Tuesday's lunch at Chateau Guiraud was a classic French lunch, but it was served almost entirely with sweet white Sauternes wines.
Chateau Guiraud is a sweet white First Growth wine in the Sauternes appellation in Gironde in the region of Graves in France. The estate vine plantings consist of 65% Semillon and 35% Sauvignon Blanc, which is a higher than normal percentage of Sauvignon Blanc. They say vines are on average 35–40 years old. They also make a dry white wine that is 80% Sauvignon Blanc and 20% Semillion.
The Chateau
Patricia in front of one of the towers at the chateau. We were told that the French of the 1800s liked to build towers and they would put slate roofs on their towers as an indication of their wealth. This guy must have had a lot of money.
The lunch was one of the really interesting ones since we had all sweet wine. They make the point that these are not desert wines, but sweet wines that can go with a variety of things and the lunch set out to prove that.
First Course - 2006 Guiraud
A wonderful collection of small appetizers with Salmon, Foie Gras. A small Scallop dish with ginger, lime and fish roe. An interesting grouping of tastes and they all worked well with the wine.
Second Course - 2001 Guiraud
Another medley of three things: Chicken with Cajun sauce, Dorado with a light sauce from fresh tomatoes, and Duck served with a balsamic reduction. Again, carefully thought out to demonstrate that sweet white wines can be served with almost anything.
Third Course 1998 Guiraud with greens, a pear in a pouch and some tete de moine cheese. Spectacular.
Fourth Course - 1996 Guiraud dry white wine. Saffron Madeleine, lemon creme on cornmeal biscuits, mini apricot clafouti and cannelle. Cannelle is a traditional Bordeaux desert cake, and frankly it was not all that good. They always seemed a bit tough and overdone ...everywhere and we had them everywhere.
Next stop . Chateau De Fargues for dinner.
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