Quelle 'blanc?'
It was surely a difficult decision Wednesday evening at Candle Cafe: French Sauvignon Blanc (appropriately named 'L'Atitude') or the other - sometimes more distinguished - Fume Blanc (Lololis) from Red River Valley, CA. Both the same vintage (2008) but each offering entirely different experiences in the mouth and on my contemplative mind.
One sip of L'Atitude and I was instantly transported back to the dog days that were this Summer where I wanted to drink nothing else but crisp, clean, light and fragrant 'blancs.' A fantastic sauvignon blanc, but just not quite on par with my autumnal state of mind.
One sip of Lololis and I was back into the crisp Fall air that breezes through Candle's entrance - and provided exactly what I was craving mentally and on my palette.
On the brink of yet another seasonal transition, this complex and heady blanc falls right in with the many changes that have come to pass in the last 6 months (which is also the last time I updated here...)
I make my return to the blogging world just as I make my return to NYC from a short but sweet trip home to Minneapolis. But this time I am sans soeur (I would have gotten a Sancerre if there was one on the list)
So what's taken me so long, you ask? Well, I think we all know the kind of mental, and frankly, emotional commitment this writing thing takes. But I guess the trick is to just get over it - just like we must get over our pre-conceived notions of the aromas, the nose and the mouthfeel of a wine we think we know.
So, suffice to say, many wine daze excursions (and hence tastings at Astoria Wine & Spirits) have gone undocumented. But that's about to change :)
I find myself with a solo glass of this remarkably and delightfully crisp fume blanc with an almost tangy intensity that lingers calmly on my palette. You'd think that this lingering mirrors a desire for the waning days of summer to last a little while longer, but think again...
So what is it that draws our perusing eyes to a particular wine on the list (or at the store?) Do we have subconscious wine desires, biologically engrained either from past wine daze(s) that reveal a hunger for that crisp white or silky smooth red of an emotional daze past, or is it pure instinct - a sporadic decision and impulse that just may reveal some inner workings waiting to be pronounced after that first sip (or couple sips, or couple glasses) settles in?
Whatever it is, that decision has got to be meant to be, right? If you feel that wine order envy setting in, fuhgeddaboutit! Enjoy the musing that perhaps this wine in front of you may not be the perfect decision; enjoy the nuances, the unexpected aromas, nasal and other sensory stimulations that - if you had chosen a different wine - you would have never encountered.
Okay, so let's get to the chase then - the wine chase that is...
Obviously (for those of you who know me well) I studied the list this morning (and again and again this afternoon, inbetween tracking Shel Silverstein and Fancy Nancy purchase orders - oops!)
As I said, I got it narrowed down to those two whites:
Option #1 Notes: In Lehman's terms, this French (Loire Valley) Sauvignon Blanc ($10/glass) had plenty of 'Atitude' but not quite the right angle of sass I was looking for. Revealing classic characteristics of a French Sauvignon Blanc: crisp apples notes on the nose, leading to a refreshing grapefruity 'zing' (perhaps that's where the attitude comes in?) that reminded me a little too much of summer's attitude this year
Option #2 (and the ultimate winner) Notes: Presenting the perfect equilibration between that all-too familiar taste of summer and that crisp haven of fall, infiltrated with that autumnal kick that I crave in these transitional days.
And speaking of transitions, I have no smooth one for the ending of my first blog back, so I hope you'll forgive me.
