Vins Auvigue 2011 Moulin du Pont

As many of you know, a few years ago I attended the International Food Bloggers Conference that was held in Seattle, Washington.  While I was there I had the incredible fortune to meet one of Seattle's best chefs, Matthew Farrer, and he became someone I count as a very dear friend today.  Late 2012 he was diagnosed with advanced stage cancer.  The restaurant community in Seattle has rallied around him and, for the second year running, are putting together a benefit dinner to assist with his medical bills.  This dinner is scheduled for this weekend, February 16th.  

Unfortunately I am unable to make it to the festivities but I wanted to commemorate the occasion in the best way possible- by toasting him with a glass of wine that I was first introduced to by him- White Burgundy.  The Burgundy region of France, located in the mid -east region of the country, is the classic and often regarded as the best place where Chardonnay grapes are grown.  The climate is cool to moderate which creates a more acidic wine.  

I purchased a bottle of Vins Auvigue Charonnay from Villages de Davayé, 2011

vintage.  These grapes are hand harvested, pressed and then aged in steel.  Here this created a wine without any oak notes which is typical of the Maconnais portion of Burgundy.  The wine had an incredible fresh lemon and citrus nose, clean, and moderate in intensity.  It's flavor however was a beautiful mix of both lemon, and butter.  It was acidic, had great body and was very pleasing to sip.  It wasn't perhaps not the most complex wine, but at $20.00 for a bottle, inexpensive for the region, it was exactly what I wanted, and I could feel Matt's approval from across the country.  

More information concerning Matt's dinner can be found here.  If you can attend, or donate, every bit will help.  Either way- I encourage you to raise a glass to his honor.