Wine and Cheese Pairing - Chardonnay & Two Pinot Noirs

Earlier in the semester, a friend and I got together with three wines and three cheeses to see if we could pair them well.  We went with a 2013 Cavit Pinot Noir, 2013 Franic Coppola Chardonnay, and a 2013 Leo Hillinger Pinot Noir for the wines, with chevrion buche, mahone, and smoked gouda as our cheese options.  

I tried the three wines on their own first to see which I liked best without the cheese, and I found the Cavit Pinot Noir to be my favorite out of the three.  It was a very subtle, lighter-tasting Pinot Noir with berry notes.  The Chardonnay had a strong pear nose and taste, while the Leo Hillinger Pinot Noir was much stronger and drier than the Cavit.

The smoked gouda was the hardest cheese we had, so we chose to try that with both of the Pinot Noirs.  I didn't find that it enhanced the flavors of either of those wines, but I think it would be great to try them with a hard, mild cheese to bring out the fruity, berry flavors in both.  I found that the Cavit Pinot Noir paired decently with the mahone cheese, since it was a softer, lighter Pinot Noir, the berry notes were brought out by the softer cheese.

The best pairing was easily the chevrion buche with the Chardonnay.  The soft, creamy cheese brought out so much of the crisp pear flavors, especially at the back of the mouth.  We didn't eat much of the smoked gouda, but the chevrion buche was gone very quickly.

I think we could have gone with a better option for the third cheese rather than smoked gouda, maybe a hard cheddar of some sort.  Overall though, I think this pairing was a success, and look forward to trying it again.

              

Dinner - Salmon, Pinot Noir, Red Blend, Chardonnay

This week, a couple of friends and I got together with three bottles of wine and made a nice dinner at home.  For the entree, we marinated some salmon filets in maple syrup and threw those on the grill.  To round off the meal, we steamed some broccoli and cooked some rice pilaf for a nice variety in flavors in textures to pair with our wines.

The wines we tried were a 2010 Okanogan Pinot Noir, a 2012 Thorny Rose red blend, and a 2012 Macon-Peronne Le Clou Chardonnay.  On their own, I liked the Pinot Noir the best.  It had a very earthy nose with a strong, dry palate.  The Thorny Rose red blend was not so great, with subtle cherry flavors in it.  I enjoyed the crisp, tart flavor of the Le Clou Chardonnay, it didn't pair as well with the meal as the other two wines.

When paired with the food, I liked the Okanogan Pinot Noir with the salmon the best.  The earthy notes and maple glaze on the salmon went very well together, and the flavors in one were accentuated by the other.  The Le Clou Chardonnay went surprisingly well with the rice pilaf, with a nice contrast between the starchy texture of the pilaf and the crisp bite of the Chardonnay.  The Thorny Rose went decently with the salmon, but nowhere near as well as the Pinot Noir.  

 

Overall, I really enjoyed this dinner.  The Okanogan Pinot Noir was my favorite wine, both on its own and paired with the food.  I was surprised in my capability of knowing whether a wine went well with a certain dish, and look forward to having this experience again soon.

Tasting - "Blackstone Pinot Noir"

Name: Blackstone Pinot Noir

Variety: Pinot Noir

Region: California

Country: USA

Year: 2013

Price: $7.49

Winery review: "Shows bright flavors of black cherry and raspberry with notes of vanilla and nutmeg."

My review: Bright ruby red color, nice fruity nose.  Dry palate full of berry and cherry flavors, with a sharp finish that tapers off quickly.  I liked this a lot.

Tasting - "Duck Commander Triple Threat Red Blend"

Name: Duck Commander Triple Threat Red Blend

Variety: Zinfandel, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon

Region: California

Country: USA

Year: 2012

Price: $10.49

Winery review: "Fruit forward, silky and soft, with fresh, ripe, jam-like fruit flavors."

My review: I bought this mostly for the novelty, but it actually turned out pretty good.  It has a deep purple color with a medium fruity nose, and very rich, dark fruit flavors with a bold finish.

Tasting - "667 Pinot Noir"

Name: 667 Pinot Noir

Variety: Pinot Noir

Region: California

Country: USA

Year: 2012

Price: $12.99

Winery review: "This Pinot Noir offers a modern expression of the classic style: the smooth, rich mouthfeel is framed with gentle tannins and luscious cherry, black pepper and floral notes."

My review: Very rich, fruity nose, with a surprisingly smooth texture and palate.  Not harsh at all, with a mild finish.  I liked this very much, and I paired it with a steak which helped bring out the cherry flavors in the wine.

Tasting - "Las Rocas Garnacha"

Name: Las Rocas Garnacha

Variety: Garnacha

Region: Calatayud

Country: Spain

Year: 2011

Price: $13.49

Winery review: "Our Garnacha offers a taste as uniquely intriguing as its origin, with exotic dark cherry and blackberry flavors.  This wine is well-structured with round tannins and subtle hints of oak."

My review: Sweet cherry nose, possible hints of plum.  Surprisingly dry and tart when it hits the tongue with a very oaky finish.  Had with havarti cheese which softened some of the oakiness of the wine, which made it more palatable for me.  

Tasting - "Arrow Creek Meritage"

Name: Arrow Creek Meritage

Variety: Meritage

Region: California

Country: USA

Year: 2012

Price: $11.99

Winery review: "This Meritage embraces nuanced aromas of cassis and blackberry with delicate, soft, sweet red fruit notes.  This wine exhibits complex aromas and a balanced, long finish."

My review: Strong nose, but has a very light, smooth palate and a medium finish.  Full of red fruit flavors.  This was a pretty good red wine, and I would definitely try it again.

Tasting - "Da Vinci Chianti"

Name: Da Vinci Chianti

Variety: Chianti

Region: Chianti

Country: Italy

Year: 2013

Price: $13.99

Winery review: "Crimson red with intense aromas of ripe fruit and flavors of fresh strawberry and plum."

My review: Intense nose, even more so than the Clos du Bois red blend.  Seems to go straight to the very strong finish, with not much time for flavor inbetween, so I tried taking a very small sip and got a short cherry palate.  This was too strong for my liking. 

Tasting - "Clos du Bois Rouge Red Blend"

Name: Clos du Bois Rouge Red Blend

Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Sirah, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec, Charbono

Region: California

Country: USA

Year: 2012

Price: $9.99

Winery review: "Sumptuous and velvety, made in a sweeter style, and expressing aromas and flavors of red currant, blackberry and plum balanced with chocolate, vanilla and spice.  A crowd-pleaser, perfect for your house red or as a dinner party wine."

My review: This wine has a surprisingly strong nose, almost too powerful.  Very dry palate with fruity notes, possibly plum, but not a very long finish.  Overall I'm not a big fan of this one, and probably won't be having it again.

Tasting - "Jacob's Creek Classic Shiraz"

Name: Jacob's Creek Classic Shiraz

Variety: Shiraz

Region: Barossa Valley

Country: Australia

Year: 2013

Price: $8.49

Winery review: "A medium bodied wine with plum, pepper and spicy fruit flavors with subtle hints of toasted oak."

My review: Right away noticed a very purple color to it.  Has a very spicy, pepper nose.  Bold flavored, rich and oaky with some slight fruity notes.  Very strong finish.  I liked this a lot, the rich flavor and spicy nose worked well together.