White Burgundy

If I was going to design weather for any particular day I could never do better than what we experienced here yesterday. It started with a cool, clear morning and progressed to a sunny afternoon and evening. There was little or no humidity, there was a breeze for the entire day and the temperature range was from the upper 50's in the morning to a high of 79 in the afternoon. "Almost perfect" is the only term to describe it.

That same term could apply to last night's wine, a 2005 Verget Macon Bussieres "Vigne de Montbrison." The wine was medium weight and smelled of a cisip apple with an overlay of pineapple and a touch of melon. The wine was tart with acid but mellowed out with a light touch of oak that was very restrained. The oak was a highlight and not an overwhelming part of the wine. There was the same restraint when it came to the taste of butter. It was perceptible, but it complimented the crisp fruit rather than trying to either overpower it or become the central focus. At the end it was still that last little bit of acid that left one with the desire for another glass.

The best part may have been the $20 price sticker still on the bottle. I bought the wine two years ago and it has been gently againg since then. It's not the best white Burgundy I've ever had, not even close; but it may have been the best $20 white Burgundy. There is one more in the cellar.

Dinner was fresh Alaskan halibut dusted with chipotle powder then pan seared on the grill. When the fish was cooked some herb butter, white wine and lemon juice were added to the hot skillet and swirled to make a sauce. There were carrots and shallots and a small salad to go with the fish.

After dinner we sat outside and watched as the first hummingbird of the year buzzed the feeder after flying in from Central America. The after dinner nectar was a 1997 Smith Woodhouse vintage port. A perfect evening to end a nearly perfect day.