High End Red Wine Club
May High End Selection
If you know Farmstead, you know that we're bullish on the wines of
Washington State. We try to steer customers towards them whenever it's
appropriate, as the wines are generally plush and well-made, but with
true finesse and grace. I often describe Washington State wines as a
combination of France and California - definitely newer world in style,
but with the backbone and grip to age for a long time.
DeLille's Harrison Hill Vineyard Red Wine is a wine that we've never been offered, and if it weren't for this danged economic slump, we would never have been offered.
The wine is sold exclusively to a small number of DeLille wine club members, and the waiting list to get on that list is years long. A wee bit gets out to top restaurants - and it's those allocations that weren't snapped up this year. Enter Farmstead - we purchased as much as we could - and didn't blink an eye.
This is world class juice - 99% of the fruit is taken from the Harrison Hill Vineyard - Washington's 2nd oldest vineyard. This year, the blend is 65% Cabernet, 25% Merlot, 9% Cabernet franc, with a splash of Ciel du Cheval Petit Verdot.
Harrison Hill shows off its unique terroir with a pretty, charming nose of fresh cherries, lead pencil, and Provence herbs. The palate shows great elegance and breed with cherries and cassis on the palate. A very silky mouthfeel, and understated but present structure mark this as a classic Harrison Hill.
DeLille Cellars is a small winery located in Woodinville, Washington and was originally co-founded in 1992 by Greg Lill, Jay Soloff, Chris Upchurch and Charles Lill (now his daughter Pat Lill Jorgenson is shareholder/partner). Simply stated, our goal is to make the very best handcrafted, old-world style red and white wine made in the State of Washington. We are a family and independently owned winery with an uncompromising philosophy about the quality of what will be in your bottle of wine.
Delille currently produces five Bordeaux-styled wines: Grand Ciel, Chaleur Estate Red, D2, Harrison Hill, and Chaleur Estate Blanc. Also produced are the Doyenne wines, which include a classic northern Rhône-style Syrah - awarded as one of the great 15 Syrahs of the world; a Roussanne; Métier a Southern Rhône-styled red wine; Métier Blanc, a Provençe-style white, Aix, a Provençe-style red, and a Provençe/Bandol-style Rosé.
All wines from DeLILLE are made with the highest "hand-crafted" standards. Only grapes from the oldest and best vineyards in Washington State are acquired. They are hand picked and double hand sorted at crush, insuring that only the finest berry clusters enter fermentation. Our wines are aged in 100% new French Oak barrels each and every year and are never filtered.
Recipe provided by Michael Lemaire Grilled Lamb with Mint Sauce Serves 8
This month's Bordeaux blend from DeLille suggests to me something classic such as Lamb with Mint. Nothing too showy here just the flavors of garlic and mint along with the smoke of the grill as a foil to the impressive length and concentration of the Harrison Hill offering.
1 7-lb. leg of lamb, butterflied and cut into 3 or 4 pieces of similar thickness
Marinade
* 2 peeled, sliced onions
* 8 crushed, peeled cloves garlic
* Leaves from 10 sprigs each fresh thyme, chervil,
* and oregano
* 2 cups dry white wine
* 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
* Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Mint Sauce
* 1 tightly packed cup fresh mint leaves
* 1 tsp. red wine vinegar
* 1⁄2 tsp. sugar
* 3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1. For the marinade: Combine onions, garlic, thyme, chervil, oregano, wine, and olive oil in a large, shallow dish, then season to taste with salt and pepper. Place lamb in dish and turn to coat well. Cover and refrigerate for 68 hours.
2. For the mint sauce: Using a food processor or mortar and pestle, make a paste of mint leaves, vinegar, sugar, and olive oil.
3. Preheat grill. Remove lamb from marinade, brushing garlic and onions from meat, then place on grill and cook until medium-rare, about 12 minutes per side. Allow to rest for 5 minutes before carving. Garnish with rosemary and serve with mint sauce. An array of grilled vegetables such as peppers, zucchini, asparagus would make an easy and tasty compliment to the lamb.
DeLille's Harrison Hill Vineyard Red Wine is a wine that we've never been offered, and if it weren't for this danged economic slump, we would never have been offered. The wine is sold exclusively to a small number of DeLille wine club members, and the waiting list to get on that list is years long. A wee bit gets out to top restaurants - and it's those allocations that weren't snapped up this year. Enter Farmstead - we purchased as much as we could - and didn't blink an eye.
This is world class juice - 99% of the fruit is taken from the Harrison Hill Vineyard - Washington's 2nd oldest vineyard. This year, the blend is 65% Cabernet, 25% Merlot, 9% Cabernet franc, with a splash of Ciel du Cheval Petit Verdot.
Harrison Hill shows off its unique terroir with a pretty, charming nose of fresh cherries, lead pencil, and Provence herbs. The palate shows great elegance and breed with cherries and cassis on the palate. A very silky mouthfeel, and understated but present structure mark this as a classic Harrison Hill.
DeLille Cellars is a small winery located in Woodinville, Washington and was originally co-founded in 1992 by Greg Lill, Jay Soloff, Chris Upchurch and Charles Lill (now his daughter Pat Lill Jorgenson is shareholder/partner). Simply stated, our goal is to make the very best handcrafted, old-world style red and white wine made in the State of Washington. We are a family and independently owned winery with an uncompromising philosophy about the quality of what will be in your bottle of wine.
Delille currently produces five Bordeaux-styled wines: Grand Ciel, Chaleur Estate Red, D2, Harrison Hill, and Chaleur Estate Blanc. Also produced are the Doyenne wines, which include a classic northern Rhône-style Syrah - awarded as one of the great 15 Syrahs of the world; a Roussanne; Métier a Southern Rhône-styled red wine; Métier Blanc, a Provençe-style white, Aix, a Provençe-style red, and a Provençe/Bandol-style Rosé.
All wines from DeLILLE are made with the highest "hand-crafted" standards. Only grapes from the oldest and best vineyards in Washington State are acquired. They are hand picked and double hand sorted at crush, insuring that only the finest berry clusters enter fermentation. Our wines are aged in 100% new French Oak barrels each and every year and are never filtered.
Recipe provided by Michael Lemaire Grilled Lamb with Mint Sauce Serves 8
This month's Bordeaux blend from DeLille suggests to me something classic such as Lamb with Mint. Nothing too showy here just the flavors of garlic and mint along with the smoke of the grill as a foil to the impressive length and concentration of the Harrison Hill offering.
1 7-lb. leg of lamb, butterflied and cut into 3 or 4 pieces of similar thickness
Marinade
* 2 peeled, sliced onions
* 8 crushed, peeled cloves garlic
* Leaves from 10 sprigs each fresh thyme, chervil,
* and oregano
* 2 cups dry white wine
* 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
* Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Mint Sauce
* 1 tightly packed cup fresh mint leaves
* 1 tsp. red wine vinegar
* 1⁄2 tsp. sugar
* 3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1. For the marinade: Combine onions, garlic, thyme, chervil, oregano, wine, and olive oil in a large, shallow dish, then season to taste with salt and pepper. Place lamb in dish and turn to coat well. Cover and refrigerate for 68 hours.
2. For the mint sauce: Using a food processor or mortar and pestle, make a paste of mint leaves, vinegar, sugar, and olive oil.
3. Preheat grill. Remove lamb from marinade, brushing garlic and onions from meat, then place on grill and cook until medium-rare, about 12 minutes per side. Allow to rest for 5 minutes before carving. Garnish with rosemary and serve with mint sauce. An array of grilled vegetables such as peppers, zucchini, asparagus would make an easy and tasty compliment to the lamb.