Hi everyone- I’m a huge fan of Rhone whites. I bought a bottle of Chapoutier Hermitage Blanc Le Meal 2004 that I am very excited about and wanted to know your suggestions for a food pairing. My first thought was lobster, but my partner is not a lobster fan (go figure…). What would you all suggest?
I also love Rhone whites, especially Marsanne/Roussanne. I find them to be quite versatile. Cassoulet, carbonara, and wienerschnitzel have all been good pairing experiences for me in the past.
I don’t think N Rhone whites have the acidity to stand up to seafoods, unless they are baked with a sauce that provides the acidity. Have your lobster with a Riesling.
Ben is right on target. Complex dishes made with acidic components. On the side, roasted root vegetables, esp. parsnips, work well , or mix potatoes, parsnips and onions with a drizzle of balsamic.
I wouldn’t really go with seafood. I’ve always thought of white Hermitage as a winter white that goes well with heartier dishes. White Hermitage has very little acidity, but lots of power, texture and richness. You really need hearty dishes to match that the richness of the wine and provide some acidity to balance things. Think of the foods you’d serve in a hearty winter meal, that’ll likely pair well with white Hermitage. Something like a parsnip or root vegetable soup or some quenelles to start and then something in a rich sauce, pork, maybe sweetbreads or veal.
+1
White meats work really well. Duck breast could be considered too.
Great advice from all of the above. Marsanne and Roussanne are so textural, they perform more like reds with food pairings. I tend to think of gamey and earthy flavors. The duck suggestion above is a really good one, and (as mentioned) herb crusted white meats is a classic pairing.
Roast chicken is always good. I like Condrieu with lobster, which is viognier based.
I love white Rhones with fish like tuna or (grilled) salmon, or with white meat like turkey breast. For Wiener Schnitzel nothing is better than a fine Grüner Veltliner.
You probably will want more than the two of you if you cook this; but a bone in berkshire pork rib roast, lightly herbed, reverse seared and crisped, finished with a drizzle of a simple pan sauce would be a great match. I’m cooking one this weekend and will probably dig out a nice N. rhone white to go with it, along with a couple other bottles.
You can also think about going Asian as well - the richness of these varieties really does well with tons of asian spices - especially when the wine is served closer to room temperature.
Keep us posted please!
I think Lobster can definitely work. As others have pointed out, these wines are lower acid than many other whites and quite textural. A lot of the matching comes down to spice, acid and texture of the food. IMHO the Northern Rhone whites work really well with some spices - e.g. Szechuan, Northern African, middle eastern and Indian. My natural match for an aged Hermitage as you describe would be a Biriyani, Paella or Roast Chicken.
Thanks for the suggestions. I ended up getting inspired by the Asian food suggestion by Larry and prepared beef/pork meatballs spiced with cumin and ginger seared in a hot oven and finished in a pan simmering blood oranges (for the acid) and seasoned with a little soy sauce. The pairing was out of this world! Thanks again!
Noah, How was the wine?
Good to hear that combo worked for you, my friend. As others have asked, which specific wine did you enjoy with the meal?
Cheers
Thanks for checking in. I had a Chapoutier Hermitage Blanc Le Meal 2004. Undoubtedly, a great wine. However this particular bottle was a bit too advanced for my preference. It was still enjoyable, but I am making a distinction between objectively great (which it was) and my personal preference with wine with a little more fruit in it. Here is the full review on CT:
"Just looking at the reviews this wine has gotten shows how high quality it is. Without a doubt, it is monumental. Deep gold in color and visibly viscous upon swirling the glass. The nose is waxy, chalky, earthy, and honeyed. The wine fills the mouth with a rich, creamy, almost chewy texture with a finish that lasts and lasts. The flavors are so complex, they actually remind me a bit of a Gravner amphora-aged orange wine; the flavors are different but there is a common complexity, length of finish, uniqueness that is difficult to describe.
I wish I could have had this wine 5 years ago. The cork was perfectly intact, and the wine was in great shape, but it definitely tasted advanced. Not in a bad way, as I typically enjoy the nutty, toasty, waxy flavors that come with age, but I think I would have preferred it just a touch more youthful. My non-wine enthusiast dining partner didn’t like it; she said it was “like drinking liquor”. While I don’t necessarily agree with that assessment, I can see why she said it- the fruit was entirely gone. A wine of such high quality has many beautiful expressions over its lifetime, but my favorite is the middle ground, when the fruits of youth are balanced by some of the tertiary flavors that come with age, this was just a bit more towards the advanced side than I prefer. Overall, though, beautiful wine."
Thanks for the impressions on the wine. In general, I find Northern rhone whites, especially those with age, often don’t go over too well with non-wine enthusiasts. They may simply be too far outside of what they have drunk before to be appreciated, with no frame of reference. I usually save them for opening with my more geeky wino friends.
Oh, and you dish sounds absolutely delicious!!!