Burgundy or Meritage with Lamb?

Personally, I'd go for a Rhone, but a Meritage will do just as well. I'd pass on the Burgundy with lamb pairing.

Happy anniversary.

I would go with a Bordeaux from St. Emilion which will pair nice with the lamb and the wild mushrooms.

Rhone.

An excellent choice not yet mentioned - Rioja.

CdP! Game on Game!

Cote Rotie!

Honestly, though, any Rhone will be great.

So would Rioja.

So would Barolo or Barbaresco.

So would, some, larger-scaled Burgundy. So would some CA Cab with new world fruit but an old-world sensibility. (eg. Etude, Les Pavots, Seavy, Araujo... not Dunn or on the other end Bryant or Hestan)

Southern Rhone

I tend to put a lot of herbs on lamb when I cook so I prefer bordeaux which has a lot of floral elements and I believe that compliments the seasonings plus the tannins cut into the fat of the lamb pretty well.

Are you bringing the bottle or buying from the restaurant? If you are buying from the restaurant I think the most important question is which wine is open for business.

I recently had a half bottle of Gevrey-Chambertin 2003 and a half bottle of 1999 Vosne-Romanee, both premier crus, with veal. The Vosne was great with the veal, but the Gevrey had too much funk and cassis and acid. I bet the G-C would have paired much better with lamb.

Happy anniversary. I usually go Bordeaux with Lamb, but CDP would be great as well.

BO, Help me; I am learning. Why would you pass on the Burgundy with lamb?

"Even a broom frequents royal palaces." -- Me

quote:

Originally posted by Board-O:
Personally, I'd go for a Rhone, but a Meritage will do just as well. I'd pass on the Burgundy with lamb pairing.

Happy anniversary.

quote:

Originally posted by spo:
Are you bringing the bottle or buying from the restaurant? If you are buying from the restaurant I think the most important question is which wine is open for business.

Definitely bringing it...$25 corkage fee, but they waive that with a purchasing a starter cocktail which we are doing. Given the reputation of the restaurant, I'd not bring anything less than "premium" and willing to spend ~ $100 at the local wine shop. Kinda leaning toward French, Bordeaux or Rhone.

Lamb is a favorite regional dish of Bordeaux and their wines are considered a classic match. The earthiness and higher acidity of Bordeaux will go better with lamb than the low acid fruit driven CA meritage blends. Save Cali cabs and meritage for a nice steak. Second choice would be a CdP or N. Rhone.

Why didn't I get on these forums sooner! This is a wealth of concise information.

"Without counsel plans fail, but with many advisers they succeed." - Proverbs 15:22

quote:

Originally posted by vinole:
Lamb is a favorite regional dish of Bordeaux and their wines are considered a classic match. The earthiness and higher acidity of Bordeaux will go better with lamb than the low acid fruit driven CA meritage blends. Save Cali cabs and meritage for a nice steak. Second choice would be a CdP or N. Rhone.

quote:

Originally posted by Sancho Panza:
Why didn't I get on these forums sooner!

Oh, I think you've been here for quite a while.

quote:

Originally posted by Board-O:

quote:

Originally posted by Sancho Panza:
Why didn't I get on these forums sooner!

Oh, I think you've been here for quite a while.

Board-O, it's no longer PC to question a new member. Get with the program man!

OK, Bordeaux it is...with a $100 budget, what specific Chateaus should I be looking for...? Not as well versed beyond the top Grand Crus and certain name first growths.

Be nice to find a good 'sleeper' brand at a reasonable price...

quote:

Originally posted by JHM:
OK, Bordeaux it is...with a $100 budget, what specific Chateaus should I be looking for...? Not as well versed beyond the top Grand Crus and certain name first growths.

Be nice to find a good 'sleeper' brand at a reasonable price...

That's the catch with Bordeaux. The better ones need age so it's not the best choice if having to buy and immediately serve a current release. Of course, you can buy older vintages at significantly higher prices with usually a limited selection at stores. If you have to go with current releases, I would go with the more early accessible 03 vintage, though the higher the price, the more in need of aging they generally are. Therefore, somewhat "lower" wines might actually perform better than higher ones as they are more ready now. Wines like Lagrange, St. Pierre, Branaire, Duhart Milon, or Pontet Canet would probably drink OK right now. Check recent notes on CellarTracker.com, and try to have them decanted. The 01 vintage might also be a good bet as they are still around and also fairly ready, like a Smith Haut Lafitte (03 & 04 of that might also be good) or a number of St Emilions, as that was a better year for the right bank.

How about a 1990 Pontet Canet.

Looks like I'll have a couple of hours before dinner and can drop the bottle off for decanting well prior to the meal. I am also going to have them decant it with my Vinturi aerator in to the decanter, so it should have the equivalent of 4-5 hours decant time. Looks like '03 & '04 were pretty good years, but maybe too early to drink...? I could go with a Rt. bank '98 that seemed to be stellar for that region of Bordeaux...hmmmm...so many choices...

quote:

Originally posted by PURPLE:
How about a 1990 Pontet Canet.

Yeah, 1988, 1989 & 1990 were all very good years and are probably very drinkable right now...

If you can get vintages like 1989 or 1990, that is definitely the way to go. I assumed you might only have access to more current releases, but if that's not the case... go for the mature wines.

So, I found a 2000 Le Petit Cheval Blanc, apparently the younger cousin of the famed Cheval Blanc, at the local wine shop for $98.

Anyone familiar with this wine and is it worth the try here? Obviously, 2000 was stellar for most Bordeauxs and hard to go too wrong, but....

I wouldn't blow it on a second wine.

Personally, I'd get a Beaucastel CdP to go with that lamb!

OK, second guessing the Bordeaux choice at this point and thinking about CdP instead. Mainly because the wife likes more upfront fruit in her wines and might not fully appreciate a complex Bordeaux. Plus, budget-wise, CdP goes a bit further for the finer labels.

Going out Fri. to shop for it and I'll let you know how Sat. goes and the final results.

Thanks for all the input...

Good call, I don't think the 2000 Petit Cheval Blanc woud give you the pleasure you are hoping for. Where are you guys going? Pampelmouse Grill? (Bad spelling)

Agree with the Bordeaux pairing, I've had Burgundy with Lamb and felt it wasn't a strong pairing. A nice young Bordeaux that I've heard is drinking well right now is Chateau Fombrauge.(St. Emilion) Probably $30-35.

Well, I decided on a 2004 Usseglio CdP...got a 92 or so from Parker and said it is drinking really well right now and better than the Beaucastel...$90 from a local guy here that has a decent selection of premium French.

SPO, we're going to the Skyroom at the La Valencia Hotel in La Jolla. I'll report back Monday...(actually see you at the 3rd corner Sun. maybe...?)

Cheers!

Quick update...

Dinner was amazing, the lamb was incredible and the Usseglio was the perfect match. The only thing they had on the wine list comparable was a '05 Usseglio and an '04 Beaucastel, but the '04 Usseglio drank very well and the Sommelier approved...and he waived the corkage for us...

Thanks for the input.

Glad to hear it went well! Happy anniversary!

I'd go with an older Cdp. 1995 or older!