WTN: My first Bordeaux and lamb pairing

My landlady invited me to dinner with friends where she was roasting up a lamb shank, so I thought I'd bring along something from Bordeaux, as I've never tried that classic pairing. I went out put down $40 and got a 1998 Château Petit Fombrauge St. Émilion Grand Cru (St. Émilion Grand Cru AOC, Libournais, right bank Bordeaux, France) cork closure, 12.5% - imported to USA by Winewise, Oakland, California. It looked fine with a fading lighter rim and the smells were delicous--upfront dark tar, pecan/mincemeat pie, fabulous depth with touch of spice, very nice tar-spiced nose. It was tasty, a bit recessed at first with salt water then silky but not overly smooth, rich spicy and meaty, pleasant acid grip, taste more interesting savory meaty flavors toward finish, salty and fun, plenty of backbone here with spicy curry midpalate. But, oddly enough, I enjoyed it most after the meal was done--I don't often have those food-wine pairing epiphanies, and this wasn't one of those times, alas.

Keith,

We have had the 2000 Château Petit Fombrauge. After tasting it initially we put it in the decanter for a couple of hours and it opened up quite nicely. I do remember the "meaty" character that you mention. It was a very enjoyable wine. Also, I am not huge fan of lamb, normally, but I think that it goes very well with many Bordeaux.

My landlady invited me to dinner with friends where she was roasting up a lamb shank...

Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar... but sometimes it's not!

[Jenise]

But, oddly enough, I enjoyed it most after the meal was done--I don't often have those food-wine pairing epiphanies, and this wasn't one of those times,

And that's the problem with generalities like X wine with X meat. As well as the combination usually works, the qualities of a particular wine and the preparation of a particular meat might can reduce any interaction between the two to just okay. Epiphanies are rarer than we'd like them to be, aren't they?

I'd agree with Jenise.

But probing further: do you mean shank or leg? I iove lamb shanks, but we braise, hard to imagine roasting- if shank wasn't it dried out?

Personally, I tend to do Bordeaux with lamb chops (rib or loin). Tonight we did loin chops in rosemary with '82 Lanessan, great match. I tend to season leg heavily, maybe do Rhone. When we do shanks, we braise and serve with Tuscan wines.

No match works for everyone. But if you come to NY I'd be willing to try out lamb chops and Bdx on you!

Thanks for notes - sounds like an interesting wine. I love '98 Right Bankers

But probing further: do you mean shank leg? I iove lamb shanks, but we braise, hard to imagine roasting- if shank wasn't it dried out?

Personally, I tend to do Bordeaux with lamb chops (rib or loin). Tonight we did loin chops in rosemary with '82 Lanessan, great match. I tend to season leg heavily, maybe do Rhone. When we do shanks, we braise and serve with Tuscan wines.

Yeah, I mean leg of lamb. Interesting to hear about the chops as a good match. In any case, I'm not rejecting that lamb makes a good match for many Bordeaux--only tried the pairing once. I'd certainly try it again, but tend not to cook lamb for myself at home and tend not to order wine in restaurants where I might order lamb!

I love '98 Right Bankers

Would look great on a bumper sticker!

Had grilled lamb chops this weekend with a '99 Certan de May. May not have been an epiphany but really good. We try hard to match wines with food and with lamb Bordeaux always come out.
Walt