Gabriel Mefffre Laurus, 2007, Gigondas, Southern Rhone

Animal. Charcoal. Leather. Dried herbs. All of these notes apply to the Grenache - a grape which along with olive oil, garlic, herbs and game holds up the Mediterranean's culinary tradition. Grenache is the key varietal in France's southern Rhone blends, the big lad of this group being Chateauneuf du Pape. 'The New Castle of the Pope.' Pretty holy, all round. We aren't having one of these tonight. I don't wish to provoke unnecessary celestial episodes. We will be profiling a wine from Gigondas, a nearby village producing serious wines at a moderate price.

Wines from Gigondas have earthiness, spice, red fruit, a certain scorched barnyard quality. Certainly something burnt or charred is always hidden inside Grenache. It's the symbiosis between Grenache and Syrah - carved pieces fitting together - that inspires these landmark wines. This is some of my favourite wine. Anyhow, my next five of so entries are going to look into Rhone-style wines around the world, starting with Gigondas. I was able to find a real solid clip from The Wine Traveler on the village, starting with a bunch of men in an ancient cellar. Despite the suspicious plot line, it's really informative.

  
Remember the bald South African guy. He makes a Rhone blend that I'll be profiling in later entries. That clip makes me want to drink wine and eat well. I can do both.

Braised Port Lamb Shanks (adapted from Chuck's Day Off staring Mr. Chuck Hughes)

Ingredients:

Spice Rub

- 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
- 1 tablespoon fennel seeds
- 1 tablespoon peppercorns
- 1 tablespoon salt

Lamb

- 4 medium-large lamb shanks
- 1 onion, minced
- 1 celery stalk, minced
- 2 carrots, peeled and diced
- 1 small leek, trimmed and diced
- 1 1/2 cups of port
- 1 cup of beef stock
- 1 head garlic, halved
- 3 sprigs rosemary
- 3 sprigs thyme
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons honey
- olive oil
- salt and pepper

1) Mix coriander seeds, fennel seeds and peppercorns in a small frying pan. Toast on medium heat for a few minutes until aromatic and slightly dark. Put in a mortar or spice mill and crush. Then add salt. Rub each shank with the spice blend.

2) Preheat the oven to 325F.

3) Heat olive oil in large oven proof skillet or Dutch Oven to medium-high. Brown lamb shanks on all sides for roughly 5 minutes. Add onions, carrots, celery, leek to the lamb shanks and frying for an additonal 5 minutes. (If there isn't enough space in the pan, remove the shanks and put aside until vegetables are tender - then return to the pan). Add garlic, rosemary and thyme. Cook for a minute or 2. Add port and beef stock.

4) Cover with lid or tin foil. Place in oven and braise for 2.5 hours. Remove lamb shanks from the pot and filter the sauce through a fine sieve into a bowl or pot. Reduce the sauce at medium heat for about 15 minutes or until liquid is halved.

Meanwhile in another skillet, melt butter. Add lamb shanks and coat with honey. Caramelize on all sides and add a ladle of the sauce.

Tasting Notes on the 2007 Laurus Gigondas....

Nice wine. On the nose: white pepper, dried flowers, thyme, oregano. On the palate: there was really nice balance and acid. Silty tannins, but with the braised lamb this is exactly the type of traction I was looking for. Definitely, something ashy or charred, like old grenache stock clipped from the vine and used to start a fire. Or peppers charred on an open fire. Yeah, I've tasted that taste....