TN: '96 Sterling Chardonnay

[Randy Caparoso]

Well, I'm always nitpicking, gentlemen, as you probably already know. Re: Sancerre is an ideal lobster wine; but if too much butter and especially garlic is involved, it really is not the best at all. It's too pure and too light, and would either make too much of a contrast (acid/oil) or just be overwhelmed. That's why I suggest a moderately oaked Sauvignon Blanc (or moderately oaked Pinot Gris) for Van's dish -- the idea is to get just enough acidity (certainly a lot more than in Chardonnay), but also with just enough creaminess in the texture to create a common ground with the butter, and just enough fruitiness of California grown fruit to handle garlic (which creates more of a Meditereranean/California context, as opposed to cold climate French context in which Sancerre belongs) with aplomb.

This is the type of anal analysis you get when a restaurateur, who usually operates with a fairly full palette, gets involved with food/wine matching. Sorry, can't help it.