Showing posts with label shiraz. Show all posts
Showing posts with label shiraz. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Classic Pairings 103: Syrah-lence of the Lamb
PETA advocates, raw foodists, and vegans need not apply. As Bourdain often says [paraphrased], "if you're slower than me, dumber than me, and tasty, then you're fair game."
No truer statement could be made about the glory that is lamb. And while I'm not here to argue the land speed record of a galloping lamb or challenge said beast to a spirited game of Trivial Pursuit, I can say with full, experienced confidence that it is mighty delicious...
...okay, no more defending the virtues of eating red meat. It just seems...well, a little creepy. Seriously, I'm starting to feel like Jame Gumb over here (better know as Silence of the Lambs' "Buffalo Bill"). "Would you eat lamb? I'd eat lamb..." (somewhere faintly in the distance, I think I hear Q Lazzarus' "Goodbye Horses").
We're derailing. Focus, Joe! Anyway, there's something about lamb: the richness of the red meat, the slight gaminess lent to it from the presence of lanolin; it can stand up to just about anything. Then, slather the lamb (in this case, the tender but more affordable leg) in herbs, garlic, and spices, roast it to a crusty exterior in the now-infamous Showtime Rotisserie, and it just begs for a table on a cold winter's night, paired with a wine equal in robustness and machismo.
Syrah (otherwise known as "Shiraz" in parts of the New World, especially Australia) is a wine dominated by complex bouquet, intense flavors, massive tannins, and- at times- absurd alcohol levels that shame Hannibal Lector's wimpy Chianti and overpower those outmatched fava beans.
My victim- er- wine choice for this pairing was a 2004 E. Guigal Crozes-Hermitage. This AOC in the Northern Rhône Valley of France (a Syrah hotspot) is know for wines that are complex, elegant, powerful, and yet more approachable in youth than big shot neighbors Hermitage, Cornas, and Côte Rotie. Furthermore, at a very reasonable 12.5% ABV, I had confidence this bottle would work well with food, rather than suffocate it with alcohol (and I've had Aussie Shiraz at 16%+).
Bottom line: the wicked nose of pepper, smoke, flowers (perhaps violets, but I don't exactly know what a violet smells like...it was floral, okay?), plums, blackberries, and meat- yes, roasted meat, progressed into a mouth-filling flavor of fruit, herbs, and more pepper. The tannins (which usually dries your mouth out and/or makes it feel "fuzzy") were pretty smooth. What pleased me the most was the good dose of acidity, giving the juice freshness, and making my mouth water for food...
...in particular, lamb fat. Yeah, the meat was good...medium-rare, juicy, flavorful; the crust of black pepper and crushed garlic and sea salt and Herbes de Provence got busy in a PG-13 sorta way with the herbal, peppery nuances of the wine. But all those smooth tannins and acidity just CRUSHED with the melt-in-your-mouth, velvety veneer of lamb fat (and we're talking R-rated plus, folks). Perhaps you just had to be there. The richness of the lamb, the spices, and the all-of-the-above of the Crozes. Man, this might've been the best food/wine pairing in the universe.
So, to try and sum this up: Syrah and Lamb are a classic pairings for reasons that can barely be defined by words. You just have to go try this one. Come on over...I'll cook it all again. I don't care about lotion in the basket. I don't care if you're a size fourteen. I just want you to experience this combination. Yes, it may be an obsession, but it's probably not one that will land me as a character in a disturbing movie.
Speaking of disturbing movies, check this out (actually, I have to boast that I think this is my best work yet. Cheers!):
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Bringin' in the Southpaw
Sometimes, a severe writing funk just takes a cold, hard smack to the face.
That's my impression of getting punched in the face. Pretty good, huh? What? Yes, that's a "hulk hand". Uh huh. I'm a thirty-year-old man. Yep, I got those hulk hands as a 30th birthday gift. No, I'm not single. Agreed. I don't get it either.
Phantom conversation aside, and back to the clever metaphor. This wine pictured is a serious left-hook to the face. And it's the cold-cocking that got me writing again...
But it all makes sense, doesn't it? The brand is South Australia's Mollydooker (means "left hander"), and the wine is the 2008 "The Boxer" Shiraz. How's that for truth in advertising? Anyway, I've heard rave reviews on Twitter about this wine (and it fetched a 91 point score from Wine Spectator, whatever that means), priced anywhere from $20-25 clams in many retail stores. Not exactly the heist-of-the-year, but I'm not exactly saving up for any hot dates (see "hulk hands" conversation above).
Before I get into tasting notes, I do want to note that this wine is the absolute poster child for Australian wines, especially for all of you learning wine. The Land Down Under- known for kangaroos, koalas, "Men At Work", and "Midnight Oil" (sorry, I only know marsupials and 80's rock bands)- is also a wine behemoth: the 9th largest producer in the world as of 2007 (source: wikipedia). However, the population of the entire nation is around 20 million, or that of New York State. For this reason, export is huge, and the Aussies check in at #4 (chalk it up to wikipedia again). With that daunting responsibility to keep the world (especially the U.S.) nice and toasty, Australia wine often focuses on a very marketable style: ready-to-drink, with softer tannins and big fruit flavors. Basically, if you were that guy that spiked the punch at the high-school sock hop, you've got a little Colin Hay in you.
"The Boxer" is no exception to the rule. Made from at least 85% Shiraz (aka "Syrah" in France and the States), it's already got a heavy-duty pedigree. On the nose, I get pretty intense black cherry, raspberry, spice, pepper, eucalyptus, and grape "Big League Chew"...kind of a fake fruit-punch flavor. Usually, the nose is where I make my assessment of whether I like the wine. However, this one's a real pipe bomb in the mouth. Tons of dark fruit, black pepper, vanilla, cinnamon, guava (? ...just going by the notes, folks), cherry, berries, and charcoal. The mouth-drying tannins are definitely there, but they're pretty smooth, especially considering that this is a 2008 wine (granted, that comes earlier in the Southern Hemisphere). Oh, yeah. The alcohol by volume is on the bottle at 16%. You feel it in your nostrils, you taste it in the wine. It's THERE, but integrated pretty well for being that high.
Overall, a pretty good wine. I've got no problem with big flavors, a lot of fruit, and high alcohol. I could see how I'd get sick of it if I only drank typical Australian wines, but that's yet another reason why wine is so interesting. The incredible subtleties and delicacy of a European wine may be manifested in a COMPLETELY different style somewhere else in the world, even though the grape may be the same. Such examples are a great way to learn how climate, soil, irrigation, and winemaking can manipulate the final product. Furthermore, one can start to learn what styles go better with food, and what go better with a tidy buzz.
Speaking of food, this massive wine befuddled me. What to pair it with?
A dirty, dirty wild hog? Getting warmer...
Patterson's Bigfoot? That may be the kind of gaminess this wine needs, and it would really bring new meaning to the prospect of Messin' with Sasquatch.
Alls I know is that you need to approach "The Boxer" with caution. I'm on night two with this bottle, and there's still plenty to go. Drink it all in one sitting, and you may end up like this:
Eureka! Wendy's hamburgers it is! So raise your glasses to getting that writing groove back (hopefully- you're the judge of that), those winemaking blokes down south, and to finding the perfect pairing: Cheers, Sláinte, L'Chaim, Salud, Prost, Skål, Konbe, and Kampai!
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