Salmon and Morels with the Domaine Wines of Louis Max #Winophiles
French Winophiles Linger in Bourgogne
Our winophiles group loves Burgundy (Bourgogne) so much, we decided we needed to spend two months exploring the region. Last month, we were in Chablis and the Northern part of the Côte d’Or: the Côte de Nuits and the Côte de Beaune. The wines of these northern regions are real beauties, but they can be eye-wateringly expensive.
This month we move south, to explore the more wallet-friendly regions of the Côte Chalonnaise and Mâconnais. Cruise down to the bottom of this post to see what my #Winophiles buddies have discovered in their adventures!
Cote Chalonnaise and Maconnais are the two southernmost sub-regions within Bourgogne
Côte Chalonnaise and Mâconnais
The Côte Chalonnaise and Mâconnais are south, so they are just a bit warmer than the more northerly sections of Burgundy. They also don’t enjoy quite the same slope and consistent perfect soils for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Chardonnay is still the main grape for white wines, and Pinot Noir for the reds.
My previous post, here, described our fun visit with Sophie Doche, the oenologue at Louis Max. While the winery is located up in Nuits-Saint-Georges, the estate vineyards are down in the village of Mercurey in the Côte Chalonnaise. What a great opportunity to combine a visit report with tasting the wines back home in Minnesota!
Domaine Louis Max Mercurey “Les Rochelles” 2015, a white Burgundy made from Chardonnay
Domaine Louis Max Mercurey Blanc AOC “Les Rochelles” 2015 ($35 Sunfish Cellars)
Eye: Clear, medium yellow with a pale edge
Nose: Clean, medium- intensity, ripe pears moving into tropical fruit. A touch of oak, baking spices, but restrained.
Mouth: Dry, medium+ acidity, medium body, oak is more evident in the mouth. Acidity is there but nice and mellowed out, likely from malolactic fermentation (ML). Restrained for the oaky buttery set, but in that general vein.
Louis Max Mercurey “Clos la Marche” 2014. This is 100% Pinot Noir from a walled (Clos) single vineyard in the village of Mercurey.
Domaine Louis Max Mercurey Rouge AOC “Clos la Marche” 2014 ($35 Sunfish Cellars)
Eye: Clear, pale ruby with a cool colored edge
Nose: Clean, medium+ intensity. Ripe cherries, strawberries. Floral, not much earth.
Mouth: Bone dry, medium intensity, medium+ acidity, medium- tannins. Cherries are less ripe in the mouth than on the nose. Shows it’s from a little warmer/riper spot. I often find the wines from the Côte Chalonnaise to be a bit riper, more generous and ready to drink sooner than their pricier cousins from the Côte de Beaune or Côte de Nuits.
Cedar Plank Salmon and Morel Mushroom Risotto with Louis Max
Risotto is one of those dishes that are worth learning to make. You need to make risotto a few times, until you get the hang of it and develop your own taste for how soft or firm you like your risotto to be. After that, you have an elegant dish that you know by heart and will always be delicious and impressive for guests. So what are you waiting for? If you need a little advice, here’s the recipe I use: Spring Pea Basil Risotto. You add the additional flavor ingredients you are in the mood for that day.
How about the wine pairing with the cedar planked salmon and morel mushroom risotto? Pinot Noir is generally considered a perfect match with salmon, and I agree it’s nice. However, I have never found Pinot Noir to be “perfect” with salmon. Today, I thought the Mercurey Blanc was the better of the two wines with the salmon and with the morel mushroom risotto. The pear tones in the blanc just seemed like a better match to the flavors in the dish, compared to the more intense red cherries and strawberries found in the rouge. Maybe just my take; as I said both were nice. What do you think?
Winophiles Discoveries from the Southern Bourgogne
Take a look at all the great finds our French Winophiles discovered! If you see this post soon enough, please join our chat on Twitter on Saturday, June 17 at 10:00am CDT. You’ll find us on Twitter at #Winophiles.
- Jeff Burrows of FoodWineClick serves up “Salmon and Morels with the Domaine Wines of Louis Max.”
- Jill Barth of L’Occasion shares “Historic Vineyards of Burgundy.”
- Michelle Williams of Rockin Red Blog regales us with: “A Journey Through Burgundy Part 2, Exploring Mâconnais with #Winophiles.”
- Gwendolyn Lawrence Alley of Wine Predator takes on: “Journey to Burgundy Part 2”
- Lynn Gowdy of Savor the Harvest steers us through “Navigating Southern Burgundy: Mâconnaise and Beaujolais.”
- Jane Niemeyer of Always Ravenous explores “Discovering Rully Chardonnay + Bouzeron Aligoté in Burgundy’s Côte Chalonnaise.”
- Nicole Ruiz Hudson of Somm’s Table schools us with “Cooking to the Wine: Jean-Marc Brocard Sainte Claire Chablis with Clam and Burrata Pizza.”
- Wendy Klik of A Day in the Life on the Farm dips her toe in “Provence meets Burgundy.”
- Lauren Walsh of The Swirling Dervish swirls up “Mercurey Rising: Pinot Noir from Burgundy’s Côte Chalonnaise.”
- L.M. Archer of binnotes.com pours forth on “Burgundy’s Overlooked ‘Other’ White Wine.”
Share this:
Comments
24 Responses to “Salmon and Morels with the Domaine Wines of Louis Max #Winophiles”Trackbacks
Check out what others are saying...-
[…] Jeff Burrows of FoodWineClick serves up “Salmon and Morels with the Domaine Wines of Louis Max.“ […]
-
[…] Jeff Burrows of FoodWineClick serves up “Salmon and Morels with the Domaine Wines of Louis Max.” […]
-
[…] Fellow French #winophiles and their discoveries in Burgundy~ Jeff Burrows of Food Wine Click serves up “Salmon and Morels with the Domaine Wines of Louis […]
-
[…] Burrows of FoodWineClick serves up “Salmon and Morels with the Domaine Wines of Louis […]
foodwineclick 
Those bottles have such a storybook look, I love it.
Morels are a woodland favorite where I live, available only in season if one for ages for themselves. I was surprised to see a bin of them at the grocery store in St. Helena a few weeks ago. Jason made an omelette, which was gorgeous. Come to think of it, I believe he did a forest mushroom risotto to pair with a Bourgogne wine for L’occasion. I’ll have to revisit That!
Beautiful post, well-done as always Jeff!
*if one forages. Auto-check…
Thanks, Jill. I need to sign up for a foraging class, we have a few here in MN. We only see a few Morels in the farmers markets and they are $50/lb. Luckily, 4 ounces goes a long way and they are a sure sign of spring.
Stunning post,as usual, Jeff. You make it all look so easy (the food, the wine, the clicking.) I am so excited to try this producer. Thank you!
Thanks, Lyn. Their wines are very nice!
Can’t wait to
try them! TY again for all of your help – and patience!
I am not sure I have ever had morels but based on your wine descriptions I can see why the Chard paired better than the PN. I agree with you about risotto. Super easy to make and tastes so decadent and creamy yet homemade has no cream at all. This looks like a wonderful meal.
Thanks Michelle!
Loved everything, but the breakfast radishes – wow! I just flashed back to time spent in France, eating one of the most simple yet exquisite things. Did you grow them yourself? Really like the wine labels, too. Very colorful and kind of fun.
Thanks, Lauren. I didn’t grow them, picked them up at the farmers market. So French!
Love it! Wish I could find them here.
Hmmm…..I never knew that Pinot Noir paired with Salmon. I always go for a white. I love this cedar planked version and Morels are a once in a great while luxury. Perfect meal for this time of year.
Thanks, Wendy. For sure, salmon and Pinot Noir is a thing, especially in Oregon. Except not at my house!
We do salmon and Pinot Noir all the time! Also salmon and WA merlot — we also do seared ahi tuna with these wines.
I have never seen Morels in GA, but do remember a visit to Mpls. a few years back and buying some at the Mill City farmers market. Went back to my sister’s house and made morel asparagus pizza – it was delicious!
I have enjoyed Pinot Noir with salmon and usually it is my go to, however, like you with the wines from Côte Chalonnaise the Chardonnay was the better fit.
Your salmon looks amazing and your back story on the wines was fun! Cheers to Tuesdays and all the other days of the week with wine!
Thanks, Jane! No Morels, but you do have peaches, so there’s that!
Beautiful photography. The morel risotto looks spectacular and I’m sure it was fantastic with the wines!
Thanks, Nicole!
MORELS! I have never done anything with them — it is time to try! Love the labels and the wines sound delish. Thanks for the info on the region as well. So much to learn!
Thanks, Gwen. Morels are quite a treat, although we pay dearly for them here. I buy only what I’ll cook and eat that day and only a few ounces until I learn how to forage for them!