Chateau Graville-Lacoste Graves Blanc 2011

Today, Allen, a good buddy of mine, completed a 60 day weight loss regimen after which he lost 17 pounds. The impetus of his plight was started among his office mates, who all pooled their money, and the winner would take all.  He came in 2nd place and even though he didn't win the pot, he still felt like a winner, hey, after all he did lose 17 pounds. 

So now to celebrate with a good meal, he chose to lunch at New York's famous Aquagrill, and invited me along.

The Menu:
Roasted Dayboat Maryland Monkfish with Peekytoe Crabmeat Risotto and Sugar Snap Peas in a Tomato Shellfish Emulsion 

The Wine:
Chateau Graville-Lacoste Graves Blanc... 

Graves is a sub-division of the Bordeaux wine region in Southwest France where this blend of 95% Sauvignon Blanc and 5% Semillon is coaxed from the gravelly soils. On the nose aromatics of apple, honeysuckle, pear, kiwi, lemon rind, slate, grapefruit, and especially honeydew melon. The palate shows grassy tones, lime and other citrus, melon (to match the nose), mineral, and flint. Very complex with an abundance of acidity and a great, long finish.


Dessert: 
Warm Apple Tart with Cinnamon Ice Cream and Caramel Sauce.

Macari Early Wine Chardonnay 2012

Not being a big fan of Chardonnay, I was shocked at how much I loved this "young wine" from Macari Vineyards on the North Fork of Long Island. Macari's Austrian consultant Winemaker, Helmut Gangl made the call to try to mimic this traditional Austrian style. And it works. Ready to drink only 3 months after harvest, to me it's more like a cross between a Riesling and a Sauvignon Blanc, bright and crisp.

Clear and light straw colors in the glass, with fresh fruity aromas of pear and marzipan, while the palate gives way to green apple skins, citrus and ripe pear.  High in acidity and low in alcohol (11.4%), this worked beautifully with a mushroom risotto (I also used the wine in the risotto).