Provençal Pairings: Wine with Food

The Blue Oak

Winery: Chêne Bleu 
Cuvée: Aliot
Appellation: Provence
Type: White
Vintage: 2016
Grape Varieties: Roussanne 65%, Grenache Blanc 30%, Marsane 5%
Alcohol: 13%
Average Retail Price: U.S. $56.00

I picked up a bottle of Chêne Bleu Aliot recently. I have known about the experience of Chêne Bleu Winery — the wine, the food, the hospitality — for a long time but have never had the opportunity to take part. At least until now. While I am not sitting beneath their eponymous blue oak, I can happily imagine it.

I called Towny, my culinary copain, to ask his thoughts on a pairing for this wine. The two of us went right to fish/seafood, and Towny suggested monkfish, which sounded perfect to me… until I discovered I wasn’t able to source any in Tucson without taking out a second mortgage. But knowing the sweet and lobster-ish taste of monkfish, I realized that black cod (sablefish) would be a good selection: also a very sweet flesh with overtones of crab and scallops, and — best of all — readily available in my farmers market (brought in from Alaska). 

I created a beautiful recipe for the pairing: Black Cod with Saffron Beurre Blanc served on roasted slices of rosemary-scented sweet potato. The unexpected symphony of hot colors belies the subtlety of the exquisite flavors within. You can get the recipe on Cocoa & Lavender.

The wine is a pale gold with the aura of refreshment. And that it is: refreshing. The nose is an unusual combination of bright and citrusy and, at the same time, soft, floral, and buttery. On the palate are notes of fresh orange-fleshed melon, pear, and tangerine with slight nods to sweet hay. It is a full-bodied blend with exquisite minerality and a nice long finish. Obviously, form the date of the vintage, this wine holds well in the cellar.

Tasting the wine with the black cod, the creaminess was replaced a bit by a subtle acidity, which paired so nicely with the butter-forward dish. Every bite, every sip made me very happy.

This, for me, is a splurge wine. I won’t spend this every day, but for a special occasion? I’m all in. I very much look forward to trying both their rosé and red wines in the near future.