This month's wine is Domaine Grand Veneur's Veille Vignes! Awarded 98+ points from Parker, who raved: 
"the newest special cuvee (introduced in 2006) is the 2007 Chateauneuf du Pape Vieilles Vignes (50% Grenache, 40% Mourvedre, and 10% Syrah). Made from 50- to 100+-year-old vines and aged 18 months in small oak barrels, it is potentially one of the longest lived wines of the vintage.
This wine is from the estate's three major holdings in the northern part of the appellation, on the high plateau of Mont Redon and Cabrieres, and in the northeastern sector, near Beaucastel. The 2007 Vieilles Vignes represents the essence of Châteauneuf du Pâpe. Inky/purple to the rim, with extraordinary full-bodied aromas of roasted porcini, meat juices, blackberries, cassis, smoke, and grilled herbs, it is intense to the point of almost over-extraction, but it has no rough edges. It possesses great purity, an amazing texture, and a massive, full-bodied finish with noticeable tannin.
This exquisite, dense purple-colored effort reveals intense but restrained notes of cassis, kirsch, lavender, licorice, and graphite. A wine of great intensity as well as remarkable finesse and elegance, is a full-bodied Chateauneuf that will require plenty of patience. Give it 3-4 years of bottle age, and drink it over the following 25-30.
This is one of the most ambitious estates as well as burgeoning negociant operations in Châteauneuf du Pâpe. The two Jaume brothers, Sebastien and Christophe, continue to ratchet up the level of quality with a bevy of brilliant Châteauneuf du Pâpes. They also produce an impressive Gigondas. The estate wines, bottled under the name Domaine Grand Veneur, include two of the finest white Châteauneuf du Pâpes of the village (they own 5 acres of white grapes, a relatively large amount when only 3-4% of the appellation's production is in white wine)."
Recipe: Oxtail and Red Wine Terrine Makes 2 lbs
Many home cooks are put off from making terrines and pates due to the long list of ingredients, the many hours of preparation and lengthy cooking times. While this recipe does require you to wait at least 24 hour before enjoying the terrine, it is overall a very easy and rewarding dish to prepare. Serve the terrine with grilled sourdough toast, an assortment of mustard's, cornichons and, of course, the Grand Veneur Chateauneuf-Du-Pape.
For this recipe you will need a rectangular earthenware terrine with a tight fitting lid, which can be purchased at most specialty kitchenware stores.
* 4 1/2 pounds oxtails
* 2 onions, peeled
* 4 cloves
* 3 celery stalks
* 1 bouquet garni (3 sprigs parsley, 1 sprig thyme, 1 bay leaf-all tied together in cheesecloth)
* 3 leeks
* 6 carrots
* 1 teaspoon coriander seeds, coarsely crushed
* 1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
* 2 1/4 cups dry red wine, preferably a Cotes Du Rhone
* 1 teaspoon quatres epices***
* 3 gelatin leaves
* salt and pepper
Put the oxtails in a large pot, cover with water and bring to a boil. Skim off the foam that rises to the top. Stud the onions with the cloves and add to the pot with the celery, bouquet garni, leeks and carrots. Simmer for about 3 hours until the meat is tender and comes away from the bone. Lift out the oxtails and remove the meat from the bones while they are still warm. Remove the carrots and leeks from the pot, slice into 1/2 inch pieces and set aside. Discard the onions, celery and bouquet garni. Bring the liquid back to the boil and cook until reduced to 2 cups.
Toast the coriander and black pepper in a dry saute pan for a few minutes, until they give of their aroma. Add the wine, heat a for a few seconds, ignite and cook until the flames die down. Cook until the liquid has reduced by quarter. Pour in a cup of the reduced oxtail liquid, add the quatre epices and season with salt and pepper.
Pour a little water into a small bowl, add the gelatin and leave to soften for five minutes. squeeze out the gelatin and add to the pan, whisking constantly, then remove the pan from the heat. Gently toss the meat with the carrots and leeks, and add to a terrine, pressing them down. Pour in the wine and stock mixture. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours.
Serve chilled.
Quatre Epices is a spice blend used mainly in French cooking in the preparations of soups, stews, vegetable dishes, sausages and salamis. It is generally a blend of the following: 2 tablespoons ground white pepper, 2 tablespoons ground nutmeg, 2 tablespoons ground cloves, 2 tablespoons ground ginger.
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
