Wine: 2002 Louis Jadot Chevalier Montrachet
Region: Burgundy
Sokolin Price: $299/btl
Rating: 95 points - our score
As summer is winding down, & cool weather is moving in, we find ourselves trying to taste & enjoy as many white wines as possible. Last evening, with our out of town guests in from Westchester, we pulled a bottle of Grand Cru White Burgundy from our cellar - a bottle of 2002 Louis Jadot Chevalier Montrachet. Grand Cru = the crème de le crème. These guests, in particular, know & appreciate great wine, so we wanted to serve a wine that we knew would make an impression. When entertaining, we all want to please our guests and make them feel comfortable, so gauging and understanding their palates is very important to us.
After deciding that we wanted to start off the night with a White Burgundy, we chose the 2002 Louis Jadot Chevalier Montrachet because we know that 2002 was an outstanding vintage for White Burgundy. Additionally, the 2002 vintage has had some time to age - not a lot of time - but some time nonetheless. Finally, we chose a wine with great pedigree to further ensure that our experience would be a memorable one.
Upon immediately opening this bottle, we all took in & savored the hints of butter, hazelnut & subtle notes of pear & peach on the nose. As for the palate, it had great fruit, nice tannin and a soft and supple mouth feel. It wasn't quite balanced upon the first sip, but as the wine warmed up to room temperature, the wine hit a high gear, and it was total harmony. The finish was just slightly acidic, which can be expected, as acid is what holds the wine together, but this dissipated as the wine moved towards room temperature. White Burgundy lovers will love this wine!
We paired this wine with two homemade appetizers that suddenly made the wine taste even better than it did standing alone. The food really brought out the flavors and nuances of the wine, and vice versa. We snacked on mounds of salmon tartare layered with fresh ripe tomatoes & avocados, as well as a tomato basil bruschetta appetizer scooped onto tiny baguette slices (a Williams Sonoma recipe & a favorite of ours). This pairing was divine!
Recommendation: Summer is quickly fading, so if you haven't had a chance to try out some of your favorite white wines or roses, pick them up today! If White Burgundy doesn't interest you, check out our vast inventory of white wines on our website under the "Shop Wine" section.