Abymes

It's been a hectic week here with all the rain and storms continuing. Fortunately for us in southwest Ohio the major flooding has stayed to the west and northwest of us, though we have had some nasty downpours, including one about two hours ago. If the flooding moves this way it's comforting to live on a hilltop.

Very nice dinner tonight, and quite simple. I marinated a small swordfish steak in fresh rosemary, olive oil, garlic and lemon peel for twenty minutes. It was pan seared over high heat just to brown each side then tossed in a hot oven for another seven minutes. That was just long enough to steam some fresh asparagus. Toss in a toasted slice of garlic bread and it was a meal far beyond its simple preparation.

The wine was very interesting. It was a 2006 Domaine Labbe Abymes from the Savoie region of France. Light and pleasant on the nose it just reeked of limestone. What fruit that was there was tart green grapes, green apples, and citrus peel, but the minerality just shone through. It was crisp on the taste with a definite sweet spot in the middle and then finished with a dry, tart taste. Nice medium length and definitely palate cleansing. The sweet spot in the middle was almost Riesling-esque.

It went down very easily with the swordfish and actually stood up to the asparagus, which really accented that sweet spot. Very interesting wine and for $11 a very good buy.