Bourbon Beef Tenderloin and Light Lobster Mole

[Icantread]

Hi all, so I am definitely a rookie for wine pairings, so that a slightly off pairing confounds me. I have two nice dinners I've been entrusted with choosing wine for. The first features a bourbon beef tenderloin for main entree and the second is a Lobster with a "light mole sauce". Comments about ruining perfectly delicious Lobster aside, I wanted some input as to what wines to pair with these main entrees, as I'm a bit uncertain which way to go. Several people present are not fans of young cabs, though I've served cab blends before to good results. Any input is greatly appreciated for either of the two dishes. Thank you in advance!

[Chicago Mike]

In general it's hard to beat chardonnay and lobster, but the "Mole" sauce is the wild card, a very wide range of seasoning possibilities, and they aren't so chardonnay-friendly, or at least predictably so.... Therefore, on the safe side I don't think you could really miss with a riesling and this lobster dish. I'd start with a kabinett but a spatlese would probably work pretty nicely also.

As for the bourbon tenderloin with the "sweet" edge... I'd go with zinfandel there.

[mengathon]

How is the tenderloin prepared? I'm assuming the bourbon component is for a pan sauce? A medium-bodied grenache based wine would be my preference. A cabernet franc from the Loire would also work.

Comments about ruining perfectly delicious lobster aside, viognier usually goes great with lobster, though I don't see how it would work in this case. An acidic German riesling perhaps? But when in doubt with any kind of seafood, I always turn to blanc de blancs champagne.

[Icantread]

Thanks for taking a stab at it. The tenderloin is marinaded overnight in bourbon and brown sugar, so there is somewhat of a sweeter element to it. I'm intrigued by the cabernet franc, as I've never had one I remembered and have been wanting to try some again.

The lobster is the real doozie and I've picked one bottle I think might work for it, but need a more secure backup.