what:
AOC
Côte de Beaune
Burgundy, France
100% Chardonnay
where:
Noble
Fare
321 Jefferson Street
Savanah, GA
when:
derby season
character:
There is often a bit of curious wonder upon first encountering the Betty
Davis of Burgundy. One sees her for the first time and cannot help wondering
(with a pang of superficial guilt) how she became a star at all. Dry and
firm, she has a slightly fuller body, and has not the long legs of other
Burgundian stars. Yet she possesses two qualities which cannot be denied:
complexity and class. That she is often only mentioned after (and not always
immediately after) her more popular and acclaimed neighboring stars, Meursault
and Puligny-Montrachet, is perhaps due to the fact that she takes a bit
longer than either to show her class. In her youth one gets rather more
of the firmness than anything. (Then again, comparing any young actress
to a young Katherine Hepburn is hardly a fair
fight.) But with age…with age the complexity begins to show in the
performance, a slight toastiness is heard in the voice, and the class of
an iconic star emerges.
tastes like:
A
command given in the form of a question.
pairs nicely with:
Shrimp bisque
with truffle corn relish, shitakis, and white truffle oil; three on a match;
a weekly lunch between four ladies who have been friends for over a decade,
a bi-weekly bridge game between the same, and the light easy polite conversation
of four female friends who already know each other’s little impolite
secrets; any production of Grey Gardens in which Little Edie reminds
you of a young Bette Davis, any production of Grey Gardens in which
Big Edie reminds you of Bette Davis in her prime; diver scallops with oyster
mushrooms, potato puree, smoked bacon & corn relish, and balsamic vinaigrette;
playing bridge with three older Southern women in Savannah and being struck
by the sudden sensation that across the table and beneath the innocuous
‘dears’ and ‘darlings,’ that one is being talked
about (and not in a complimentary manner) with nothing more than knowing
little looks; and, of course, a fine Langres.