Domaine Prieur Brunet Bourgogne Chardonnay Paired with Chicken in a Mushroom Cream Sauce

The Wine

Domaine Prieur Brunet, Bourgogne, Chardonnay, 2014

Domaine Prieur-Brunet is a classic Burgundy producer, located in Haut Santenay, in the Côte de Beaune, where it has been since 1804. In 2017, Maison Louis Jadot, one of Burgundy’s top négociant purchased the domaine, and today, the eighth generation (Dominique Prieur and her son Gillaume) run the estate, and continue to make world class Burgundian wine. This Chardonnay made from some of the very best estate vineyards in the area. The wine is barrel fermented and barrel aged, with battonage (stirring of the lees) every 15 days, for 12 to 18 months resulting in a wine that has a pleasant bouquet of citrus, peach, lemongrass, and acacia. On the palate, this wine has a medium/light body with a subtle creamy texture and notes of roasted hazelnut nuts that combine with well-balanced acidity and, terroir de Bourgogne leading you to a medium/short clean finish. This wine should be served cool not cold and will pair very well with medium to full flavored fish, poultry with a light cream sauces, and just fine with a little cheese and a baguette. $19.99 is a great price for this classic white Burgundy

The Pairing

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Chicken with a Mushroom Cream Sauce

What you will need:

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 tablespoons butter

3  cups mushrooms (any mix, such as cremini, chanterelle, blue foot and shiitake), sliced 1/4-inch thick

3  sprigs thyme

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

4  chicken thighs, preferably organic

4  chicken drumsticks, preferably organic

½  cup chicken broth

¼  cup finely diced onion

⅓  cup Riesling

¼  cup heavy cream

How to Prepare:

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Heat 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. When melted and bubbling, add mushrooms and thyme. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and browned on edges, 10 to 15 minutes. Discard thyme, and season with salt and pepper to taste; set aside. Heat remaining oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper and add it skin-side down to the hot pan. Brown well on all sides, about 10 minutes. Pour in broth and bring to a boil. Cover and place in oven until very tender, about 30 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate, and pour pan juices into a bowl. Return pan to medium heat, and add remaining 2 tablespoons butter. When it foams, add onion and sauté until translucent. Add Riesling and bring to a boil, reducing by half. Add 1/2 cup of cooking juices, and reduce by half. Add cream and simmer for 3 minutes. Return chicken to pan, and add mushrooms. Simmer, basting, about 2 minutes. Serve hot.

Serves 4, takes about an hour, and fifteen minutes. Recipe adapted from the nytimes.com.

Cheers, The Wine Guys

Wine and Brine: A White Burgundy & Grilled Pork Chops

"To brine or not to brine, I say brine”. Inspired by seeing fresh Florida corn in the grocery store and having just tasted a really nice white burgundy I was inspired to make this dish and pair this wine with it. After brining, there is only 30 minutes of prep and 10 minutes later you have a delicious meal paired with a great bottle of wine from Cork.

The Wine

Domaine des Deux Roches, Saint-Veran, "Terres Noires" 2012

Winemakers Jean-Luc Terrier and Christian Collovray, recipients of Winemakers of the Year by the renowned Gault-Millau are amongst the elite producers of the Mâconnais. Known for their exemplary white Burgundies this wine is a great example. Vinified in stainless steel and age in stainless steel and Vosges and Allier oak they captured a pure expression of white burgundy. Delicate floral and mineral aromas with hints of subtle toasted oak lead to flavors of peach apricots, lime with flavors of apple lime and gentle oak, and minerality. Robert Parker said “In the chalky hills of southern Burgundy, "the best Saint Vérans are far superior to the majority of Pouilly Fuissés” This fine white from an outstanding domaine has a lively, apple like fruit freshness in perfect harmony withgentle oak. Wine Enthusiast awarded it 91 points and Editors' Choice. $27.99

The Pairing

Grilled Pork Chops

What you will need for the brine:

1/4 cup kosher salt

1/4 brown cup sugar

2 cups water

2 cups ice water

4 bone-in pork center-cut rib chops (1 inch thick and 8 ounces each)

2 tablespoons canola oil

For the rub:

2 tablespoons paprika,

1 teaspoon each garlic powder, onion powder,(very finely minced fresh garlic and onion can be used)

ground cumin and ground mustard

1 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle pepper

How to prepare it:

In a large saucepan, combine salt, sugar and 2 cups water; cook and stir over medium heat until salt and sugar are dissolved. Remove from heat.

Add 2 cups ice water to cool brine to room temperature. Place pork chops in a large resalable plastic bag; add cooled brine. Seal bag, pressing out as much air as possible; turn to coat chops. Place in a 13x9-in. baking dish. Refrigerate 8-12 hours.

Remove chops from brine; rinse and pat dry. Discard brine. Brush both sides of chops with oil. In a small bowl, mix rub ingredients; rub over pork chops. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes. Moisten a paper towel with cooking oil; using long-handled tongs, rub on grill rack to coat lightly. Grill chops, covered, over medium heat 4-6 minutes on each side or until a thermometer reads 145°. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Yield: 4 servings.

Additional Rub options:

For Smoky Pork Rub: Prepare rub as directed, using smoked paprika in place of regular paprika.

For Spicy Pork Rub: Add 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper to rub mixture.

For Sweet Pork Rub: Add 3 tablespoons brown sugar to rub mixture.

I served this with fresh Florida sweet corn and sautéed baby spinach and mushrooms

Cheers, The Wine Guys