And The Ham Goes To…

So after all the work I put into typing the long-winded blog on Christmas Eve, compiling a list of my in-hand wine choices, I wound up ditching the list and going in another direction completely….

Making a stop at Mission Wine Shop in South Pasadena, I took the staff’s advice and brought home a couple of bottles to drink with my Christmas ham. And yes, I opened two bottles. It was Christmas dinner for crying out loud; mom was going to have to deal with it.

I started with a bottle of white, having a taste before the meal, and then continuing once the ham was served. The 2007 Josef Leitz Dragonstone Riesling was a nice way to begin the holiday meal. I don’t drink much Riesling, and I figured if I was going to do it, might as well drink one from the Rhineland. It has a wonderful nose of a ripe peach (or is it apricot?), followed by a balanced, smooth texture in my mouth: flavors of sweet peach, honeysuckle, and lychee fruit, with a crisp, clean finish. It definitely worked with the ham too, neatly cleaning my palate between bites. Mom even liked it, taking a break from her normal drink of Harvey’s Bristol Cream Sherry to have a small glass, (it really is a SMALL glass. I’m not sure where she acquired this slightly-bigger-than-a-thimble goblet; I call it her hobbit glass).

I corked the Riesling (I’ll no doubt be having a glass tonight), and opened my bottle of Christmas red.

Once I found out that my mom wasn’t really doing a sweet glaze on the ham, I realized my California Pinot and my Zinfandel may not be the right call for dinner. The folks at Mission Wines suggested a Burgundy, and I went for it. The recommended bottle was a 2005 Bruno Colin Santenay Vieilles Vignes. Admittedly, I haven’t had much experience when it comes to Burgundy, compared with new world Pinot’s. That said, I immediately recognized familiar Pinot characteristics: I got a nice nose of raspberry and cherry, and on the palate were flavors of cherry, raspberry and a hint of spice. However, the wine is so much more understated and subtle than I’m used to. Very, very elegant from beginning to end (a very nice finish as well, though again, very subtle). And that understated-ness is what made it work so nicely with the ham. I really, really enjoyed this wine, a very special wine worthy of a holiday dinner (I kept half a bottle of the red as well… perhaps for tonight….?)

All in all it was a wonderful holiday meal, with wonderful wine. More than a holiday meal, it was another fine Wine Expedition.. a lesson in German Riesling and Burgundian Pinot. I hope everyone had a great holiday, a great holiday meal, and some fantastic holiday wine…