A Good Dry Riesling & Seafood Pairing

We went out for dinner Saturday night and not only did we both decide on seafood entrees, but we both selected entrees where lobster featured prominently. What luck--a perfect opportunity to order up a bottle of Riesling! The luck didn’t end there: The restaurant offered a 2004 Domaines Schlumberger Riesling Les Princes Abbés for $24 for a 750 ml bottle which is scarcely more than 50% above retail.

The wine had nice tropical fruit notes on the nose, with mild green apple and pear on the palate, and a floral and mineral finish. It was very pleasant wine and we both enjoyed it. It continued to give up different nuances in reaction to different shellfish delights: Cherry stones brought out a ‘dusky’ character, tropical fruit sparkled after a bite of shrimp, but of course, the star of the evening was the lobster.

I had the lobster crêpe: A pillowy crêpe stuffed with tender chunks of sweet lobster, fresh mozzarella, and braised leeks and topped with a tomato cream sauce drizzled with crème fraîche. The sauce had a slightly caramel flavor and I ate every drop. The Riesling went perfectly with this dish: It was a total yum-fest.

We brought the unfinished bottle home and drank the remainder the following day with a snack of finn crisp with herbed cheese and smoked salmon. As long as I keep some dry Alsace Riesling such as the Domaines Schlumberger on hand to have with shellfish, and a less dry Riesling to pair with spicy dishes, I’ll be pretty much set for summer.