Farmstead Cheeses and Wines

We've offered this month's High End Red Wine club selection twice before - the wine is that good! 

In fact we love all of the wines that David Phinney makes - he's the mind behind Orin Swift wines and is best known for The Prisoner Zinfandel blend  - he's that good! 

He's best known for The Prisoner, but also makes Saldo Zinfandel, Veladora  Sauvignon Blanc, and Papillon Meritage blend.  All are known for their full blown style and beautiful  packaging, but this wine is perhaps the greatest example of the David Phinney style.  

Mercury Head Cabernet Sauvignon has it all - killer packaging (a real Mercury Head Dime glued to the bottle!), great fruit, and a lovely finish!

The wine is sourced from two amazing Napa vineyards:  Gary Morisoli's Morisoli Vineyard in Rutherford and Doug Wight's Taplin/Lewelling Vineyard in Saint Helena.

The 2006 Mercury Head is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, entirely from these two vineyard sites and is true to its varietal characteristics.  The color is deep dark garnet. It has aromas of wild ripe field berries, figs, dust, earth, cranberry, black cherry, spice, dark coffee, chocolate, leather, violets, and currants. Forward, rich, precocious nose of vanilla malt, cocoa, blackberries and currants. The mouth is lush, rich, approachable. The palate is also dominated by dark brooding fruit, pomegranate, plus a little root beer and licorice. It is solid with a firm chewy mid-palate. The finish is long with smooth, well integrated tannins. 

The 2006 Mercury Head was aged in French oak barrels (forty percent new) for sixteen months. This wine is very drinkable now but will benefit from cellaring in the short term and could rest for up to ten years.

Recipe:  Grilled Leg of Lamb with Rosemary Salt   Makes 6 generous servings

Here is a dish that can stand against the raw power and extraction of the Mercury Head. Cabernet and lamb are natural partners and here the preparation with a bit of char and herb will bring out some of the nuances of this powerhouse from David Phinney.

For lamb

• 1 1/2 cups plain whole-milk yogurt
• 7 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 2 1/2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh rosemary
• 1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
• 1 (5 1/2-lb) piece boneless butterflied leg of lamb
• 1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt

For rosemary salt

• 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 tablespoon Maldon sea salt or other flaky sea salt

Special equipment: 8 to 10 (12-inch) wooden or metal skewers; an instant-read thermometer

Marinate lamb:

Stir together yogurt, garlic, rosemary, and pepper in a 13- by 9-inch glass baking dish or 2-gallon sealable plastic bag. Add lamb, turning to coat completely, and marinate, covered and chilled, turning over once or twice, 5 hours.

Bring lamb to room temperature, about 1 hour.

Remove lamb from marinade, discarding marinade, and put on a work surface. Run skewers horizontally through meat, about 1 1/2 inches apart, first lengthwise (4 or 5 skewers), then crosswise (4 or 5 more) to form a grid. (Skewering makes meat easier to move and turn over.) Sprinkle with kosher salt.

Prepare grill for cooking. If using a charcoal grill, open vents on bottom of grill, then light charcoal. Charcoal fire is medium-hot when you can hold your hand 5 inches above rack for 3 to 4 seconds. If using a gas grill, preheat burners on high, covered, 10 minutes, then reduce to moderate.

Grill lamb, covered only if using a gas grill, on lightly oiled grill rack, turning occasionally, until thermometer inserted diagonally into thickest part of meat registers 125°F for medium-rare (thinner parts will register higher), 25 to 30 minutes if using charcoal or 20 to 25 minutes if using gas. Transfer lamb to a cutting board and let stand 10 minutes before thinly slicing.
Make rosemary salt:

Stir together rosemary and sea salt and serve with lamb.

Cooks' note:

If you aren't able to grill outdoors, you can cook lamb in a well-seasoned double-burner grill pan. Omit skewering and cut lamb into 3 or 4 pieces to fit in pan, then grill over moderately high heat, turning over once, 20 to 25 minutes.