French Reds with Fish
We Poached some salmon last night and tried to pair it with a French red, to varying degrees of success.
First up: Domaine Faiveley Mercurey Domaine De La Croix Jacquelet, 2004
Pinot Noir. Very pale ruby color. Shy nose -almost nonexistent. Clearly something wrong on the palate - very very thin and acidic. Fiercely so -and bitter -especially on the finish. Undrinkable upon pouring, I decanted to see what would happen after a few hours. Nope. This wine was either flawed in some way, or is simply an unsuccessful effort. Disappointing.
Next: Michel Tête (domaine du Clos du Fief) Juliénas Vieilles Vignes 2006
Gamay. Better - Richer ruby color and a huge amount of strawberries wafting from the glass. A definite balsamic note coming through, along with a little clove, violet, and pencil shavings. Lean, with a strong acidic lift and ripe fruit - but missing a little something in the middle. It did fatten up with air-time and thus was much easier to enjoy with the fish. Thumbs up, and clearer the stronger wine of the two, but I almost wish I would’ve waited on this bottle.
Dear JSeeds,
I’m sorry to hear about your experience with the 2004 Domaine de la Croix Jacquelet from Faiveley. I think it was a flawed bottle, but also, Faiveley has changed its winemaking significantly since the 2006 vintage, and the Croix Jacquelet wine no longer exists. Feel free to send me an e-mail, as I work for Domaine Faiveley’s U.S. importer, and I can send you a bottle of the 2006 to try — hopefully you’re in a shipping-friendly state.
Regards,
Regards,
Lisa
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