Wine Tasting 04/07

 

Jean-Michel Dupre, Morgon, Vignes De 1935

 This bottle of Jean-Michel Dupre is a Cru de Beaujolais made from vines planted in 1935 from the Grand Cras sector of Morgon. It is a 2021 recolte, which means "harvest" in French, but I'm not sure if that is the same as vintage? I bought this bottle at a nice dinner with friends upon suggestion from the somm in a wine bar in Charlotte, NC

What others said:

"Whole cluster fermented, there's a nice mix of red and dark berry fruit along with more complex notions of mineral, spice, and flowers. Give it some air, and enjoy with poultry, pork, or pate and charcuterie." - Table Wine Asheville

What I thought:

Great wine!! I had never had a Beaujolais before and nobody else at the table had either. I was excited to share this bottle with my friends and they really loved the quality of it. Needless to say, I made a great impression. It was surprisingly complex for such a light wine. It's made with Gamay grapes, which Wine Folly describes on pg 113 as being "pomegranate, blackberry, violet, potting soil, and banana". I think the dark fruits really expressed themselves on the nose but felt lighter on the tongue. It was a very dry wine with mild tannins and a medium body and finish.

Wine Dinner Report 3 4/07

 

The Meal

- For the meal, I grilled a Brook Trout that I had caught from Tinker Creek in Roanoke VA, I stuffed it with lemon, bay leaves, garlic, and covered in in olive oil then threw it on the grill while I prepared the rest. My two sides were yellow rice and roasted (slightly charred) broccolini. 

The Wine

 - The wine was a 2022 Ste Chateau Michelle Riesling from Washington State (I bought it from the Vintage Cellar in Blacksburg). My mother recently introduced me to dry style Rieslings and I bought this wine based on the Windows of the World because it was a notable producer listed for Washington. I wanted to chill this Riesling but it was too tall to fit in my fridge so I put a small ice cube in it, which ended up watering it down slightly. Wine Folly uses tasting notes for Washington State Rieslings to be "Meyer Lemon, Green Melon, Gala Apple, Honeycomb, and Lime" (pg. 298)

Tasting Notes

 

- I figured this wine would contrast well with fresh grilled fish and roasted vegetables. Brook trout is a little meatier than Rainbow in my opinion, and doesn't flake as easily. Lemon adds zesty acidity to the fish which is complimented by the dry acidity of the wine, but contrasts to the aromatic garlic which the wine helps wash out of the palette. I think the wine is fairly complex with light fruity notes and high acidity, with a surprisingly long finish for what I expected.

The wine with the broccolini is especially nice, considering I slightly overcooked it in the oven. I like a little char with roasted broccoli and similar to the garlic, the wine cuts through the deep charring with a refreshing dry fruit twist. This was my favorite pairing of the meal.

The rice was just a carb addition and I quite like the yellow rice because it has a nice oniony flavor. The wine and the rice are fine together but nothing particular stood out about the pairing of the two.