It’s time for some Thai food and Bordeaux–let’s go! Today’s bottle is a second wine from Château Couhins, a classified old Graves estate that is now owned by the French government’s wine research institute.
This dry white wine is pale lemon with a frosty appearance (it’s very cold). Superbly aromatic with gooseberry (cats), pineapple, green grapefruit/lime, and beeswax. On the first sip, sea salt punctuates the very high acidity while orange blossoms soften its citric punch.
That sharp bite mellows as it warms, revealing a richly flavored, medium-bodied beauty that still leads with its assertive tropical fruit. Tart-creamy flavors of kiwi and lemon curd slowly bloom. Exotic fruit–citron zest and yuzu–perfume its long, saline finish.
Though the last hour of service is approaching, I hold off ordering dinner for a moment longer so I can have time to taste everything in this enthralling glass. (The label’s a little worse for wear on this 2019, but the wine inside is in top condition.)
I’m gonna take a moment here to add a local shoutout: Bambu Asian Cuisine. I’m delighted to find that one of my favorite Thai restaurants also has one of my favorite wine lists.
Thai cuisine has a reputation for being hard to pair. And to be sure, I’ve been to many casual spots where they don’t even try and the wine list consists of two Rieslings and a dusty bottle of Cabernet.
But Bambu has a wide single-page list that goes beyond the obvious stuff. Sta. Rita Hills Pinot? Yep. A Chardonnay from Langhe? Why not? These are varied, global picks that are shrewdly chosen to partner with their excellent food. There are also two “chalkboard special” bottles priced at $25. (Right now, it’s a Provence rosé and a young Rioja.)
White Bordeaux is one of my faves on its own, but it truly over-performs as a foodie wine. I ordered this bottle ($65) to go along with a dish of steamed clams with vegetables and basil–a traditional and unsurprisingly ideal pairing for Sauv Blanc.
But I wasn’t ready for how its bright citrus/tropical flavors and moderate weight complemented everything else on the table. It paired equally well with fried corn patties, char-grilled pork with fish sauce, and even a dessert of sweet mango with coconut sticky rice.
Bottle: Château Couhins “Les Demoiselles de Couhins” Pessac-Léognan Blanc (2019)
Variety: Sauvignon Blanc and Sauvignon Gris. (Or Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon, per CellarTracker. I can’t find any specs for this vintage–but another source says the estate is historically planted to Sauvignon Blanc and Sauvignon Gris, with Sémillon only recently added. There’s a little bit of waxiness that definitely could be from Sémillon. So, I’m not certain. But the blend is overwhelmingly Sauvignon Blanc-y, anyhow.)
ABV: 14.5%
Suggested retail: $25
My rating: 9.1 (out of 10)
Review disclosure: I was not compensated or provided any free products for this review. Opinions expressed on The Wine Fairy blog are entirely my own.
Leave a Comment