Jane's Weekly Wines from the Atlanta Wine School PRINT AND GO VERSION August 31st, 2006 La Route du Chenin Blanc ************************************************************************************ Neil Joubert Chenin Blanc 2005 Paarl, SE Medium-bodied dry (.35 RS) white wine; medium golden straw. Fine fruit aromas of pear, guava and ginger, followed by pear/melon/gingerbread flavors. Zingy and crisp, with good acidity (6.1%) pushing the fruit through a long finish. Well-balanced, with all parts very well integrated. Outstanding value. South Africa claims Chenin Blanc as its most widely planted grape variety. White bean dip, fried chicken fingers with Dijon honey mustard dipping sauce; grilled scallops or garlic shrimp with tomato-infused Rémoulade sauce; cous cous salad with dates and chickpeas; fried cornmeal-crusted catfish; paella, not too hot spicy chicken sosaties (a South African skewered grilled dish) or chicken or pork satay with peanut dipping sauce, four-cheese pizza Big Boat Wine Co. $8 88 ************************************************************************************* Dry Creek Chenin Blanc 2005--Clarksburg, CA Light- to medium-bodied dry (just .5 RS) white wine; very pale yellow. Aromas of orange blossom, slight peppery note, zingy citrus zest-loaded fruit flavors finish crisply, thanks to good acidity (.66). Brisk, crisp, racy flavors refuse to bore the palate, making this perhaps the ideal aperitif wine. After the wine breathes a while, zingy grapefruit flavors emerge. Fermented in stainless steel..A serious Chenin Blanc producer since 1981, Dry Creek Vineyards, whose owner David Stare formed much of his wine philosophy from visits to the Loire Valley, remains one of America's top Chenin Blanc producers. Great value! Usually medals at Rendez-Vous du Chenin. Tarragon-flavored chicken salad; grilled scallops or fried shrimp with Rémoulade or Tartar sauce; fried catfish or other mild fish with Tartar sauce; avocado stuffed with shrimp salad; chicken pot pie, crab-stuffed flounder, tilapia, shrimp or sole; crab cakes. A consistent "best" winner at the Pacific Coast Oyster Wine Competition. Apalachiacola oysters with or without lemon are gorgeous with this wine. Atlanta Wine Wholesale/NDC $13 90 ************************************************************************************* L'Ecole No. 41 Chenin Blanc 2005 Rattlesnake Hills, WA Medium-bodied slightly off-dry white wine; medium pale straw. Aromas of Asian pear apple, pear, touch of quince, rich, broad palate flavors focus on luscious pear, with a touch of white stone fruit. Fermented in stainless steel, but the resulting wine is not steely, but instead rich with fruit flavors and minerals. Complex, long-finished, and just a touch exotic. Brisk acidity (.78). L'Ecole No. 41 has been producing Chenin Blanc since 1987. Grapes are from the Willard Family Farms vineyard, planted in 1979. Curried chicken salad with raisins; all sorts of mildly spicy (but not hot) Asian/Indian dishes; avocado stuffed with shrimp salad; chicken salad with mango and chutney; dishes with light ginger; dim sum. Doesn't pair well with simply seasoned fare, as it tends to dominate. Atlanta Wholesale Wine/NDC $15 93 ************************************************************************************* Tuart Street Chenin Blanc 2004 Margaret River, AU Light- to medium-bodied very slightly off-dry white wine; medium straw. Melon and pear rule the aromas, and the palate follows through with companion flavors, adding a suggestion of quince at the close. Juicy fruitiness. Silky textured, thanks partly to the residual sugar. Altogether a "nice drop," as the Aussies like to say. Cornmeal-crusted catfish, crab cakes, crab-stuffed flounder or shrimp, mild Masasman curries, shrimp and grits, tarragon chicken salad with almonds, fried chicken tenders with Dijon honey mustard, grilled or fried shrimp or oysters with Rémoulade sauce, bac0n-wrapped grilled scallops, lemon chicken with caramelized onions and black olives. Winery suggests roast lamb, steak and chocolate, all of which seem too weird for words. Georgia rock shrimp would be a better bet. Big Boat Wine Co. $23 87 ************************************************************************************* François Chidaine Clos Baudoin Vouvray 2004 Vouvray, Loire Valley, France Medium-bodied dry white wine; medium golden straw. Subtle aromas of Golden Delicious apples, with notes of citrus and distinctive minerality joining these Golden Delicious flavors on the palate. Supremely elegant, crisp, with a graceful lingering finish, slight honey note, backed up by lively acidity. The wine is still tight, and will gain generosity and complexity with time. Potential aging, if correctly cellared, for as much as another decade. Neutral oak. Clos Baudoin has been owned by the Poniatowski family, relatives of the last king of Poland, since 1918. Longtime champion of Chenin Blanc, Philippe Poniatowski, who served in the French Résistance, has entered into a working relationship with François Chidane, a highly regarded champion of Chenin Blanc from the competing side of the river in Mountlouis, Chidane is an exponent of organic and biodynamic practices. Grilled scallops with creamy and slightly spicy sauces, such as Rémoulade, delicate Chinese seafood dishes, not-too-spicy Thai fare, such as Massaman curry; cornmeal-crusted catfish, mild fish with creamy sauces, crab-stuffed fish or shrimp, deep-fried oysters, crab mousse, soft-shell crabs, fish or shrimp and grits, quenelles de brochet Lynda Allison Cellar Selections 94 $25 ************************************************************************************* Domaine du Clos Naudin Vouvray "Sec" 2001 Vouvray, France Medium-bodied dry white wine; medium golden straw. Aromas of toasted cashew nuts with touches of honey and citrus,; flavors continue the same theme, with toasted components and very ripe fruit. In the glass, components integrate, and a certain tartness emerges. Silky texture, with good acidity yielding a bracing, long finish. Complex, with touches of wet straw. Beginning to present classic evolved fruit characters of a French Chenin Blanc. Creamy crab mousse; cous cous salad with dates and chickpeas; grilled scallops with Rémoulade sauce; tarragon chicken salad with almonds, spit-roasted chicken; mild curries (Massaman vry good), mild baked fish with crab stuffing, paella with saffron, goat cheese Quality Wine & Spirits $30 90