Wow, two whole weeks without a single post. That’s just shameful. I’ve been so busy lately, and obviously my poor blog is suffering as a result. I was off on a sewing retreat with my mom and sister the weekend before last and, this week, work has been just crazy. All I want to do each day is come home and veg out and make easy, ordinary (and therefore unblogworthy) meals. But, it is winesday once again, and my blog can no longer be ignored!
This week, I decided to serve a white Burgundy: Joseph Drouhin Saint-Véran 2005. Saint-Véran is a small village located in the French Alps right next door to the more famous wine producing town of Pouilly Fuissé. Although both appellations are part of the reputable Macon region of Burgundy, wines from Pouilly Fuissé tend to be more hyped and thus more expensive. The wines from little-known Saint-Véran, though of similar quality to those of Pouilly Fuissé, are often a better deal.
Joseph Drouhin is one of the most popular producers of Burgundy wine. Not only are Drouhin wines widely available in the United States, they also have a reputation for being consistent and of high quality. The Drouhin family is based in Beaune, France but makes wine in many different appellations throughout Burgundy. They also have a winery in Oregon! Oregon’s Willamette Valley has a climate similar to Burgundy’s, and the Drouhins have capitalized on that, making top notch Pinot Noir and Chardonnay here in the Pacific Northwest since the late 1980’s.
White Burgundy comes primarily from one grape: Chardonnay. But, unlike the big California Chardonnays that most people in this country are more familiar with, white Burgundy is typically left unoaked. This is great for people who, like me, fear the big oak wines. The Drouhin Saint-Véran is a perfect example of this style of wine. Instead of wood and vanilla, the nose of this wine is very floral, having more in common perhaps with a Gewurztraminer than a California Chardonnay. The wine is zesty with bright flavors of apples and citrus. Since it is a Chardonnay, however, this wine has plenty of body to offset its crispness.
The fuller body of white Burgundy makes it a good match for heavier fish dishes and light poultry or pork. It can also be paired with rich quiches. I was initially thinking of pairing it with scallops, but the halibut cheeks at my fish market struck my eye instead. I’ve never made halibut cheeks before. I honestly didn’t even know that fish had enough cheek on them to constitute an entire meal. Do all fish have edible cheeks? I don’t know! Maybe salmon cheeks are delicious, and I have been missing out this whole time. I’ve never seen them at my fish market before, though. It’s probably one of those delicacies that you only get when you catch your own fish. One of these days, I swear I’m going to learn to fish…
Compared with fillets, the halibut cheeks were quite dense. They had an interesting striated texture, similar to crab or scallops. They seemed to release a lot of water in the pan so I wasn’t able to get as good as sear on them as I would have liked. Still, they were tasty. I served the cheeks with a rosemary-cream sauce on a bed of sauteed tatsoi (similar to bok choy but with much slimmer stems and a mustardy flavor.) On the side, I served oven-roasted Rose Finn fingerling potatoes, golden beets and carrots. Although it was a beautiful, sunny day, the roasted root vegetables really put me in the mood for fall! With its robust apple flavor, the Drouhin Saint-Véran is the perfect accompaniment for fall foods.