RSS
Home
Lamb Chops and Chardonnay: Why Not?
Print
Email
RSS
Subscribe
Clos du Bois Russian River Valley Chardonnay, Robert Mondavi Woodbridge Brut, and Bogle Chardonnay.
Lamb chops, especially depending on how they are prepared, can be a very versatile entrée. For example, dinner last night consisted of roasted lamb chops with fresh rosemary, garlic, kosher salt, and ground black pepper served with roasted potatoes and green beans. Such a dinner could easily take the spiciness if a Syrah or the earthiness of a Pinot Noir. However a surprising combination emerged with a Chardonnay! Not any mere Chardonnay, though, but one with a true expression of terroir, as you will see.
The meal opened with a salad of mixed greens, fresh Bosch pears, walnuts, and feta cheese. The interplay of sweet fruit, salty walnuts, and bitter goat cheese needed and deserved a wine with decent structure and firm acids at its core. A Robert Mondavi Woodbridge Brut Cuvee ($8.99) was served with the appetizer. This sparkling wine is redolent with green apples, nutmeg, and yeast notes. Its firm acids cleansed the palate and opened conversation with everyone who attended.
The entrée, as mentioned, was a relatively simple affair: lamb chops with olive oil, fresh rosemary, kosher salt, ground black pepper, and minced garlic. Roasted at 350°F in a cast iron skillet for about four minutes on each side, the lamb retains a slightly pink interior and a beautifully brown exterior. Lamb is a meat that should be seasoned lightly, since it tends toward already possessing a very flavorful expression.
The side dishes were just as easy to prepare. The potatoes were quartered and tossed with olive oil, salt, and pepper. They were then roasted in a shallow baking dish, near the heat at 350°F for approximately forty-five minutes. The potatoes will emerge browned and crispy but still have a soft, buttery interior. The green beans were boiled in salted water and after the water was drained, tossed with butter and salt.
All in all, the meal was simple and rustic in its creation. The wine served, however, was anything but simple.
Clos du Bois Sonoma Reverse Russian River Valley Chardonnay 2007 ($17.99) is both an amazing value and a magnificent example of a Russian River Valley wine. The Meijer on Montgomery Road in Loveland currently has this wine on a price cut for $14.99, and a price like that cannot be beat! The Russian River Valley consistently produces some of the most amazing Chardonnays in California and this one is no exception. It possesses a thick mouth feel that bursts with orange peel, cloves, warm butter, and a hint of vanilla from the oak. The flavors linger on and on and seemingly never fade.
Although it may seem a risk to serve a white wine with a red meat, the elegance and structure of a truly fine Chardonnay can stand up to the simple fare served in this menu. It may not be an intuitive combination, nor will one see it recommended in a cookbook, but sometimes a premium wine can hold its own in a delightfully shocking combination.
To finish the night, the dinner party was served Bogle Vineyards California Chardonnay 2008 ($12.99). A great value across the spectrum of wine that Bogle produces, the Chardonnay is a bottle that one could not go wrong in serving. Taken by itself, it’s a great wine in the value category and heartily recommended.
If one finds any truth in the subject of food and wine pairing, it must be that rules never apply. The adage that “red wines are to be served with red meats” only inhibit creativity and stifle the palate. Certainly, red wine and red meats can pair beautifully, but that does not mean that a light red meat and a full-bodied white wine will not compliment each other. The challenge for anyone is to find a compliment that works in one’s cooking style and to serve the needs of one’s guests: in this case, one of my friends asked me to serve white wine that evening; I still wanted lamb chops, though. What occurred was a serendipitous arrangement that proved a valid point: ignore the rules and be yourself.
