2019 Acquiesce Clairette Blanche – Unique and Rare United States Wine
The Winery
Acquiesce Winery continues to impress with their white wine portfolio on French wines. There is so much to state about Susan Tipton, owner and winemaker of Acquiesce Winery. The key takeaway is that she established her winery in Acampo (just north of Lodi) with the expressed purpose of bringing French white wine varieties to market. Lodi had been primarily known for red wines, but she turned heads with some of her unique wines such as Picpoul, Clairette Blanche, Ingénue (blend of Grenache Blanc, Clairette Blanche, Bourboulenc & Picpoul), Roussanne and more. Here are some reviews of her wines and her impact:
https://californiawinesandwineries.com/2020/09/20/2018-acquiesce-vineyards-picpoul-blanc/
https://californiawinesandwineries.com/2020/08/30/2018-acquiesce-ingenue-french-and-more-french/
The Wine
Clairette Blanche is a widely planted white grape in the south of France. “Clairette” which means light one in French is due to its grape skin color. Only 2% of worldwide production is done in the USA. Acquiesce Clairette Blanche holds a tremendous complexity of floral aromas of honeysuckle and jasmine. The flavor profile is one of both sweet and lightly roasted almonds. Residing in the background is pineapple, lime and lemongrass. A perfect wine targeted for fish and shell fish. It has already won a Double Gold Medal at the 2020 American Wine Society Wine Competition.
The Food and Wine Pairing
This wine is made to go with flaky white fish. Pulled this bottle out of the cellar as we went to Baldi’s at Copper Valley restaurant for dinner Friday night. The pepper crusted seared Yellowfin on a seaweed salad was a great appetizer although not necessarily a great pairing with the wine.
However the entrée a crusted Mahi Mahi with lemon panko served with a mango salsa and served with mashed potatoes & vegetables was an exquisite food and wine pairing.
Sláinte,
Michael
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