France In A Bottle

Last Saturday night, Dr Desert Flower and I went to dinner to celebrate our 2nd dozen years together, at Christopher's in Eastern Phoenix, at Biltmore Fashion Square.  The dinner was delicious.  The service, superb.  DDF had the Duck Two Ways, and I had the tasting menu (salad, sweet potato bisque, scallops, cheeses, cherry & fig tart dessert, and...) that was crowned with a braised pork belly that was indeed, succulent.  The wine list was extensive, and I ordered a bottle of Domaine du Salvard Cheverny, 2009, Appellation Cheverny Controlee, white Loire Valley wine.  It was $50, which is a bit more than I like to pay for a restaurant bottle, but the $34 bottle of l'Havre Roussillon Languedoc white they had on the wine list was 'sold out' so I decided on the Cheverny instead.

The Loire valley, between Paris and the West Coast of France, makes delicious wines that typically do not overwhelm the meal.  Chinon is the most mild red I've ever had, and it is from the Loire valley as well. While I expected the Cheverny to follow suit, it surprised us. Upon the first sip, DDF declared "this tastes like France in a bottle".  It was complex, without attacking the senses.  Fragrant with just the right amount of citrus without being a New Zealand Grapefruity Sauvignon Blanc.  "France in a bottle" in a very wonderful way.