Pairings: Lobster tail complements Sea Smoke 2016 Santa Rita Chardonnay

Sea Smoke 2016 Santa Rita Chardonnay ($60), our Wine of the Week, is an elegant example of the country's most popular varietal, and it is made in the classic California style.

It is buttery, thanks to malolactic fermentation, and several months in oak contribute a suggestion of vanilla, which resonates beautifully with the wine's fruit. The fruit, in turn, suggests sweet orange, ripe stone fruit and a bit of Key lime. There's a tropical flourish, too, that evokes ripe kiwi and Sarawak grapefruit. Mid-palate, the wine kicks up its heels with a whisper of hazelnut.

High alcohol – 15 percent – is mitigated by some bright acidity on the finish.

The wine's alcohol is key to successful pairings, as having the wine with certain ingredients can make it turn bitter or seem hot on the palate. The very best matches are shellfish, especially sea scallops, mussels, King crab, stone crab and lobster, dressed simply, so that their briny flavors are not eclipsed.

The wine's price also suggests it should be paired with something special.

Today's recipe is inspired by both of these considerations. Lobster tails are first poached in butter that has just a hint of ginger and white pepper, which has a slightly fermented flavor. After the lobster is poached, some of the shellfish-scented butter is whisked into potatoes to form a beautifully floral puree. If you have a special occasion coming up, and you have fondness for California-style chardonnay, you'll love this elegant and beautiful combination of flavors and textures.

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Lobster Tails Poached in Butter with Potato Puree

Makes 2 servings

1 slice fresh ginger, about the size of a quarter

1 teaspoon white peppercorns

? cup heavy cream

2 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, about ¾ pound total, baked until tender and kept hot

- Kosher salt

1 cup (2 cubes, 8 ounces) butter, cold, cut into chunks

2 large or 4 small lobster tails, in their shells, at room temperature

- Freshly snipped chives

- Chive flowers, torn into separate blossom, for garnish

- 2 small Meyer lemon wedges

Have an instant-read thermometer next to your stove. Put 3 tablespoons of water into a saucepan just big enough to hold the lobster tails. Add the ginger and peppercorns, set over medium heat and, when the water begins to simmer, remove from the heat, cover and set aside while you prepare the potatoes.

Pour the cream into a small saucepan and set it over very low heat.

Use your hands to break the potatoes in half. Pass them, flesh sides down, through a potato ricer or pass them through a food mill. Stir the potatoes into the cream, season with salt, cover and remove from the heat.

Use a soup spoon to remove and discard the ginger and peppercorns from the water and set the pan over medium-low heat. When the water is barely simmering, whisk in a piece of butter. Continue until all the butter has been whisked into water and do not let the mixture simmer. Test the temperature of the butter; it should be between 160 and 180 degrees.

Preheat the oven to 150 degrees and set two dinner plates on the middle rack to warm them.

Use a sharp knife or cleaver to cut the lobster tails in half lengthwise. With the heat very low, place them, flesh side down, into the butter mixture. Cook very gently until the shells are bright red, about 10 to 14 minutes, depending on their size. If the lobster tails are not fully submerged in the butter, spoon it over them as they cook. Remove from heat.

Working as quickly as possible, whisk 5 to 6 tablespoons of the butter mixture into the potatoes. Taste and correct for salt.

Divide the potato puree between the two warmed plates and set the lobster alongside, with it partially on and partially off the potatoes. Scatter chives and chive flowers on top, add a lemon wedge alongside the lobster and enjoy right away.

Email Michele Anna Jordan at michele@micheleannajordan.com.