Twisted Oak Viogner and BBQ Chicken

So tonight's lovely pairing is this:

Wine: Twisted Oak 2006 Calaveras County Viognier

Meal: Chicken Bundles with grilled baby potatoes and steamed sugar snap peas

Tasting notes on the wine:

Color: 5/5
Clear liquid gold. Perfectly clear at the edges.

Nose: 10/15
Subdued - I really had to concentrate to be able to pull out the individual scents. Honey predominantly, with notes of melon and apricot.

Flavor: 8/10
Silky smooth. It's a little oily on its own, but bring food into the picture and that goes away. No heat on this one. The nose carries through to the palate with apricot, and adds on some peach and honeydew. Add in a bite of the chicken, and it pulls out grapefruit and mango, and a hint of vanilla. Bright but I wouldn't necessarily call it crisp.

Finish: 7/10
Lasts about 10-15 seconds with touch of oak. You get a little bit of a bite at the back of the throat, and the apricot is back. Have some potato or peas first and you'll also get some toasted sesame seed.

Aging: 2/5
I don't think this one will last for a super long time in the cellar, but should last at least another couple of years. Drink through 2010.

Overall: 4/5
I've had better stuff, but this is very nice. The cork broke while I was opening it, so that may have played a role. Not a super complex wine, but it's an easy drinker. Drinks pretty well on its own, but is much better with the food.

Total: 86pts

The BBQ sauce on the chicken was made to be a little bit on the spicy side, and the wine really cut that nicely. I could see having this with plenty of spicy Asian dishes, particularly Thai or a spicy Indian curry.

Want to make this meal?

Chicken Bundles
These are a childhood favorite of mine that my dad used to make all the time.

If you can't find a spicy BBQ sauce, you can make your own very simply by mixing together:
2 Tbsp sweet BBQ sauce
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp chili powder

For each serving:
5oz boneless skinless chicken breast
2 slices bacon
1oz cheddar cheese, cubed
2 Tbsp spicy BBQ sauce

Soak 2 bamboo skewers in water for approximately half an hour, or use metal skewers.

Using a meat mallet, pound the chicken breast until it is evenly 1/4" thick all around. Try not to pound all the way through the meat and tear it - easiest way to keep it safe is to lay it between two pieces of plastic wrap to pound.

Place the cheese cubes in the middle of the chicken, and wrap the chicken around it. Wrap the bacon slices around the chicken in a cross. Skewer the chicken, one skewer in each direction following the lines of the bacon.

Grill over medium-high heat for about 10 minutes, then flip and grill for another 5 minutes. Brush the BBQ sauce on each side of the chicken and grill for an additional 5 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the chicken is 180 degrees and the BBQ sauce has set.

Serve with grilled baby potatoes that have been skewered and placed on the grill for the duration of the chicken (turned at the same time as the chicken), and steamed sugar snap peas.

Enjoy!