2018 Isole Olena Chardonnay Colezzione Privata and 2020 Au Bon Climat Hildegard with dinner for close friends
Adventures Of A Black Belt Sommelier
Two very memorable white wines at dinner with friends last night
Let's go back to adventures of the Black Belt Somelier. I had a dinner party for good friends, very good friends last night and I opened two bottles of white wine for the first and second course that were so special, so extraordinary that I wanted to share them with you. They're not going to be easily found, but they are worth the search. The first course was kind of many philo cups filled with fresh crab meat and I talked with a saffron Iolie. And with that, I served a 2018 Esol Elena Tuscan Chardonnay. I think this is the first Chardonnay from Tuscania I've ever tasted. Before I discovered this wine, I was even sure I don't think I was aware that there was a really any Chardonnay other than for winery consumption produced in in Tuscania. It's a special bottle called select the only Privata, which means private selection. I saw that it got a really high rating from the wine advocate and there was a case available so I bought it for the store where I was working at the time and then I brought one bottle home just to try it. Now it's a few years later and it's 2018 so I thought it was time to open it. It was incredible. I mean, it was incredible. It tasted to me, well, one of my guests said, you know, this tastes like a grown group white burgundy. I thought it tasted like a merso parrier from a really, really great producer. Maybe not coastury, but just second echelon. It was so bright and at six years old, it was very young and it was so bright and so mineral driven and such perfect acidity and such a beautiful long finish. It is an extraordinary wine. I think it has at least five years to go or maybe longer in a cool wine cellar. It was absolutely perfect with the crab meat and the oily. It was, it's anyway, it's just for me, 96, 97 point wine and that's partly just because of the surprise of discovering a Tuscan Chardonnay that was that extraordinary. I never would have imagined that there was Chardonnay at that quality from Tuscany. It was incredible. If anybody from the winery sees this podcast, kudos to you guys because, man, you hit it out of the ballpark. It's, it's extraordinary, extraordinary wine. And then with the second course, the second course was a watermelon gazpacho with scallop crudo and crumbled feta. I don't know what kind of wine you serve with watermelon gazpacho with scallop crudo and crumbled feta. But I had a wine that I wanted to share with my friends because it's a very, very special wine to me. It's a 2020 obonque me my hold a guard. It's special to me because Jim Clinton and the owner, wine maker at obonque me was one of my closest friends. Well, my closest friends in the wine industry until he passed away a few years ago. And this is the last wine made by him that I have. I have now I have two bottles remaining. But it is likely to be the last wine made by him that I am lucky enough to open and enjoy. It's called Hildegard because it's kind of an homage to Corton Charlemagne. So, Corton Charlemagne is the one of the greatest Chardonnay vineyards in the world. It's a grown fruit white burgundy vineyard. It was given to the vineyard was given to the church by Charlemagne in the 14th century. It's above the village of Fortone. It was given to invite Charlemagne. So they call it Cortone Charlemagne. When in the 14th century, this Cortone Charlemagne wasn't Chardonnay. It was a blend of Pinot Green, Pinot Blanc and Oligote. Of course, now it's 100% Chardonnay or it wouldn't be a grown fruit. This wine is so special. It is so unique. Only Jim would have made it. It's just, you know, I love wines that can only be themselves. They are only what they are. And I don't know that there's another wine like this produced anywhere. It's very full-bodied. It's massively concentrated. I don't think I'm going to open the next bottle for several years because, well, I only have two bottles left and I don't want to waste the potential of the wine from my close friend. Jim was just the greatest guy ever. He was a tremendous chef. If he was at the winery, he made lunch every day for everybody. Everybody that worked there, any visitor, any tourist, anybody. He fixed lunch for everybody. He was one of the experts I've ever met on the wines of Burgundy and Borolo. In one of the most special moments of my life, he called me in Nashville and said that he was having an event the following Saturday at Highlands Bar and Grill in Birmingham. But neither the owner of Highlands, Frank Stutt, nor he really felt like they had anybody there that was kind of capable of handling this event as well as I would. So would I come to Birmingham on Saturday and be the sommelier at this event that he was having at Highlands? Of course, I was thrilled. Well, that was on Friday. On Monday, Highlands Bar and Grill won the rest of the year from James Beard. So following Saturday, I'm the sommelier with my good friend at the James Beard restaurant of the year, which was one of the most special things of my life. Of my professional life. It, you know, it doesn't, the Hildegard doesn't taste like Cortonshire, I mean, because it's not sure to me. But it has the weight and seriousness and depth and profound, profoundness of Cortonshire only. It is very, very mineraly, it is perfectly balanced fruit and acidity, which is basically what makes great white wine. And believe it or not, it was absolutely fabulous with the watermelon gazmacho with raw scallops and crumbled feta. So I got lucky. Neither of these wines is going to be easy to find, especially the East of Atlanta. The Hildegard to 2020 may be very hard to find, but it's subsequent finish. It's around, it's around everybody loved Jim so people have his wife's restaurants have his wife's stores have his wife's because people just even such a. Bigger Gary us and generous and loved person. One of the things I told my great last night is that, you know, at the charity Wine Auction National that I was very involved in for many years. Jim was always one of the biggest donors and one of the biggest buyers at this event, which has raised millions and millions of dollars for cancel research over the. Forty five plus years that it's existed. Look for these wines. If you see, if you can find a bottle, they're not inexpensive. I mean, there's the East of Atlanta is going to be about $50. The Hildegard is going to be about 30, but the Hildegard tastes like a. Two hundred dollar bottle wide to me and he's old and it tastes like a two hundred fifty dollar bottle line. They're extraordinary and special and unique worth searching out. Thanks for tuning in for adventures of a bite, but so may I really appreciate your time and attention and if you don't mind think about following us or leaving a comment. I have a wonderful day.