New Years Wines - Oysters and wine

Here's our menu for New Years eve: Fresh Local Oysters, Gravlax with greens, Lobster stew, Chicken Marbella with orange scented Couscous, and handmade chocolates.

The wine list started with Veuve Clicquot Champagne with the oysters, followed by Chateau Menaut Sauvignon (one of those white Bordeaux I've been raving about), 2004, $13.80, 12.5%.  We then rested for quite a while before moving on to the Chicken Marbella and two Spanish wines, Castillo de Fuendejalon Crianza, 2006, 12.5%, a blend of Grenache (75%) and Tempranillo (25%), my favorite, and Evodia, 2007, 100% Grenache, 14.5%.  These were both excellent, but my favorite was the Crianza - it seemed a bit smoother and more complex.

Our meal lasted over 3 hours, with frequent rests, and was a great time with friends.  The oysters had a story with a happy ending.  My wife had arranged with a local grower to buy 4 dozen oysters from her for thhis meal.  When we called to arrange the pickup, we learned that our reserved oysters had been sold!  After several frantic calls we found a place in Damariscotta.  We stopped by in the early afternoon - the oyster delivery hadn't been made yet.  We wandered and shopped in Damariscotta, and after 45 minutes we got our oysters.  48 fresh, local oysters.  While we were buying them the store sold 20 dozen - obviously we weren't the only ones with this idea in mind!

Because of a snow storm one couple wasn't able to make it to our house, so that meant 4 dozen oysters for 4 people.  They were great!

White Bordeaux part 2

For some reason I've gotten myself on a white Bordeaux kick.  Generally I've been a red wine kinda guy, and some of my friends either really prefer whites or simply don't drink red wines.  Usually we drink Pinot Grigio or sometimes something more obscure like a Gavi.  Chardonnay can be great but often is not, and Chablis, well, we haven't found good Chablis on a regular basis.

Which leaves us with drinking or wishing we were drinking red wine.  Of course, there are lots and lots of varieties of excellent wine, and it is just silly to think that we can't find them.  On a whim recently I picked up a bottle of Cuvee Occitane by L'Archet (2006, 14%, $18-$20, imported by Indigo Wine Group)  It was a great accompaniment to our fish dinner,  rich, complex, not too 'summery', simply delightful.  It is made from a blend of Marsanne, Roussanne and Grenache Blanc.  In addition to those, typical grapes for this region include Semillon, Savignon Blanc, and Muscadelle.

Tonight we had haddock, roasted Butternut Squash, and a wonderful winter salad with fresh spinach, pear, goat cheese, and toasted pecans in a raspberry vinaigrette.  The wine was the remains (leftover, opened last night) of a bottle of Chartron La Fleur Bordeaux (2008, 12%, $9, imported by MS Walker).  Excellent, particularly under circumstances that are arguably "not the most optimum".

So, I'm all excited by this discovery of a nice white wine, at all price points, that I can enjoy and be happy to drink with my non-red-drinking friends.  Give it a try, let  me know what you think.

Cheers!