by Patchen Markell » Tue Jan 16, 2018 7:47 am
Andrea went to the local butcher/charcutier and got, among other things, a couple of boudins blancs. Except that when she brought them home, they were boudins noirs. (They were probably boudins noirs before she brought them home too; you know what I mean.) We've had blood sausages that were too strong for our taste, but the ones from this shop aren't among them, so we rolled with it: Andrea roasted up a bunch of fingerling potatoes and crisped the sliced sausages in a pan, and I dug out a Brun 2002 Beaujolais Vieilles Vignes "L'Ancien," the last of a case. Remarkably, this is still fine and fresh. The usual funk isn't overpowering and behind it there's quite a bit of pure, sweet cherry fruit and earth, with propulsive acid. Age has not altered the wine in radical ways, or brought out surprising hidden dimensions; it's mostly just turned down the overall volume just a little and rounded off the edges, giving it an attractive transparency of flavor. A good match with the boudins, too!
cheers, Patchen