This month, we've got two Chardonnays, a Cabernet, a great Spanish red blend, a luscious Napa red blend, and a fun Austrian red served up in a liter bottle!
First up is Verchères Mâcon Villages, 100% Chardonnay, also known as a White Burgundy. An outstanding effort, the Vercheres is a perfect Macon-Villages; filled with superb ripe apple flavors and textures that fully satisfies the palate. a great wine from Northeastern Spain, Espelt
Domaine des Verchères is a family domaine located in the northernmost part of the Mâcon region, just south of the Côtes Chalonnaise. Owner Andre Dupuis is now succeeded by his two sons, Remi and Jean-Christophe. The 10-hectare Mâcon-Villages vineyard, in the communes of Mancey and Royer, is planted entirely with Chardonnay on south-east facing slopes at an average altitude of 250 meters. The vines average 30 years of age.
The soils in the two largest parcels are a mix of clay and limestone, covered with small white pebbles. In one parcel, the subsoil is deep and cool clay, which makes for a slow ripening process and the development of complex pit-fruit and citrus flavors. The other parcel has an almost pure rock soil where the vines’ roots go deep into the limestone. This parcel warms up early and provides ripe, generous Chardonnay fruit with a distinct minerality. The exceptional quality of the Domaine des Verchères Mâcon-Villages is the result of the blending of the fruit from these two vineyard sites.
Next up is Viña Siegel San Elais Chardonnay, an extremely well made wine from the Central Valley in Chile. Intense pineapple aromas, very fresh, with tropical flavors overtones, and amazing value at $8.50 per bottle, before club discount.
Then we've got a great wine from Northeastern Spain, Espelt Saldo, a blend of 60% Garnacha and 40% Carineña. The Carignan is from 80 year old vines, and the Grenache from 30+ year old vines, all grown sustainable to organic. Dark ruby-colored, it has a fragrant bouquet of licorice, black cherry, and blueberry. This leads to a succulent, ripe wine with loads of pure fruit, a seamless texture, and excellent length. Drink this crowd-pleaser over the next four years.
Although the Espelt family has been growing grapes for quite some time, it was not until 2000 that they began to produce wine. With over 500 acres of vineyards planted to a multitude of varieties, Espelt’s ultra modern winery is responsible for some of the greatest values in the region with a whimsical sensibility. Located Inside two National Parks in the ends of the Pyrenees, the land is characterized by strong northern winds, poor soils of slate and granite and very old vineyards planted as long ago as 1900.
Perrone Cabernet Sauvignon is from the Colchuaga Valley in Cile - a blend of 85% Cab and 15% Carmenere. This cabernet casts aromas of ripe cherries, cassis and black pepper. On the palate, it shows toasted oak, wild plum and spice. With soft, well-integrated tannins, good acidity and lots of extraction, this medium-to-full-bodied wine has nice balance and complexity. It finishes long with fruit
and toast.
Chasing Lions is a Napa Valley red wine blend of 55% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc, 7% Cab Franc and 3% Petit Verdot. Chasing Lions is owned by Nine North Wine Company, located in the prestigious Stags Leap District in California. The company is owned and operated by Jim Gill and James Harder, two friends from Canada that moved to the Napa Valley to produce wine.
This Bordeaux style blend that has been matured for 18 months, spending time in both French and American Oak barrels. Fragrant aromas of black currant, cedar, spice and espresso complement rich flavors of licorice, mocha, black cherry and oak.
Finally, we have Berger Zweigelt, an Austrian red wine. Zweigelt is a cross between Blaufränkisch and St. Laurent. It is now the most widely-grown red grape variety in Austria. The grape was originally called Rotburger, but mercifully, for English speakers at least, the name was changed to honor its creator.
Zweigelt reminds me of a lighter style Cotes du Rhone, a spicy Beaujolais or even a lighter styled Bierzo. Berger Zweigelt executes a surprising balance of ripe fruit and grown-up maturity; with layer upon layer of plum and berry fruit, With delightfully assertive acidity and plenty of spice, you'll enjoy this pleasantly lengthy wine again and again.
RECIPES:
For the Chardonnays: Striped Bass, Shrimp and Potato Pot Pie Serves Six
This dish is perfect for Christmas Eve. Quick and easy to prepare, it will give you plenty of time to finish wrapping those last minute gifts!
3/4 cup milk
3/4 cup vegetable stock
3 ounces butter
3 shallots, thinly sliced
1 head fennel, bulbs finely shaved and fronds reserved
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 ounces all purpose flour
2 ounces lemon juice
1 1/2 pounds striped bass fillet, cut into 1 inch cubes
12 medium size shrimp, peeled, tails and intestinal tracts removed
1/4 cup finely chopped dill
2 scallions, thinly sliced
4 potatoes, unpeeled
3 ounces unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons grated parmesan
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
Combine the milk and stock in a saucepan and bring just to the boil, remove from heat and keep warm. Melt butter in a heavy-based saucepan over medium heat, add the shallots, fennel and garlic and cook for 5-6 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add flour and cook, stirring, for 1-2 minutes, then gradually add warm stock mixture, stirring continuously until smooth. Add lemon juice, season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and cook for 4-5 minutes or until thick. Remove from heat, add the bass and prawns and stir to combine. Finely chop the reserved fennel fronds, add to fish mixture with dill and scallions, stir to combine and season to taste. Spoon mixture into a buttered ovenproof baking dish and set aside.
Preheat oven to 325F.
Using a mandolin, thinly slice the potatoes and arrange in concentric circles over filling, brush with butter and season to taste. Place dish on an oven tray and bake for 25 minutes or until potatoes are golden. Top with the parmesan and chopped parsley, and bake a further 5-10 minutes until the snapper is cooked through.
For the Zweigelt: Pappardelle with Sausage, Roast Pepper Ragù and Olives Serves Eight
Even though the Zweigelt may not be a classical pairing with a dish like this, its fruity, rich and spicy flavors, balanced with good acidity, work fantastically well with meat and tomato pasta dishes. Also, great with pizza's and meatball sandwiches!
8 large over-ripe tomatoes
2 red and yellow peppers
6 thyme sprigs
4 fresh bay leaves
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
2 pounds veal and pork sausages, skins removed, coarsely crumbled
1 small onion, finely chopped
4 red shallots, thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 small red chilli, seeds removed, thinly sliced
3 pounds canned peeled plum tomatoes
½ bunch basil, tied with kitchen string
1 cup assorted black olives, pitted, coarsely chopped
¼ bunch oregano leaves, to serve
Pasta dough
9 ounces pasta flour, plus extra for dusting
4 egg yolks
2 eggs
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
For pasta dough, process ingredients and a pinch of sea salt in a food processor until a ball forms (1-2 minutes), turn onto a lightly floured work surface and knead until smooth and firm (3-5 minutes). Wrap in plastic wrap and rest in a cool place for 30 minutes. Divide dough into three pieces and, working with one piece at a time, rolling and folding as you go, feed through pasta machine, reducing settings notch by notch until lowest setting. Dust with flour to prevent sticking. Cut into 10 inch pieces, then cut each piece into 1"-wide strips and hang over a wooden dowel to dry (1-2 hours).
Meanwhile, preheat oven to 180C. Blanch freash tomatoes until skins split (1-2 minutes), then refresh, drain, peel, coarsely chop and set aside. Place peppers on an oven tray, scatter with herbs, sherry vinegar and some of the olive oil, season to taste and roast, stirring occasionally, until golden and tender but still holding their shape (25-30 minutes). Cool slightly, then peel, remove seeds, cut into strips (reserve pan juices) and set aside.
Heat olive oil in a non-stick pan over medium-high heat, add sausage and sauté until golden (4-5 minutes), drain on absorbent paper and set aside.
Meanwhile, heat remaining olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat, add onion, shallot, garlic and chili and stir occasionally until tender but not colored (6-7 minutes). Add canned tomato, basil and chopped tomato, stir to combine, then bring to the simmer and stir occasionally until thick (25-30 minutes). Remove basil, break tomato up with the back of a wooden spoon, add reserved peppers, sausage and olives, season to taste and keep warm.
Cook pasta in a large saucepan of boiling salted water until al dente (2-3 minutes), drain and add to sausage and roast pepper ragù. Toss to coat and serve immediately scattered with oregano leaves.
For the Cab and Red Wine Blends: Prime Rib of Beef with Yorkshire Puddings, Roasted Potatoes and Creamed Brussels Sprouts Serves 6
There is nothing quite like a traditional Sunday roast. I need say no more other than to open a bottle or two of the Parrone and Chasing Lions.
Prime Rib of Beef:
One 4-5 pound prime rib beef, bone-in
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 pounds potatoes – peeled, quartered and parboiled
4 sprigs rosemary
½ cup red wine
1 1/2 cups beef stock
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Brussels Sprouts:
1 pound brussels sprouts, outer leaves removed and cut into quarters
3 tablespoons butter
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
salt and pepper
Yorkshire Pudding:
6 ounces all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup cold milk
1/4 cup cold water
3 eggs – beaten
2 cups sour cream
1/2 cup horseradish
1 bunch chives, finely chopped
To prepare Yorkshire pudding, sift flour into a bowl with salt. Combine milk and water together in another bowl. Whisk in the beaten eggs. Add this mixture to the flour in a thin stream, whisking continuously to obtain a smooth batter. Let mixture stand at room temperature for 1 hour.
Allow the prime rib to come to room temperature. Preheat oven to 400F. Rub beef with half the olive oil and season generously with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Place on a rack in a roasting pan, add the potatoes around the bottom of the pan, season and drizzle with the remaining olive oil. Scatter the rosemary sprigs around the pan. Roast the prime rib in the oven for 10-15 minutes. Lower temperature to 325F and cook for about 15 minutes per pound for rare, about 18 minutes per poundg for medium rare and, if you must, about 20 minutes per pound for well done. Remove from the oven, transfer beef and potatoes to serving dish and cover with foil. Allow to rest at least 20-30 minutes before carving. Drain cooking fat into a jug.
For the Brussels Sprouts: In a large (12-inch) skillet, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the Brussels sprouts and salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sprouts are nicely browned in spots, and have a sweetly caramelized flavor. Pour in the cream and mustard, stir to mix, and reduce the heat to low or medium low: you want to keep the pan at a slow simmer. Braise until the sprouts are tender enough to be pierced easily with the tip of a paring knife, about 30-35 minutes. The cream will have reduced almost to a glaze and will have taken on a creamy mustard color. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper.
To cook Yorkshire puddings, preheat oven to 450F. Place a little fat in each of the compartments of a Yorkshire pudding tray or muffin pan. Place in the oven and allow to heat up for 5 minutes. Remove pan from the oven, fill each compartment with Yorkshire pudding batter that has been given one final whisk, being careful not to overfill, and bake for 25 minutes or until the puddings have risen and turned golden brown.
To make gravy, place roasting pan over high heat, add red wine and butter to deglaze pan, stirring with a wooden spoon for about 3-5 minutes. Add beef stock and cook for a further 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens.
Slice beef and serve with the roast potatoes, Yorkshire puddings, brussels sprouts, gravy and the sour cream-horseradish sauce.
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