2011 La Proportion Doree, a Semillon sauv-blanc blend, roughly $65/bttl (misattributed on the menu as being from Napa; it’s Sonoma Coast sauce)
2009 Long Shadows Chester Kidder Red Blend, Columbia Valley, roughly $40-50/bttl
NV Thibaut-Jannison Blanc-de-Chardonnay (bubbly), VA, about $30/bttl.
Somewhat ballsy, if not underwhelming, choices to serve to the French head of state, oui? VA bubbles? Hmm.
I understand not serving crazy expensive sauce to a room of 400 people, but this seems a bit cheap. Not sure I’d be serving Hollande high QPR wine. I do appreciate the cost-cutting efforts, however. Perhaps this is a damned if you do, damned if you don’t kinda moment.
Scenario #1: They serve QPR domestic wine, including VA bubbles (after visiting Monticello together this week) and get raised eyebrows from wine boards everywhere, and maybe disappointment from Hollande.
Scenario #2: They serve really good stuff, domestic or – god forbid French wines – and get slammed in the papers for the expense and elitism in serving expensive wine.
You are the political director at the White House; which do you choose?
Hollande loves QPR…that was the reason for his partial sale of the French national cellar. To replace those wines that are too exensive to drink with more humble stuff. My guess is that Obama’s staff took note.
The WH only serves American wine. I applaud the choice of Morlet, a frenchman who moved to America for love and is one of the most versatile winemakers I taste with. LPD was Morlet’s first release under his label in the 2006 vintage.
Apparently some former colleagues of the owner/winemaker at Domaine Dublere tried to persuade the WH to serve some Dublere wine at the dinner, under the theme of “French wines made by American winemakers,” but it didn’t fly. Whether Burgundy is too elitist – or too expensive – or whether that knife only cuts one way (“American wines made by French winemakers”) is unclear…
Doug is very much correct, the White House only serves American wines. I believe that started under President Carter. They do try to come up with themes, based on the dignitary visiting. Daniel Shanks is the White House Wine Buyer and he does, IMO, a pretty fantastic job in difficult circumstances (there is always criticism — as noted…to expensive, too inexpensive, too this, too that). But then again, I might be biased since he serves our wines a great deal.
If they’d had a bit more warning, maybe they could have lined up American wines made by French winemakers who had just ditched their partners for a hot young tootsy.