The Melting Teapot

One of the best food and wine experiences I’ve had recently was an aged sauvignon blanc from California paired with a nice salad with buttermilk dressing. 

We purchased a few bottles of the Kalin sauv blanc from Rare Wine Co. in 2009, and they have been a wonderful lesson in the glories of aged white wine. The winery didn't release the wine until more than ten years had passed, so the sauvignon blanc is intended to be enjoyed after aging.

• 1997 Kalin Cellars Sauvignon Blanc Reserve - USA, California, North Coast, Potter Valley (2/10/2011)
  This is our third and final bottle, and it seems the most youthful. It is lighter, the color of apple juice (the others were more orange like an aged Riesling). The only place we really notice the age is on the nose, with some paraffin and dusty earth qualities. The wine is not as herbaceous or evergreen as many sauv blancs, but there is still a sharp-edged acidity meeting up against that earthiness. We taste pineapple and musty mango, with a touch of honey on the finish.

Posted from CellarTracker

We opened the bottle to pair with our dinner of Roasted Cauliflower Pasta and Saveur’s Winter Salad with Buttermilk Dressing.  The salad is a simple mix of greens, beets, apples, and walnuts.  It is light and crunchy, with earthy and sweet flavors of beet contrasting against the zesty tart apple and lemon.

Click the photo or follow the link above to the complete Saveur recipe.  I made only one change, roasting the beets (Chioggia) just a bit instead of slicing them raw.  I also felt that we had more dressing than necessary, so next time I’ll cut that in half.