Dear friends of Wine At Wine, today's pairing wasn't something I planned – it happened by chance, one evening when I went out for dinner and, at dessert time, I was intrigued by the presentation of a tiramisù, a classic of Venetian pastry-making, beloved nationwide and now one can say worldwide, as it is known, imitated and reinvented in every possible way all over the globe.
This tiramisù, described as "espresso" because it is prepared at the customer's table in under a minute, struck me for its simplicity yet at the same time for its presentation.
The waiter arrives at the table with a tray containing two small bowls – one holding a long espresso and one holding mascarpone cream – alongside a small plate with two homemade savoiardi and a double cocktail cup with a cocoa duster beside it.
He then spooned some mascarpone cream into the cocktail cup, took a savoiardo, soaked it in the coffee and placed it on top of the cream in the cup, layered more cream over the savoiardo, added another layer of cream, soaked a second savoiardo in the coffee, placed it in the cup, covered it with more cream and a dusting of cocoa powder – incredibly simple to make, yet decidedly theatrical to watch being served at the table.
At this point I thought: what could I drink to accompany this aesthetically beautiful creation?
I asked for the wine list and found a Sauternes Chateau Rieussec, so I decided to try it – let's go with this pairing and see what happens.
The bottle I tasted is a 2007 vintage, produced in France on the border between the communes of Sauternes and Fargues.
Château Rieussec consists of a single plot of land spanning 83 hectares.
It was classified as a « Grand Cru Classé » in 1855.
Over the centuries, Château Rieussec has changed ownership several times, until in 1985 it was acquired by Domaine Barons de Rothschild, which enabled it to improve and pursue ever higher quality.
Its vineyards are situated at one of the highest points in Sauternes, immediately after those of Yquem, on a soil composed of limestone and gravel.
Vine yields are below 15 quintals per hectare.
The blend is composed of: 86% Semillon – 12% Sauvignon – 2% Muscadelle
It is a sweet white wine, full-bodied, fruity and spiced, aged for at least 18 months in French oak barrique.
On the eye, a beautiful bright golden yellow colour with good viscosity in the glass.
On the nose it is complex, arriving with a lovely floral, fruity and spiced bouquet – among the descriptors, linden blossom and broom give way to the fruit, offering sensations of candied and dried fruit such as peaches and figs, with almond notes, acacia honey and apricot jam, before yielding to spiced nuances of pepper, cinnamon, sweet vanilla and ginger.
On the palate it is immediately sweet, warm and soft, intense with an extraordinarily long finish.
It has an alcohol content of 14% by volume.
Serve at a temperature of 8–10 degrees Celsius.
The price for the 0.375 l bottle is approximately €55, though less can be spent on more recent vintages or less outstanding years than 2007, because unlike us Italians, in France in qualitatively less favourable years wines are sold at prices proportional to the quality of the wine obtained from that harvest.
I leave you as always, wishing you the opportunity to taste this great French wine – when you consider that it is produced from botrytised grapes harvested in multiple passes, not only bunch by bunch but also berry by berry, day by day, and that it takes up to 8 weeks to complete the harvest, which for these very reasons proves costly, laborious and exhausting; when you consider that it is one of the most long-lived wines, ten years and more – then you will understand that the quality-to-price ratio is entirely justified.
What do you think?
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