Last week a small group of us went to Glenn's Diner on Montrose. Since the menu is fairly eclectic between the diner fare (including amazing Shrimp BLT po'boys) and the dozen or so fresh fish and seafood items flown in daily, pairing was going to be a little tricky. Glenn's started as a BYO spot, but added wine (each bottle is $31 to make it easy and the list is pretty well selected); however, they still allow patrons to bring their own bottles for a $5 corkage fee. Not bad. Not bad at all.
We started with the 2007 Gordon Brothers Columbia Valley Sauvignon Blanc. Its tropical fruit and pineapple paired really nicely with the mussels, and the oakiness (yes, it was surprisingly oaky and leaned somewhat toward a California Chardonnay) added a fullness that contrasted a little with the New England clam chowder. But the chowder's creaminess with the chunks of clam and bits of bacon was so good, that it really didn't matter what I was drinking at that point. You'll have to go online or head out to the suburbs to get a bottle for about $12; unfortunately no shops in the city carry it.
We then moved on to the one of the tastiest Pinot Noir's from California I've ever had. The 2007 Wild Horse Central Coast Pinot really knocked my socks off. It had a nose of fresh wild berries and vanilla and its palate of black cherry, cloves and raspberry with a round mouthfeel. The wine paired great with the spinach salad. Both the wine and salad served as good interstitials between courses. This wine was so good, I recommend it even without food. It's a great sipping wine and is available at Binny's for $22.99.
Our entrees were a little more rich -- one had Alaskan King Crab legs; another a potato-
encrusted whitefish. I had perfectly cooked scallops in a bacon-mushroom cream sauce. This called for a heartier wine, but not too hearty. We popped open the Baron Phillippe de Rothschild Chateau d'Aussieres 2006 Corbieres, and boy did it work well. This Syrah (70%), Grenache (20%), Mouvedre (10%) blend was full of dark fruit, morello cherries, earth, mushrooms and had just the right amount of tannins to complement the food and a nice long finish. This is available at Sam's Wines for $29.99.
Speaking of the Chateau d'Aussieres, it's one of the featured wines for the forthcoming French Cocktail Hour House Party events that will take place across the country on June 4. If you want to try to get in on the action and host a House Party at your place, pop over to their site to sign up to see if you qualify; if you do you'll receive a party pack with a coupon inside for a discount on this wine at Sam's.