Somm's Table

Contratto Millesimato and Vitello Tonnato Sous Vide. Photo by Greg Hudson. Recipe by Nicole Ruiz Hudson

In my last post, I shared a virtual tour of Contratto, Italy’s oldest sparkling wine house, based on the visit Greg and I made there during our recent trip to Italy. While tasting through the wines, our guide Elisa mentioned that she really enjoyed the Contratto bubblies with the classic Piedmontese dish Vitello Tonnato. Her favorite version of this dish happens to be the one made by Giovanna Rivetti, Contratto and Spinetta’s vineyard manager and in-house chef. Giovanna is also the sister of owner and winemaker Giorgio Rivetti. I knew I’d have to try it!

Vitello Tonnato is really a kind of surf ‘n’ turf involving cold, thinly sliced veal with a creamy, mild tuna sauce. It’s served chilled or at room temperature as an appetizer or a light main dish. We had several versions of it while traveling around the northern part of the country, and it seemed to be one of those dishes that each cook put a slight spin on within a generally accepted parameters.

Vitello Tonnato served at Marchesi di Barolo. Photo by Nicole Ruiz Hudson

Vitello Tonnato served at Marchesi di Barolo. This style's more in keeping with Elisa's description of her preferred take on the dish. These slices were ethereally thin and light. Extremely delicate. This will be the goal next time.

Vitello Tonnato at Al Morro in Rome. Photo by Nicole Ruiz Hudson

Vitello Tonnato served at Al Moro in Rome. Vitello Tonnato is a Piedmontes dish, so a Roman version is likely to be less traditional. However, since I was trying to make due with the ingredients I had available, my version this time was more reminiscent of this style.

I wrote Elisa (with whom we’d had such a lovely time) to see if she could send me Giovanna’s recipe and she very kindly obliged. Funny enough, I happened upon it by accident after the fact on La Spinetta’s website. Nonetheless, the version Elisa sent me had some extra tips and tricks, so I’ve combined the two below.

I was eager to try this version, but sadly, the season was against me. I checked with several stores and butchers in the area to find the right cut of veal, but I think it’s late in the year to find many options. All I could find was thinly cut slices of leg meat as one would use for scallopini. I was disappointed to not try Giovanna’s version, but was determined to roll with the punches.

Since the slices I had available were thin and could potentially be overcooked, I thought this dish might be a good candidate to prepare sous vide, which allows you set your desired finished cooking temperature exactly. As the dish is served cold and doesn’t really require browning, I didn’t think would be necessary to sear them in a pan afterward, and so could essentially go straight to plate after cooling down post cooking in the circulator.

I way generally pleased with the outcome of my little experiment, and it wasn’t unlike some of the versions we had in Italy. The one downside to my sous vide version (as least when using the thin-cut veal slices) is that you lose the pretty, rosy color achieved by using Giovanna’s version. (It might be doable if you sous vide a larger cut of meat, but that’s for a future experiment.) The plus side is that my method here allows you to go from cooking to plate in just over an hour, where the classic version is typically made a day in advance.

Given that I’d be losing out on the rosy color, I tried to infuse a bit of extra flavor while cooking the meat, so I tossed some aromatic veggies and herbs in the cooking bag with the veal. I happened to have leeks on hand and I’m always looking for uses for the green portions, so used them here. You could just as easily use green onions, onion slices, or chives.

I made and chilled the sauce while the veal cooked. I based my quantities for the sauce on this recipe by Andrew Zimmerman on Food & Wine, as Elisa hadn’t been able to find quantities as they normally make it to taste. To be honest, you really don’t need them. You can just mix the ingredients bit by bit and adjust until you get a flavor you like. You’ll likely have some sauce leftover. This was not an issue for us and we loved this sauce! I found it lovely spread on toast with grilled tomato slices, and I also mixed some into a tuna salad for a little tuna on tuna action.

I served it all with a very simple salad on top. To make this a full meal, I added simply roasted potatoes and thick slices of country bread grilled with butter on top. (This particular loaf came from Base Camp Bakery. If you happen to be in Oakland, their awesome bread is very worth searching out!)

I’m still hoping to the make Giovanna’s version, but I will have to wait until spring or summer and I will report back when I do.

THE WINE PAIRING

On our visit to Contratto, Elisa had specified For England Rosé as her favorite match for this dish. Sadly, this one is a bit hard to find near me. Contratto’s Millesimato Pas Dosé 2012 is more easily available, and given that this is their “all-purpose” pairing wine, it seemed worth giving it a shot.

Full disclosure, while not exactly a submitted sample, I ultimately got a bottle of the wine through my friend Julie who works with Skurnik, the importer. It was actually also on Julie’s recommendation that we found our way to Contratto on our trip. (Thanks on all fronts, lady!) All opinions, as always, are my own and no compensation was received.

This combo made a lovely match! The Millesimato was crisp and refreshing as expected, but also had enough body to match this light meat dish. We both thought the pairing worked particularly well when the buttery bread was included, as it spoke to the wine’s toasty and ripe pear notes. Yum!

For a full description of this and other Contratto wines, please see my last post.

OTHER POSSIBILITIES

On La Spinetta’s site, they recommend Chardonnay as a pairing for this dish, and I could absolutely see this making a good match. To be honest, I think a wide range of white wines could work quite well here.

Elsewhere on our travels, we had Vitello Tonnato with Barbera, Langhe Nebbiolo, and other light red wines. If you’re looking for a red here, the key is keep it light! A big red is likely to quickly overpower the delicate flavors of this dish, and aggressive tannins would be way too much for the veal.

Bubblies are among the most versatile of food pairing wines, so I think you can try this wine with A LOT and come out happy. We discussed a few other options for this one last time.

MONEY TALK

The average price for this is $27, which I think is a very good price for a high quality traditional method sparkling wine, making it a very Solid Value and maybe even an Overachiever.

When you think of Italian sparkling wine, I’m going to guess that the first thing that comes to mind is Prosecco, or maybe Moscato. So it might be a surprise to find out that Italy’s oldest sparkling winery makes their wines in the traditional method (i.e. in the style of Champagne). ‘Oh, of course!’ some of you might say, ‘In Franciacorta!’ Nope. Contratto, Italy’s oldest operating sparkling winery happens to be in Piedmont–the same region that’s better known for burly reds like Barolo and Barbaresco, as well as Barbera and Nebbiolo.

Internal courtyard at Contratto.

Contratto dates back to 1867 when Giuseppe Contratto moved to the town of Canelli in Piemonte and started building his winery. Conttrato had moved from Aosta, a tiny region that borders France, so it has always had a lot of French influence. It stands to reason that Contratto would have come across French wines there. In any case, he fell in love with Champagne, and he got it in his head to make wines in the Champagne-style in Italy. 150+ years later, the winery he started is still making bubbles. With so much history, the winery was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2014.

Antique wine press at Contratto.

(Technical clarification: There is some contention as to who has the title for oldest sparkling wine producer in Italy. I was told that it’s possible that there are other producers that have existed as an entity for longer, but have moved locations. Contratto has always been in the same location, so the winery itself is the oldest for the style in the country.)

Another antique press.

Greg and I had the chance to visit on our recent trip to Italy and tasted through several of the wines. We will definitely get to the wines and pairing suggestions in a bit. However, the tour itself was really fun and fascinating; so before we get to the wines I’d like to invite you on a little photo tour of the winery. I highly recommend going if you’re ever in the area!

Antique bottle of Contratto "Asti Champagne."

Canelli is in the province of Asti, which is known for making wine from Moscato grapes. Therefore, in the beginning, Contratto made its wines using Moscato grapes and called it “Asti Champagne.” The term was used until 1941, when the region of Champagne won the sole right to use the term “Champagne.” The winery continued to make traditional method Moscato regularly as part of their range until 2007, but now it’s only occasionally made in small batches.

You might be thinking, “Moscato? Isn’t that sweet?” Well yeah, usually; but at the time this was very much in keeping with the Champagne style since most Champagne at the time was sweet.

For a while, Contratto also experimented with using other typical Piemontese grapes like Barbera and Nebbiolo for their sparkling wines, but eventually moved into using the international sparkling grapes, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

Vintage Contratto wine labels.

Here we have a line up of old Contratto labels. Just as in Champagne, the English market drove the preference for drier styles of sparkling wine. For a long time, the British Empire was Contratto’s largest export market. In 1930, Contratto created a wine called "For England" to suit their tastes. (The winery says this wine was was less sweet than its Champagne counterparts at the time.) Today, Contratto makes white and rosé “For England” cuvées.

Look at all those bottles! Our guide Elisa calls this her “favorite sea" and I can see why.
Here’s a shot with me in it for scale.

If you ever wonder why traditional method (or as it’s known here, Metodo Classico) tends to be so expensive, well . . . you’re about to see many reasons. One is that after the base wine is made, the second fermentation that makes the wine sparkle has to happen in bottle. Then you have to wait around while all the lees (or yeast cells) that perished creating all the bubbles, lend their yummy, toasty flavors to the wines. All those bottles take up A LOT of space.

The Contratto family ran out of room in the original winery space in 1898. They expanded by digging into the hills behind the winery. This turned out to be a great thing, because the underground caves keep temperatures nice and constant.

This is what a traditional method wine looks like after all those yeasts have done their job. Not the pretty, clear bubbly you’re used to right? To get the wines nice and clear, the bottles are slowly turned, little by little, in a process called riddling (developed by the Veuve Clicquot) until all the lees are trapped in the neck of the bottle.

Contratto bottles on riddling racks.

At Contratto, this is all done by hand, by one guy. His name is Mauro and he has been doing it for 40 years, since he was 16 years old. He can riddle 300 bottles per minute!
I was assured that Mauro has no issues with carpal tunnel.

One also has to wonder what will happen when Mauro retires.

Once the lees are trapped in the neck of the bottle, you still have to get them out to get a clear wine. This process is called disgorgement. Nowadays, the neck of the bottle gets frozen (usually by dipping it in dry ice or some variation) to create a little “yeast-cicle,” as I like to call it, which then gets popped out. In old times, the disgorgement occurred in this contraption above. Nothing went to waste, though. The wine that shot out in the process was then collected and used to make Vermouth. More modern machinery is used for disgorging and corking the bottles these days.

Once the wine is disgorged, the bottle gets topped off with more wine prior to being corked. The wine is then ready to be shipped. However, Contratto feels that the light that can come in through their clear glass bottles that is used for some cuvées is not good for the wine. So before shipping them off, Angela here wraps the bottles to “give them sunglasses” for protection.

Altogether, each bottle is touched no less than 30 times by human hands, and more in the case of certain cuvées.

This is the oldest part of the winery, which they call “the Cathedral.” The cellars were restored in 1993/1994.

Modern sparkling wine really couldn’t exist until the technology existed to make glass strong enough to contain all that pressure in the bottle. Before that, making bubbly was a dangerous proposition. Even today, explosions still occur.

Just a few more old-timey contraptions for making sparkling wine.

As you can see, a lot of care is taken in making these wines. In addition, they use sustainable farming practices for growing the grape, and natural yeasts are used for both first and second fermentations. You’ll also find the disgorgement date on the capsule of each bottle. Contratto says their wines can be drunk for 10+ years.

Now for the wines! We also discussed pairing suggestions with Elisa as we tasted through.

Millesimato Pas Dosé 2012

- 80% Pinot Noir, 20% Chardonnay
- Minimum 48 months on the lees.
- No dosage. Only wine is added in the final top off. This is the case for all of today’s wines.
- Average price: $27

Tasting Notes: Ripe pears, biscuits, toast, a little tangerine, and a hint of salty lemon. It has a round body and finish coming from the Pinot Noir.

Pairing Suggestions: Great with fried chicken! This one is very all-purpose and complements anything with a fatty component. It works really well with spicy foods. Of course, this being Italy, pizza is also recommended. It was lovely with the salami that was served alongside our tasting. This is also a great match for seafood, as would be the case for all of today’s wines.

Elisa recommends leaving this one in bottle for a bit. She noted that the wine is really beautiful immediately after disgorgement, but then needs a little time to come back together.

For England Rosé Pas Dosé 2012

- 100% Pinot
- Only free run juice is used and the wine spends about an hour on the skins to achieve the pale salmon color.
- Minimum 32 months on the lees.
- Average Price: $29

Tasting Notes: Peaches, blood orange, gold and pink flowers, cherry, and brioche.

Pairing Suggestions: Elisa noted that this is awesome with salmon on a bagel with cream cheese and capers, so bust it out for brunch. Or try my salmon and goat cheese gougères.

It was delicious with the toasted hazelnuts on the table. It’s also a good match for carne crudo, as well as the traditional Piemontese appetizer, Vitello Tonnato. Stay tuned–this is coming up in my next post!

Riserva Special Cuvée Pas Dosé 2010

This is a new cuvée. Its first bottling was in 2009.
- 95% Pinot Noir/ 5% Chardonnay. All old vines.
- Only free run juice is used. The Chardonnay for this wine spends 7 months in French oak, while the Pinot matures in stainless steel. (In general, I believe most of their base wines are matured in stainless steel.)
- This wine spends 7 years on the lees.
- Price: I couldn’t find price info for this wine as it is probably still too new a cuvée.

This wine nows falls under the Alta Langa DOCG, which is a new DOCG created in 2011 to focus on traditional method sparkling wines in Piedmont.

Tasting Notes: There’s a hint of gunpowder with lots of super toasty notes coming from all that extra time on the lees. Fruit notes of baked peaches, baked pears, and gold apples. Hints of toasted nuts, deep golden flowers, and salted butter.

Pairings: We’d been enjoying an aged Castelmagno cheese, an ancient style of Piemontese cheese. (The winery is actually a partner in producing one.) It worked with all of the wines, but it went to another level this aged bubbly.

Beyond that, this is this is a sparkling that can stand up to some meats as well. Crudo and carpaccio for sure, but possibly even a steak, or an Italian Bollito Misto.

De Miranda Moscato Metodo Classico 2011

This was a very special treat. Remember I said that they still make limited quantities of the traditional method Moscato? We got to taste a bit from the very last bottle they had of the 2011.

- 100% old vine Moscato.
- Free run juice only.
- The first fermentation is halted at 5.5% ABV. It goes through a long second fermentation for 4-5 months until it reaches 7% ABV, making this a sweet cuvée. At that point the fermentation is halted again by a drastic chill down.
- The wine spends 4 years on the lees while held at very cold temperatures.
Price: N/A

Tasting Notes: Orange blossoms and honey. It was surprisingly delicate with creamy, silky mouthfeel like statin. Lots of pastry notes and an array of dried tropical fruits, stone fruits, and candied citrus.

Pairing suggestions: This wine was also magical with the Castlemagno, but in a very different way from the Special Cuvée. I’m sure it would be just as amazing with other strong cheeses. Of course, this is also an ideal match for fruit dessert.

La Spinetta Barolo Vursu Vigneto Campe 2009

How’d that Barolo get in there? Giorgio Rivetti, the owner of La Spinetta, bought Contratto in 2011 from Bocchino, Canelli’s distillery, after consulting for the winery since 2007. He bought it The Contratto family sold him the winery in 1993, but they remain connected as members of the family still live on the property.

- 100% Nebbiolo. Average age of vines is 50 to 55 years.
- Winemaking and aging: malolactic fermentation in oak. Aged in entirely in new, medium toasted French oak for 24 months. Transferred to stainless steel vats for 9 months before bottling. Aged in bottles for another 12 months
- Average Price: $124

Tasting Notes: Quite perfumed with red flowers, orange blossoms, rosemary, a little forrest floor, and tomato paste. On the palate, cherries surrounded by balsamic and cedar notes, a little eucalyptus, tobacco, and black tea. “Many leather bound books.”

Pairing Suggestions: Richer meat dishes like braised beef, osso buco, and game.

Contratto bottles on riddling racks in their caves. Photo by Greg Hudson.

Photo credits on today's pics split between Greg Hudson and Nicole Ruiz Hudson.

We've been on a role with the bubblies lately. Check these posts out for lot's of inspiration for the holiday season!

5 Champagne Toasts

The Big 10, Champagne, Burgundy, and #OTBN

Crémants for Going Out and Staying In (Psst! They're Your New All-Purpose Bubblies!)
If you're in the mood for Prosecco instead, check out Three Nights of Prosecco Holiday Fun: Carbonara, Sabering, Friends, with a Side of Pear Endive Spears

And for more sparkling wine pairings, check out my 8 & 20’s for:
8 & 20: Buffalo Chicken Meatball Sliders
8 & 20: Saffron-Tomato Chicken Croquetas
4-Layer Caviar Dip with Potato Chips and Other Happy New Year's Appies!

*****

The rest of the Italian Food Wine Travel Group (#ItalianFWT) is exploring sparkling wines from Italy. The group meets on Twitter the first Saturday of every month. Feel free to join the chat simply by following the #Italianfwt hashtag on Twitter this Saturday, December 1st at 11am ET/8am PT.

Lynn Gowdy of Savor the Harvest suggests Italian Sparkling Wines To Try #ItalianFWT

Jeff of foodwineclick want us to add some Sparkle Your Dessert with Moscato d’Asti #ItalianFWT

Jen of Vino Travels~An Italian Wine Blog will be sharing Spaghetti and Clams with a Flight of Adami Prosecco #ItalianFWT

Cam of Culinary Adventures with Camilla will be dishing up Italian Bubbles + Lasagna Bianca #ItalianFWT

Wendy of A Day In the Life on a Farm will be Celebrating Leftovers #ItalianFWT

Kat of Bacchus Travel and Tours show us how Italian Sparklers to Light Up Your Holidays #ItalianFWT

Lauren of the The Swirling Dervish gives us A Trio of Italian Sparkling Wines for Your Holiday Table #ItalianFWT

Gwendolyn of the Wine Predator serves up Bellavista! Shrimp Pasta with Italian Sparkling Wine From Franciacorta #ItalianFWT

Susannah of Avvinare extolls the virtures of Lambrusco in Lambrusco - Perfect for the Holidays #ItalianFWT

Katarina of Grapevine Adventures offers A Superior Sparkling Christmas With Bele Casel #ItalianFWT
Martin at ENOFYLZ Wine Blog is sharing A Distinctive Duo of Italian Sparkling Wines #ItalianFWT

Mt. Brave Merlot Mt Veeder with Tagine Inspired Pot Roast

I hope you all had an amazing Thanksgiving feast sharing beautiful food and wine with friends and family.

Now that the big feast is over, it might just be time to treat yourself to a warm, cozy night in with a good bottle of wine. We did just that on a recent date-night in, I decided to make us a dinner that jumped fully onboard with the fall season. The dish we made also give provides the perfect place to reuse some of your Thanksgiving leftover vegetables.

Mt. Brave Merlot Mount Veeder 2015 served as the centerpiece of our dinner. I’d recently receive this bottle as a sample (please note that all opinions are my own and no compensation was received) and was excited to open it as a final celebration of #MerlotMe month in October. It’s really a perfect time for it, as Merlot works so well with many fall foods! I’ll admit that it took me a little longer to post this than intended . . . but hey, there are still plenty of chilly nights to come during which to enjoy a big bold red and warming dinner. 😉

Mount Veeder is one of Napa’s mountain appellations and I thought I’d use this opportunity to get to know this one a little better. Why should you care about mountain versus valley fruit? It’s yet another factor affecting the flavors in your wine and knowing the general differences is another helpful tool in getting you to a bottle you’ll enjoy.

The higher elevation of these AVA’s in general tend to bring more concentrated fruit notes and more pronounced tannins than found in wines from the valley floor. These wines are often lauded for their ageability and those tannins are a big contributing factor. On the other hand, valley wines are often thought of as being riper, with generous fruit, and rounder structure that is often more pleasurable earlier on.

These are generalities and there are a million and one contributing factors to how a wine tastes, not the least of which is the winemaker’s influence. Take each as a puzzle piece making up the full flavor picture.

Now let’s get to know Mount Veeder. Or feel free to skip ahead if you really just want to get to the food.

MOUNT VEEDER

Whether comes from a mountain or valley region doesn’t always appear directly on the bottle, but in Napa’s case, the five mountain appellations all give you a clue in their name: Howell Mountain, Diamond Mountain, Spring Mountain, Atlas Peak, and Mount Veeder which is our subject today.

Napa Valley map borrowed from SevenFiftyDaily.com

Each of the mountain AVA’s has its own personality beyond their commonalities as high elevation regions. Mount Veeder sits in the southwestern section of Napa Valley, just north of Carneros. It also marks the boundary between Napa and Sonoma counties, and it’s very close to both the actual towns of Napa and Sonoma. You wouldn’t know it though. As you start to drive up the mountain roads, you start to feel like you’re in a completely different world very quickly.

Napa Valley Vintners gives the following description and stats on the appellation:

Climate: Cool to moderate, with most vineyards above the fog-line, meaning warmer nights and cooler days and less diurnal range than the valley floor. Typical mid-summer high temperatures about 85°F (29°C).

Elevation: 500 to 2600 feet (152 to 792 m).

Rainfall: 35 inches (87.5 cm) annually.

Soils: Sedimentary based, former seabed, shallow and generally well drained, as well as more acidic, with low fertility. Most have a sandy or sandy-loam texture.

Principal varieties & characteristics: Ageability is a hallmark of Mt. Veeder wines. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Zinfandel: Low yields give red wines a firm, tannic structure with strong earth-berry aromas and rich, but powerful flavors. Chardonnay: minerally, appley, even citrus flavors with good acidity.

Mount Veeder is one of the largest appellations in terms of land area, but it is land that’s really hard to work thanks to steep, rugged slopes that are covered with pine and oak trees. The soils are also really rocky and stony, with pockets of tufa, a white ashy soil. They’re certainly not fertile soils, and they have trouble retaining water. All of this restrains the vigor of the vines and leads to low yields. So while they’re really freak’n hard to grow, the grapes they do get have concentrated flavors, minerality, and strong tannins.

There are many microclimates hidden within the expanse of the area for the vineyards that have been planted. The region borders San Pablo Bay, which brings cooling maritime influences, particularly in the southern sections, which adds fresh acidity to mix. Many of the slopes that are planted to vines get lots of sunshine, which helps ripen the grapes nicely. Mt. Brave’s vineyards do in fact sit above the fog line, so it’s nice and sunny, creating ample fruit notes. This works with soil factors above to lend an approachability to those strong tannins that, especially when compared to some other Napa mountain AVA’s. Nonetheless, tannin and acidity both help to preserve a wine, you can probably guess that these are wines that can also age.

We definitely saw all of these structure components at work in today’s wine.

THE WINE & PAIRING

We all know that Napa is Cab country, but I wouldn’t count Merlot out. There are many really lovely versions. For one thing they’re usually a little less expensive than the Cabs, can deliver plenty of drinking pleasure, and I think are often more food friendly. And as we’ve learned above, you can find versions with plenty of structure, which Merlot is often faulted for lacking.

Lack of structure was definitely not a problem here. The Mt. Brave Merlot Mount Veeder 2015 had plenty. In fact, I kind of felt it drank like Cab; just one you could open earlier. It was robust, with medium+ tannins that were nicely rounded. The wine was full bodied with high alcohol, but it wore it all well thanks to medium/medium + acidity. I have to say, the wine had more freshness than I expected to find and that really balanced all the richness well for me.

On the palate, Greg and I got lots of rich dark fruit notes: blackberries, spiced plum tart, saucy raspberries, currants, and even some blue fruits. There were notes of mocha, baking spice, and sweet licorice. There was even an unexpected herbal note that whispered of mint and cedar, adding lift and interest to the palate.

This is a wine that can stand up to some richer fare. The arrival of fall also had me in the mood for braised meats. We ultimately decided on creating a tagine-inspired pot roast that would pull in a lot of the spice notes in the wine. Running on that tagine inspiration, I added couscous (although I opted for the Israeli style) straight into the cooking liquid to create a one-pot meal.

I'd recently roasted pumpkins and beets for dinners at home, and I thought they’d make perfect additions to this fall feast, as well as working with the wine. I added the leftovers right into the pot at the end of cooking, along with a handful of dried cranberries. A great use of leftovers! If you don’t have these root veggies previously cooked and on hand, no worries. Throw them in during the last hour of cooking.

I added a light garnish of chopped mint at the end to play to that herbal note we’d picked up, and I sprinkled on some candied, toasted pumpkin seeds to really take the autumnal vibes over the top.

Tagine Inspired Pot Roast with Spiced Israeli Couscous with Beets and Pumpkin

This was an excellent match. I was slightly worried that the sweetness of the beets and pumpkin (not to mention those candied pumpkin seeds) would be pushing the limits of what the wine could take. It wasn’t an issue. While the wine did become less fruity against these sweet components, it did not become sour or bitter as can often be the case when sugars in food overpower a dry wine. It was still robust with a silky mouthfeel. With fruit taking a slight step to the side, the wine’s minerality showed through a bit more, IMHO. The spices in the dish matched those in the wine really well, and it was an excellent companion to the stewed meat. Happy autumn vibes galore!

OTHER POSSIBILITIES

I reached out to Mount Brave’s winemaker, Chris Carpenter, via their PR team to find out what he likes to enjoy this wine with. Here’s what he wrote back: “The signature concentrated blue fruit of Mt. Veeder is on display with the 2015 Mt. Brave Merlot, which pairs well with the distinct flavors of lamb. The notes of mocha and the long finish make this wine a nice match for a lamb porterhouse with dried fruit and braised chard.” I can definitely see this working deliciously with a big lamb steak.

Chris also founded the Napa Valley chapter of Slow Foods and was a member of the Board of Directors for Slow Food USA, so you know he takes his food seriously.

If you’re looking at other Merlots (given that this one is quite pricey) ask your wine store sales associate for options at the fuller end of the spectrum. We also sampled this dish with a more medium bodied Merlot with a less tannic structure and a more red-fruited flavor profile. While it made for a decent match, it was decidedly not as good.

If you’re looking for other wines to match this dish, look for ripe, fruit forward, but robust wines with spice notes. Fruit forward Cabs, Syrahs, Malbecs, and Zinfandels (at the fuller end of Zin) with smooth, ripe tannins could all make good options here.

THE GEEKY DETAILS

Taken from the tech sheet.

Composition: 100% Merlot
Vineyard: Mt. Brave Vineyard
Winemaking: Grapes were hand-harvested in the cool morning hours, at an average Brix of 26.5°. The wine was fermented in stainless steel and then underwent native malolactic fermentation in barrels to round the acidity and softly integrate the vanillin character of French oak. After barrel aging, the wine was bottled without fining or filtration.
Fermentation: Native Yeast Fermentation
Maceration: 20 days
Barrel Aging: 22 months in French Oak, 95% new.
ABV: 15%
PH: 3.56
SRP: $80

In addition to being winemaker at Mt. Brave, Chris Carpenter is also the winemaker for La Jota, Cardinale, and Lokoya––all are part of Jackson Family Wines Collection.

MONEY TALK

The SRP and the average price on this wine is $80, which I’ll admit is out of my usual monetary wheelhouse. This most definitely is a Splurge in my book, but don’t we all enjoy a nice splurge from time to time? If you’re in the mood to treat yourself, go for it.

Pro tip: Napa is best known for it's Cabernet Sauvignons and those wines command REALLY hefty price tags. To find better values in a pricey region like Napa, try exploring other grapes. If you love those Cabs, Merlot is an excellent candidate because the two have a lot of flavor notes in common. Moreover, these two grapes have a long history as blending partners (for example, they're traditionally combined in Bordeaux), and often you'll even find a splash of Merlot blended in with varietally labeled Cabs. So while an $80 Merlot may seem like a lot, it can actually present a value proposition and a good alternative for lovers of Napa's Cabs.

Tagine Inspired Pot Roast with Spiced Israeli Couscous with Beets and Pumpkin

Approximate prep time: 5-10 minutes
Approximate cooking time: 2 hours
Total cooking time: 2 hours 10 minutes.
Makes approximately 8 servings.

INGREDIENTS

¼ tsp black pepper, plus more as needed
¼ ground nutmeg
⅛ tsp cinnamon
Small pinch of allspice
3 to 3 ½ lbs chuck roast (or other suitable cut of beef)
Salt
2 cups of beef stock, divided, plus more as needed
1 very large shallot, finely diced. (Greg did me the favor of shopping for this and brought home possibly the most gigantic shallot ever grown. It was the size of 2 average shallots or a medium onion. Feel free to substitute an onion for this purpose as well. )
2 to 3 garlic cloves, finely minced
8 oz Israeli Couscous
1½ cups roasted beets, cut into wedges (note alternate instructions for raw. Use golden beets if cooking from to prevent dying the whole dish.)
1½ cups roasted pumpkin or butternut squash, cut into bite size chunks (note alternate instructions for raw)
½ cup dried cranberries
¼ cup mint, chiffonade, for garnish
Approximately ⅓ cup toasted pumpkin seeds, or as desired for garnish (I used a lightly candied and spiced version, but regular will be just fine.)
Cooking oil like olive oil or canola

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 325°F.

2. Mix together the pepper, nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice in a bowl. Place the pot roast on a cutting board. Sprinkle generously with salt and about half of the spice. Rub the salt and spice mixture in to the meat and distribute well.

3. Heat a little bit of cooking oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Once the oil is shimmering add the meat to pot and sear well on all sides until well browned. Transfer the meat out of the pan.

4. Remove excess grease from the pan if needed. Deglaze the pan with a little bit of beef stock. Add the shallots and garlic to the pan a cook for about a minute. Add the beef back to the pan and pour in a cup of the stock into the pan. Add additional salt and spice mixture, reserving a little for the end. Cover and put in the oven. Cook for 50 minutes.

5. Uncover and baste the pot roast. Continue to cook uncovered for another 40 minutes.

Note: If your beets and pumpkin were not previously cooked, add them in now.

6. Baste the beef again. Add the Israeli couscous, the beets, pumpkin, and dried cranberries to the juices collected around the beef. Add another cup of beef stock. (If the liquid in the pan has evaporated quite a bit, use a little bit more.) Cook for an additional 15 minutes.

7. Remove the pot from the oven. Taste and add more seasoning if desired. Carefully remove the kitchen twine from the beef. Garnish with the mint and the pumpkin seeds and serve.

For other Merlot related posts, check out:

2 oz Pours: #MerlotMe Moments
Many Merlots Make Marvelous Mediterranean Meal #MerlotMe
#MerlotMe Again: High-Low Duckhorn Burger Night