Wine Club 34: Battle Chardonnay and bonus books

Date: January 26th, 2013
Host: Kim
Served: Charcuterie Cones, Chicken Florentine Artichoke Bake
Bonus bottles (from the Host's personal inventory): Three Lakes Winery Old Glory, Simon Creek Chocolate Port
Bonus books: some miscellaneous cookbooks free from Christine's work, including a food-and-wine pairing course that inspired today's selections


Leese-Fitch Chardonnay

Leese-Fitch Chardonnay 2011 (Napa, CA, USA), 13.5% alcohol, $10 at Metro Market

Kim says (15): I'm not sure if a wine can smell smooth but this one did! Smooth, sweet and floral, like apple blossoms. I was pleasantly surprised by the taste of tart green apples.

Andrea says (15): This Chardonnay was a pale golden color with clear edges. I loved the bouquet - pear, honey, apricot, peach and a little floral. The taste was drier than the smell had suggested, I thought it would be sweeter. But I thought it went well with Kim's pasta and tasted of honey and apple.

Christine says (14.5): I was excited to try this wine, since we had all liked the Leese-Fitch Cabernet when we met the first time, nearly a year ago. I smelled peaches and honey in a nice bouquet. The wine was surprisingly dry and tasted of apples. I thought it was a bit oaky and could've had a bit more finesse. It was good, though, and on the dry side, as the guy who helped me at the store had promised.

Beaulieu Vineyard Chardonnay

Beaulieu Vineyard Chardonnay 2008 (Carneros, Napa Valley, CA, USA), 14.5% alcohol, $21 at Metro Market

Kim says (12.5): A deep, vibrant gold, this Chardonnay smelled like... well, alcohol. And hiding beneath that was the faint smell of peaches. I feel that 12.5 isn't a fair score (I liked it much better than that) but that's the way the points fell... color, bouquet, sugar and finish were all missed opportunities. But the really exciting thing is that thanks to this wine, a mystery has been solved! When tasting a wine (until now, it has always been a red), I have occasionally come across something that smells almost like black pepper but not quite. Something earthy, aggressive and masculine; not hot spicy but spice spicy. As I struggled to describe it, Andrea came up with a perfect word for it- something with bite. After scoring this wine, we read the label and found a likely suspect listed in the description. Just to make sure, we grabbed it off of my spice rack, crushed the grounds to release the smell and stuck our nose in it. Sure enough: nutmeg!

Andrea says (15.5): I think that the best word to describe this wine was "smooth." The color was a rich, deep gold. The first thing I smelled was also alcohol and the peppery bite that Kim described. Eventually I could make out a sweeter, tropical smell, maybe mango, apricot or pineapple? The mouth feel was rich smooth and mild. I could taste honey and vanilla but very subtle, no distinct flavors to jump out at you. I think this wine would go great with most meals, very complimentary.

Christine says (16): Most striking thing about the wine was its very intense and  deep gold color. I could only detect alcohol in the bouquet. And though the wine smelled and tasted good, it was hard to identify any one thing (slight taste of honey and pear). This was a bit more $$ than we usually have, and I do think the wine tasted expensive (at least in relative terms). But I'd contribute that to its rich, full mouthfeel rather than typical characteristics like aroma and flavor profile. I preferred it over the Leese-Fitch Chardonnay with both the yummy Soppressata appetizers (stuffed with radicchio and pepperoncini...bold flavors) and the creamy chicken pasta. Our nutmeg experiment was interesting...subtle, but definitely there.

Simon Creek Chocolate Port and a chilled glass of Old Glory

Simon Creek Chocolate Port (Madera, CA, USA), 19% alcohol, $16/500mL at Simon Creek Winery

Kim says (17): I came across this wine at a tasting and liked it enough to buy it but I had forgotten how gosh darn good it is! Given its high alcohol content, I was surprised that all I could smell was chocolate. Not sickly-sweet... a port with a nice long finish and exceptional appeal. Limited application yes, but excellent for what it's supposed to be!

Andrea says (17): Kim was nice enough to let us indulge her chocolate port, and I am a sucker for the sweet stuff. It was thick and dark purple. Completely opaque in the center with fushia edges. I could smell chocolate, alcohol and Tootsie Roll. The taste was delicious - strawberry, raspberry, chocolate, vanilla and a cream soda/root beer flavor. I was a fan!

Christine says (17): Velvety brown; rich chocolatey smell; aroma of Tootsie Pops and definitely cream soda, a scent that Andrea keyed in on. What else can I say? I like all those things, so found this port super-yummy. I'd have this for dessert all by itself (in fact, that's just what we did!).

Chicken Florentine Artichoke Bake, serves 6-8
8 oz bow tie pasta
1 small onion
1 T butter
2 eggs
1 1/4 C milk
1 t dried Italian seasoning
1/2 t salt
1/4 t crushed red pepper (optional)
2 C cooked, chopped chicken
2 C shredded Monterey Jack cheese (8oz)
1 14-oz can artichoke hearts, drained and quartered
1 10-oz package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1/2 C grated Parmesan cheese, divided

1/2 C bread crumbs
1/2 t paprika
1 T butter, melted

1. Cook pasta, drain.
2. Cook onion in 1 T butter over medium heat about 5 min or until tender. Remove from heat, set aside.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, seasoning, salt, crushed red pepper.
4. Stir in the chicken, shredded cheese, artichokes, spinach, tomatoes, half the Parmesan, cooked pasta and onion.
5. Transfer to a 3-qt rectangular baking dish and bake covered for 20min at 350°.
6. In a small bowl, combine remaining Parmesan, bread crumbs, paprika and melted butter. Sprinkle over pasta.
7. Bake uncovered 10 more minutes or until golden.