Pairing: Roast Leg of Lamb Paired with a 2000 Château Lagrange Saint Julien Bordeaux

Food:  We don’t eat that much meat. Seafood and chicken are the more common  proteins we consume. However, when we do eat meat, lamb is our absolute favorite. And we are most fortunate to be able to buy our lamb from a farmer with a small flock just down the road from us.  The flavor and texture of grass-fed lamb can’t be beat. We remove the meat from the bone in one piece, flatten it out, generously spread a  mixture of olive oil, garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper, and roll and tie up the meat. Then rub more of the oil and herb mixture onto the outside of the trussed meat. Brown the rolled meat thoroughly on all sides in a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat on the cooktop. Place on a rack in a pan and roast in the oven at 325° F until the interior temperature reaches about 135° F for medium rare meat (about 45 minutes for a 3 lb roast). Baste every 15 minutes. Let stand for about 15 more minutes while you finish the vegetables (roast potatoes and beans) and gravy. Serve. My … that is extraordinary.

Wine:  Even though  a number of wines pair nicely with roast lamb (see suggestions below), one could make the case that red Bordeaux was created with lamb in mind. Saint-Julien is one of four renowned wine villages that comprise the Medoc wine region of Bordeaux. It is located on the “left bank” of the Gironde River Estuary where the soils and proximity to both the estuary and the cool Atlantic breezes combine to create almost ideal conditions to produce the perfect wine. At least that’s what winemakers there would say, but given the price some of these wines command, others might share that same view. Château Lagrange is made mostly from Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, but also contains Merlot and Petite Verdot.

This wine was a generous present a while back from my oenophile brother. He gave careful instructions to leave it in our cellar for several years to let it mature properly. Well, we drank it this weekend. What a gift! Thanks, Bro!

Tasting Notes:  Medium purple hue (lighter and browner due its age -18 years old). Fragrant aroma of blueberry and leather. A very complex and layered flavor of black currant, blueberry and hedgerow (service berry, lingonberry, and cranberry), all structured with leather, smoke, and some tannin. Note: this wine benefited from decanting it 1 and 1/2 hours before dining. This allowed the strong tannins inherent to this wine to dissipate a bit and allow the complex fruits to be more present. We were still sipping it hours after the meal was over and the flavor was even better. An amazing wine and perfectly matched to the flavor of the lamb, garlic and rosemary.

Other Wines That Pair Well with Roast Lamb: Cabernet Sauvignon (Chile), Rioja (Spain), Hermitage (France), Zinfandel (California)

Other Food That Pairs Well with Red Bordeaux:  Roast Chicken or Duck, Steak, Pheasant, Venison, Blue Cheese

More About:  Guide to Saint Julien

A Source:  www.wine.com