Château Haut-Vigneau 2012, Roast Lamb & Vegetables

Wine Name: Château Haut-Vigneau 2012 & Roast Lamb

Wine: Bordeaux
Country: France	Region:  Bordeaux
Rating:  Very Good	Price: $20
Recommendation: Recommended: the wine is smooth, has some subtlety, has a spiciness, and can be drunk with red based meats or on its own. Sorry that there was no blog last week, it has been a busy time of year.  This week is a Château Haut-Vigneau 2012 from Bordeaux and Roast Lamb, an enticing combination. The wine is produced in the Pessac-Léognan wine growing area in the north of the Graves region and immediately south of the city of Bordeaux. The region is known for producing reds and whites however, red wines are still predominant. The region is on the left bank of the Garonne, which is a major river in the area. The soil is typically gravelly and the very name Graves is derived from the intensity of the gravelly soil. The winery is the Château Haut-Vigneau, which has been growing grapes since the 1760’s, however, in the 1980’s the current owner, Eric Perrin, commenced a major refurbishment including clearing the 20 hectares and re planting.    It is made up of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot, has a pleasant, earthy, and smoky bouquet with a medium ruby color. The wine is fruity for a Cabernet Merlot blend with a distinct spiciness. The predominant fruit is cherry with blackcurrant coming through and finishes that hint of cocoa or chocolate. The wine is smooth with a good mouth feel, it is drinkable by itself or with red meat based meals. http://www.haut-vigneau.com/ Roast Lamb Ingredients: Leg of lamb, size as desired. Garlic, several cloves. Rosemary, large sprig. Plain white flour. Large Potatoes, two. Pumpkin (Or Butternut squash). Sweet potatoes. Large white onion. Broccoli. Green beans. Zucchini (Green squash). Preparation and cooking Slice several cloves of garlic, place small slits evenly throughout the lamb and insert the slices of garlic. Do the same and insert sprigs of rosemary. Pre heat the oven to 350°F and cook the lamb at 20 minutes per pound, then an extra 20 minutes. Once the lamb is in the oven, peel the potatoes, pumpkin and sweet potato, cut into roughly two inch pieces. Heat up a pot of water and boil until they start to soften. Be careful as the pumpkin may soften prior to the potatoes. Drain in a strainer and once drained, shake them to “scuff them up. Add a layer of flour to a flat surface such as a baking tray, cutting board or large plate. Add the potatoes, pumpkin and sweet potatoes to the flour and sprinkle more flour on top to cover them completely Add your choice of oil to a baking tray and add all the potatoes, pumpkin and sweet potatoes. Place in the oven and cook for 15-20 minutes, remove and turn them over, cook for another 15 to 20 minutes. Turn them over and cook for another 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Cut the onion into quarters or halves and cook in your favorite oil in the oven for approximately 40 minutes. Cur the green vegetables as desired, steam the broccoli for four minutes and the beans for one to two minutes. Cut the lamb into slices and serve with all the vegetables.

Tyrrells, 2012 Old Winery Verdelho & Mussels and Shrimp in White Wine Sauce

For this week’s installment we are featuring the Tyrrells, 2012 Old Winery Verdelho from Australia’s Hunter Valley and Mussels and shrimp in white wine sauce. A great combination, two of my favorites.

We have featured a Verdelho before but for a quick recap it is a grape grown initially in Portugal and a region in Spain. It is now being grown in Argentina and has also been particularly successful in Australia. Wine produced from Verdelho grapes in Portugal are often used to make fortified wines and the wine produced in Spain is called Verdello.

The Hunter Valley in Australia is a small wine growing region about two hours’ drive north of Sydney, just west of the Pacific ocean and the city of Newcastle. The wine growing region in the Hunter Valley consists of rolling hills with the Brokenback Mountain Range and the Polkobin State Forest as the backdrop. Kangaroos can sometimes be seen grazing near the many vineyards which adds a uniquely Australian aspect to the Hunter Valley experience. The climate in the Hunter Valley is mild with summer averages around the 70° F and winter averages around the 40° F range. Some summer days can be hot, but evening ocean breezes and occasional thunderstorms tend to provide a cooling effect and pleasant growing (and drinking) conditions. 

http://www.visitnsw.com/destinations/hunter/hunter-valley

http://www.winecountry.com.au/

The Tyrrells Estate was established in the 1850’s by an English emigrant, Edward Tyrell, the nephew of the first Anglican Bishop of Newcastle. The wines produced today can be sourced from the Hunter Valley, several Australian regions, and countries such as Portugal and New Zealand. The Old Winery wines are named after the original winery from the 1850’s and are typically intended for immediate consumption, providing good quality at a reasonable price.

https://www.tyrrells.com.au/

The Tyrrells, 2012, Old Winery Verdelho is a great example of the wine variety. It has strong tropical scents with a touch of spice. The wine is a medium white with strong fruit, including citrus, overtones with distinguishable lemon flavors. It is a very good light summer wine and goes well with seafood salads and light cheeses. It can be enjoyed on its own but goes particularly well with seafood.

The Mussels and Shrimp in white wine sauce is a favorite of mine and has been developed from many different recipes over the years.

Paul E’s Mussels and Shrimp in White Wine Sauce

2 Tablespoons butter

2 Shallots

½ White onion

4 cloves Garlic

2 blades of Lemon Grass (could use the Zest of 2 lemons, could also use more Lemon Grass depending on taste).

1 cup of white wine (Usually a dry variety)

1 cup Parsley (flat leaf)

2 lbs. Fresh Live Mussels

½ lb. Uncooked shrimp (Prawns)

1/3 cup all purpose flour

Clean/Purge The Mussels

I have used salt in the past to purge the mussels but you can also use flour, the salt can sometimes give the mussels an overly salty taste if not rinsed thoroughly.

Put the mussels in a large bowl of water and flour for approximately 30 minutes.

Drain.

Throw out any mussels that are wide open or do not close when gently tapped.

Remove any beards from mussels.

Clean shells with a brush as necessary.

Rinse several times in clean water.

Preparation

Finely chop the following:

·         Shallots

·         Onion

·         Garlic

·         Lemon Grass

Remove all shells from shrimp except the tail.

Cooking

Melt butter in a saucepan.

Add the shallots, onion garlic and lemon grass, cook until onions are translucent (a couple of minutes). The aroma at this stage is fantastic.

Add the following to a large pot (at least 4-quart)

·         Contents of the saucepan

·         1cup of white wine, for extra “sauce add more wine or add additional water. 

·         Mussels

·         Shrimp

Cover, bring to the boil and then reduce heat to low.

Cook until shells have opened, approx. 5 to 7 minutes and shrimp are cooked through. (Do not overcook, as they will become tough).

Remove mussels and shrimp from the pot and add to serving bowls

Discard mussels that are broken or unopened.

Set aside the pot and remaining contents for a minute or two.

Gently pour out the majority of the contents of the pot evenly into serving bowls, discarding the last inch or so and the grit that has settled in the bottom.

The fluid from the pot can also be filtered using a sieve.

Add Parsley.

Enjoy!

Additional seafood can also be added such as scallops or firm white fish, be careful though as too much additional seafood will require additional other ingredients.

2014 Highlights

Before we embark on the blogs for 2015, I thought I would reflect on the past year and highlight some of my favorites from 2014.

The blog was commenced in May 2014, and since then around twenty seven have been released. I have thoroughly enjoyed writing the blogs and have made numerous new discoveries I may not have experienced normally. I hope you have also enjoyed reading the blog and have also tried some of the foods and wines.

White Wine of the Year - Chateau Roubine, Cru Classé, Le Blanc.

For the white wine of the year, I could not go past one of the first blogs which featured the Chateau Roubine Le Blanc from the Provence region of France.  This was a real discovery for me and was the white wine that I enjoyed the most throughout the year.

The wine is lightish in color, with a smooth taste that does not linger too long. It has an earthy straw type smell and tastes a little buttery and has hints of oak without being overwhelming in any way. To describe this wine in a way that many of us would relate, it tastes a little like a subtle Chardonnay without the overwhelming taste and Oakiness often found in some Chardonnays. The interesting thing for me about this wine, is that it is not sweet but it does not leave any lingering dryness in your mouth either. It is really smooth, each taste leaves you wanting more and would be excellent with seafood, white meat, and even pork. It would also work well with many lighter cheeses and would be perfect on it’s own. It also didn’t hurt that we tried it with a seafood bouillabaisse, which was a fantastic meal and it was the first time I had attempted to cook it. All around it was a great experience.

Red Wine Of the Year - Castillo Perlada 5 Fincas

There was strong competition for the red wine of the year including one of my favorites the Two Hands Gnarly Dudes Shiraz from Australia. The reason I chose the 5 Fincas from Spain though, is that it combines a unique blend that results in an unusual style and flavor at a very reasonable price. I couldn’t go past the taste for the price.   

The wine itself is a dark red blend, with excellent flavor, drinkable without food it would also go well with all red meats. It has an excellent flavor with hints of cherry, cinnamon, and oak. No single flavor dominates, so I would describe it as very balanced and very smooth. Overall a very drinkable wine at any time and I strongly recommend it.

Find Of The Year – Bandol, Domaine de la Laidiere, Rosé.

The find of the year for me represents something that I had never experienced before that changed my entire outlook. There was also strong competition in this category, notably from the Vico Riviera, Numero 99 Falanghina from Italy. Falanghina is a wine I had never tried before and it was very impressive. Also the Dona Paula Los Cordoso, 2013 Malbec also opening my mind to Malbec’s. My experiences with Malbec’s had not been great but this wine was a really good wine at a really great price and has left me wanting to try more of this variety.

The wine that was the biggest revelation for me however, was the Bandol Rosé from the Bandol Region in France. The Rosés were not a wine that I would normally drink, probably because I had only tasted cheap and poor examples in the past. The discovery of the Bandol Rosé has opened my eyes to good Rosé wines. The wine has a nice earthy bouquet, slightly sweet, yet dry aftertaste. Definitely a summer wine, it would be great for a lazy summer afternoon with a nice salad. It has hints of fruit, possibly apple although it was difficult to identify anything explicit. It was very enjoyable and I would describe the flavor somewhere between a Riesling and a Sauvignon Blanc. Based on this sampling, I will definitely be exploring Rosés more in the future.

Best Value - James Serra Cristalino.

This was probably the hardest category to select a single wine with strong competition from several different wines. The Dona Paula Malbec from Argentina at around $10 is a standout. The Joel Gott Sauvignon Blanc from the Napa Valley is another excellent example. The one I could not go past however, is the James Serra Cristalino Brut sparkling wine from Spain. At a price around $7 to $8 per bottle, it represents outstanding value. The wine has hints of lemon and definitive citrus overtones, it has a nice mouth feel and great taste. The only drawback I can distinguish, is no real length to speak of compared to higher end champagnes.

Food - Shakshouka

The food was similarly difficult to identify a clear winner. Some great examples are the Seafood Bouillabaisse, Chilli Crawfish, and Lamb with lemon pepper potatoes. The reason I chose the Shaskshouka is that it was a fantastic dish and was something I had never even heard of let alone tried to cook, and I loved the results.

Well, I hope you had as much fun as I did and I hope you enjoy the upcoming year. I also hope to hear from you with your favorite recipe and wine suggestions.