Torrontes

It has been several years since I opened a bottle of Torrontes from Argentina but after picking up a chicken at the market I walked through the wine section and there was a mark-down on price for one.  In this case it was a Bodega El Porvenir de Cafayate Laborum, a single vineyard Torrontes from the 2012 vintage. 

The chicken was spatchcocked and tossed on the charcoal grill and the wine chilled a bit while the chicken was cooking.  Then while the chicken was resting I poured the first glass.

A bright and perky nose of lemon peel and a bit of fresh spring herbs gave a lot of promise to the wine.  The upfront taste was grapefruit and lemon with just a bit of herb underneath those two flavors.  The acid was very sharp and forceful and there was good body to the wine.  When it came to the finish the wine fell apart for me.  As I swallowed the last bit there was sweetness at the end that did not fit.  This wasn't a sweetness of residual sugar, it was more like a dose of artificial sweetener.  It tasted like saccharine.  I rarely drink soft drinks and when I do I avoid the diet version because of the after taste I get from the artificial sweeteners used.  This wine reminded me of a lemon / lime diet soft drink.  There's a good bit left in the bottle and it will get a shot at redemption tonight.

2012 Bodega El Porvenir de Cafayate Laborum.  13.5% alcohol and $12.

Rain

“But after I got them to leave and shut the door and turned off the light it wasn't any good. It was like saying good-by to a statue. After a while I went out and left the hospital and walked back to the hotel in the rain.” 

Ernest Hemingway, A Farewell to Arms

Halibut

The Cotes du Rhone Blanc was discussed below, but here is the meal that went with it. The Alaskan halibut got only salt and white pepper before being pan seared and then popped into a hot oven for six minutes.   The sweet potato sticks were coated with olive oil, then dusted with a mixture of hot, smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper and baked for about half an hour in the same oven. 

When the fish was done some lemon juice, a splash of the wine and some butter went into the skillet and that made a quick pan sauce for the fish.  Good meal.

Cotes du Rhone Blanc

Dinner was sort of a Yin/Yang affair tonight.  There was fresh Alaskan halibut pan seared and oven roasted that was sweet, mild and fresh.  On the other hand there were a good bunch of spicy sweet potato fries baked the oven after being tossed with olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder and spicy, smoked paprika. 

The wine was a 2011 Famile Perrin (Perrin famiily) Cotes du Rhone Blanc Reserve.  Light gold in the glass and smelling more of summer than spring with some mature flower blossoms predominating.  Medium bodied wine that had full flavors of pears, peaches and a tiny bit of funk.  The wine didn't dominate the fish but neither was it dominated by the spicy sweet potatoes.  Nice balance and a good finish made it the perfect middleground for the two foods.

The wine is blend of Grenache Blanc, Marsanne, Roussanne and Viognier. 

2011 Famile Perrin Cotes du Rhone Blanc Reserve.  13% alcohol and $11.  Good buy.

Spring

“When spring came, even the false spring, there were no problems except where to be happiest. The only thing that could spoil a day was people and if you could keep from making engagements, each day had no limits. People were always the limiters of happiness except for the very few that were as good as spring itself.”

 Ernest Hemingway, A Moveable Feast

Artichokes

Scott, the dog, and I have been traveling for a week and it was very good to get home. The house was devoid of food but on a trip to the market I found the first of the globe artichokes of the spring.  These two came home with me. 

They were sliced and diced and peeled and quartered.  When they were finally clean they were blanched.  After all of that they were sauteed with some mushrooms, thyme and fresh tarragon in olive oil and butter.   Some cream went into the pan at the last minute.  The last thing in the pan was some fresh pasta.  Everything was tossed together, topped with a few grind of Pecorino Romano and dinner was ready. 

Artichokes are almost impossible to match with wine so instead there were a couple Southside Fizzes that matched up well.  That's Plymouth gin, some lemon juice, simple syrup and fresh mint all mixed together and topped with some seltzer water. 

Pink

A glass of Le Grande Bouqueteau discussed in the post below this one.   The glass has a pink stem.