbrecht introduced his sweetness "indice") but it worked nevertheless. However I would have preferred a drier but rich wine like a Côte d'Or white Burg or a Vouvray demi-sec with lively acidity from, say, Foreau.

[David M. Bueker]

I've tried Northern Rhone white with lobster twice. The combination does not do it for me.

1 - yup, when given the ability to choose wines from someone's cellar, I am all over what might be new and interesting combinations instead of going for anything I know, have had recently or playing it safe (and I like to keep Mer et Soleil in a special place too - as far away from my cellar as possible! No, seriously, I know it is a well made wine, but I find it overly oaked and tedious. It appeals very much to one of the other guests at that dinner, BTW, just not so much to me.

2 - Alsatians work very well with lobster, but I agree with David that Northern Rhones aren't my first thought either.

3 - I like chenin a lot when it is well made, and for that reason was drawn to the Vouvray, which I was not familiar with, but Jenise's recco was enough to steer me that way as we have similar tastes in a lot of things. Glad I did and wish we could get that here!

4 - Last time we boiled up some lobsters, I think we had some nice Kabinetts and that worked very nicely.