This week I got together with some friends to have wine and cheese. One of whom is also in this class. We tried a cabernet sauvignon, a pinot grigio, and a chardonnay with a “fromager d affinos with herbs”, Gruyere, and a dill fontal cheeses.
Hess Select Cabernet Sauvignon This wine was very bold with intense cherry and plum flavors. There were also hints of spices and herbs like pepper and fennel, as well as hints of oak. It was pretty dry yet very smooth with a full body and not very acidic. I really enjoyed this cabernet.
It paired well with the herb fromager as both have strong flavors and complemented each other well. The cheese’s creaminess makes the wine even smoother and it brings out more fruitiness flavors. With the dill rubbed cheese, the dill brought out the spices in the wine pretty well. The cheese was creamy which balanced the wine well and the herbs interacted nicely but if you get too much of the dill it can be overpowering. Finally, the Gruyère cheese was very good and went well with the wine. It was a very simple cheese that didn’t interact much with the wine but still complimented the wine well.
The wine had very strong aromas but the wine itself was pretty light and crisp. It was very citrusy, acidic, and dry yet smooth. The main flavors were pear, lemon, lime, melon, and green apple.
The dill cheese definitely overpowered this lighter wine. The spices overpowered the citrus flavors in the wine. However, the creaminess of it went well. Overall I think it paired okay. The herb cheese paired well with this because the creaminess made it smoother and the light herbs complimented the citrus very well. The Gruyère went pretty well and brought out the citrus flavor more, but they didn’t interact much.
Francis Coppola Chardonnay
This wine was very smooth and citrusy with some acidity. It was dry with a full body and had strong pear, peach flavors with underlying oak and vanilla notes. I liked this chardonnay and appreciated the complexity and not too much acidity.
The herb cheese brought out the oaky and nuttyness under tones in the wine. The creaminess also balanced the citrus well so I thought this cheese painted well. The dill cheese had an interesting effect on the wine and the spices made brought out a meaty flavor. I think the creaminess and flavors also complimented the wine pretty well. With the Gruyère, the sharpness balanced the citrus and complemented the wine nicely without affecting the overall flavor much.
Overall, the herb cheese was our favorite and generally went well with all of the wines we tried. I definitely recommend it.
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