Getting Some Tail
Cracking claws over here, pullin’ apart tails over there, man it was a sight to see. I got some much-needed use out of my lobster crackers and only ended up knocking over one glass of wine… not a bad night for me.
Lip smacking white wines and lobster. Put these two side by side and most seafood lovers and winos will thoroughly thank you. I know I would. To top it off lets pair this lobster up with some bottles that are all $15 or under. If you are dropping the cash for lobsters and can get away with keeping the budget in line with some nice bottles for $15 or less, might as well. So that is the way I went.
First I ordered four 1.5-pound live hard-shell Maine lobsters.Then I went and picked out four white wines that I felt could nicely accompany the crustaceans during my feast. The lobsters arrived the next morning at 11:00, via FedEx. I let them hang out in my fridge for a couple of hours and they were rarin’ to go. They were very lively as if they had just gotten out of their tank, and they wanted a piece of me, I could tell. But I sidestepped them and into the boiling pot they went. I did the standard New England Boil for these guys.
• Big old pot of boiling H2O
• 2 Bay leaves
• Couple pinches of Salt
• Couple squeezes of lemon juice
• 2 Sticks of Butter
• 2 Lemon wedges
While those four slowly turned a bright red over about 12 minutes time, I got the fresh cole slaw ready, pulled the bread out of the oven, finished sautéing up the potatoes and melting three sticks of butter.
I picked out a white Burgundy, two California Chards and a Pinot Gris from Oregon. I wanted some medium to full-bodied whites with some nice upfront flavors that would work with the sweet lobster meat. The first was a 2000 Domaine de La Folie “Clos La Folie” Rully. This wine is a 100% Chardonnay from the Cote Chalonnaise region of Burgundy, just south of the Cote de Beaune. I like this wine for its value and sturdiness when it comes to pairing with food. The next two were California Chards from the Central Coast.
A 1999 Babcock Chardonnay from Santa Barbara and a 1999 Mirassou Chardonnay from Monterey. Both have some nice upfront fruit, oakiness and a very full mouth feel that I like with lobster. The last was a 1999 Cristom Pinot Gris from the Willamette Valley in Oregon. This wine I have had recently and enjoyed it tonight with the meal a lot better than I did while tasting it solo.
Once those lobsters were done and the table was set, I went to work. Cracking claws over here, pullin’ apart tails over there, man it was a sight to see. I got some much-needed use out of my lobster crackers and only ended up knocking over one glass of wine. Not a bad night for me. The lobsters were great and this is how the wines turned out.
Domaine de La Folie
2000 “Clos La Folie” Rully
Good goldish yellow color with some refrained aromas of mild fresh pear. This is a full style Rully, not as crisp and tight as some, but rather fatter and fuller. Nice broad body. Creamy lemon flavors that have some mineral hints and a depth that is impressive for this price. The Cote Chalonnaise region of Burgundy is a great starting point before you bump up to the $30-$130 bottles from the Cote de Beaune.
Babcock
1999 Santa Barbara County Chardonnay
Thick and yellow with a solid core and strong aromas of pineapple. Rich and full bodied with some nice balance in taste with the oak really showing through. Tropical fruit flavors and oak penetrate and dominate. Babcock has put together excellent Chards for a while now and keeps up the great work with this 1999. This Chard spent 6 months in seasoned and new French Oak and has an alluring spice to it that carries across the tongue nicely.
Mirassou
1999 “Coastal Selection” Monterey County Chardonnay
Mirassou has been there from the beginning. The first in Monterey. Six generations later they are still doing things right. This is their entry level Chard and it makes it easy to stay at this level with some engaging wines from this “Coastal Selection”. Bright yellow in color and very full of big aromas. The melon and pineapple tropical flavors have a balance of acidity that works just fine. I think of this wine as one that has a potential to surprise many folks when you give them the price tag. Some smokiness comes across at first and then fades into the nice smooth oak. Nice full finish with a crisp apple ending.
Cristom
1999 Oregon-Washington Pinot Gris
This wine was my attempt to get something a bit lighter in body and style into the mix. It worked but showed that it had some “umph” to contribute. This is a very nice Pinot Gris from Oregon that is a blend of juice from four vineyards. Three from the Willamette Valley (81%) and one from Washington (19%). Clear and light straw in color with aromas of pealed apple and some earthy spice. This has some weight to it and shows the body some Oregon Pinot Gris are getting. Ripe fruit flavors blend in with the hints of earthiness. The flavors penetrate and the citrus comes out into the sides of your mouth. Very nice wine for the price and I would recommend it in a heartbeat.
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