The dish: Lobster Tacos: Grilled flour tortilla, avocado, diced tomato, scallion, chipotle aïoli and lime, $15
The wine: 2009 Domaine Belluard Vin de Savoie Ayse Brut, Haute-Savoie, France, $14 per glass, $54 per bottle
Grape varietal: Gringet
The pairing: I love the pairing of Champagne and lobster. This sparkling wine is made in the same painstaking process as Champagne but with the local varietal, Gringet. The time it spends on the lees — 2 years — adds a creamy complexity that I love with lobster and avocado. At the same time, the effervescence of the wine also acts as a nice foil to these ingredients, while working to cool down the mild heat from the chipotle aïoli. The slight toasty notes on the palate even work well with the grilled tortilla.
Wine tasting notes: Crisp, clean with Meyer lemon and apple fruit. Bone dry with a great minerality, even a slight funkiness to it.
More about the wine: The wine is certified organic and biodynamic. There are only approximately 22 hectares (54 acres) of Gringet grapes grown in the world, half of which Dominique Belluard owns. The family has worked tirelessly, over multiple generations, to protect and promote the cultivation of this local grape. We pour this by the glass on "Weird Wine Wednesdays" for $14 or at the bar with Island Creek Oysters. The production is super limited, so I made sure to stash away a few for myself.
Contact Bret Thorn at [email protected].
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