$30 Wine and Food Pairing with Cuvaison's
2009 Carneros Chardonnay by Sommelier Rick Bakas!
www.rickbakas.com

"Here’s a quick and easy recipe that perfect for a weeknight when there’s no time to prepare an entire meal. Total food cost is somewhere around ten or eleven bucks, which is nice because that leaves about twenty bucks for wine!

In the interest of not over thinking it, I’d say a white wine with a bit of sweetness to offset the tangy dijon flavor. Brown sugar makes me think of the caramel or créme brulée notes you get in Chardonnay with decent oak (and that’s also why I’d lean away from Riesling or Pinot Gris).

Get your favorite buttery Chardonnay and make it easy on yourself. A recent bottle I really liked for about $20 is the 2009 Cuvaison Chardonnay from Carneros. You may not realize Carneros is located in Napa, but it borders on the south end of Sonoma too. Moreover, you may not realize Carneros also borders the San Pablo bay (it’s not called the San Francisco bay).

Cool air comes off the water and cools the vines, which is what Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes love. The result is rich, round, supple Chardonnay that sing like a bird when complimented by the right amount of oak."

Mustard Chicken With
2009 Carneros Chardonnay

INGREDIENTS

4 chicken breasts
6 TBSP dry bread crumbs
2 TBSP brown sugar
2 TSP dry basil
5 TBSP dijon mustard
2 TSP salt
1 TSP pepper

Preheat oven to 500ºF. In small bowl, mix the bread crumbs, brown sugar, basil, salt and pepper. Spread dijon mustard all over chicken, then coat with bread crumb mixture. Set the chicken breasts in a glass baking dish and cook for about 25 minutes until crisp.