S.W. and Rich Hermansen
Guest Writers
wine@lbknews.com
Those of us who have preferred red wines for their complex, nuanced aromas and tastes
may have overlooked the virtues of white wines. No doubt the typecasting of white wine as a crisp and clean pairing with spring and summer meals of salads and white finfish and shellfish, or as a buttery, oaky alternative to a cocktail at happy hour, will persist after we learn more about the diversity of white wines; nonetheless, just as surely as we have found exceptions to rules such as “white wine with fish”, suggesting for instance a red Pinot Noir with tuna steaks or fresh bluefish, we should find intriguing new rules for white wines. Most of what we suggest comes from wine regions that have developed wines to complement foods grown and made in those regions. Much should carry over to our settings.
While in Burgundy, we enjoyed the crisp acidity of Chablis made from Chardonnay grapes with Sole Meunière and lobster, or Époisses, a local cheese, but also a more robust Pouilly Fuisse, Chardonnay enriched by soaking in its white grape skins (sur lie) and by light aging in oak, paired with heavier dishes such as partridge. One finds many exceptions to the rule “drink white wine early” in Europe. In Alsace France the off-dry Pinot Gris wine has exceptional aging potential. It pairs particularly well with the sausages, pork dishes, and pâté specials in Alsace restaurants. The 2022 Pfaff Tradition Pinot Gris Alsace AOC ($12 pre-tariff) has stone fruit aromas and tastes of peaches and apricots and a lightly sweet finish. It will improve with age in the bottle for five years.
White wine producers in the Rhone region of France often blend two or more varieties of white wine. Blends with substantial proportions of Roussanne, Marsanne, or Viognier have good ageing potential. The Condrieu (100% Viognier) from the northerner Rhone Valley ages exceptionally well. As with all white wines, the color darkens with age to a brownish gold. Condrieu aged more than seven years develops caramel tastes with aromatic accents. Spanish Godello and Italian Fiano di Avellino also age gracefully.
Based on what we know about white wines with ageing potential, we decided to hold on to a 2021 Andrew Murray Enchanté ($32), 55% Roussanne and 45% Grenache Blanc, sourced from the primo Curtis Vineyard in the St. Ynez Valley of California. This last bottle from a case has not only aged in the bottle for longer than the usual rule for white wines, but it has also survived being tossed about in the storm surge of Hurricane Helene during late October of 2024. It endured conditions similar if not worse than casks of Madeira endured when rolled about (Vinho da Ruda) during turbulent voyages from Portugal to England plus variations in temperatures due to hot days and cold nights in ships’ hulls. Madeira buyers in England paid top prices for wine subjected to what wine experts consider the worst possible conditions for storing wine. We had no delusions about the Hurricane treatment improving the Murray Enchanté, only felt curious about its impact on the quality of the wine.
We cleaned the bottle carefully and checked the foil, intact and tight, and the cork underneath, which showed no signs of a breach. Using a standard corkscrew, we removed the cork and poured a taste in a glass. The gold color of the wine looked as expected and the stone fruit aroma had no hint of oxidation or a “corked” (contaminated) bottle.
We thought the first tastes from the bottle surprising in that the wine had a richer taste than we recalled from tasting bottles in the case in late 2022 and early 2023. Delicate tastes of ripe apricots with a creamy coating of oils from olives at an olive bar (!). Clearly the wine had aged well despite the ordeal it had survived. We drank the bottle with a beef broth Pho with noodles, herbs, bean sprouts, jalapeños, and fresh peeled shrimp from Pho-licious on Ringling in Sarasota. We realize that it would be futile for us, much less others, to try to recreate this mélange of exotic tastes: better perhaps to try this unique wine or a similar aged Rhone white wine and see how it tastes.
In our experience, high quality wine has proven resilient. We hope to dispel some of the myths surrounding aged white wines and introduce some proven exceptions to the old white wine rules.
S. W. Hermansen has used his expertise in econometrics, data science and epidemiology to help develop research databases for the Pentagon, the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Agriculture, and Health Resources and Services. He has visited premier vineyards and taste wines from major appellations in California, Oregon, New York State, and internationally from Tuscany and the Piedmont in Italy, the Ribera del Duero in Spain, the Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale in Australia, and the Otego Valley in New Zealand. Currently he splits time between residences in Chevy Chase, Maryland and St. Armand’s Circle in Florida.
Rich Hermansen selected has first wine list for a restaurant shortly after graduating from college with a degree in Mathematics. He has extensive service and management experience in the food and wine industry. Family and friends rate him as their favorite chef, bartender, and wine steward. He lives in Severna Park, Maryland.
S.W. Hermansen has used his expertise in econometrics, data science and epidemiology to help develop research databases for the Pentagon, the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Agriculture, and Health Resources and Services. He has visited premier vineyards and taste wines from major appellations in California, Oregon, New York State, and internationally from Tuscany and the Piedmont in Italy, the Ribera del Duero in Spain, the Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale in Australia, and the Otego Valley in New Zealand. Currently he splits time between residences in Chevy Chase, Maryland and St. Armand’s Circle in Florida.
Rich Hermansen selected has first wine list for a restaurant shortly after graduating from college with a degree in Mathematics. He has extensive service and management experience in the food and wine industry. Family and friends rate him as their favorite chef, bartender, and wine steward. He lives in Severna Park, Maryland.
