Confronted with what to do with 5 lb of leftover turkey meat, I decided
to make a traditional red mole and did so with some of the breast meat.
Having recently read Rick Bayless's suggestions for pairing wine with
Mexican food during lunch at Topolobampo in Chicago[1], I decided to
take his advice and pair a N. Rhone Syrah with this fairly spicy dish.
Looking into my holdings, I found some '98 Belle Pere et Fils
Crozes-Hermitage 'Les Pierrelles' which I had bought at a tasting almost
2 years ago. My notes from then we

1998 Belle Crozes-Hermitage 'Les Pierrelles'
color: dark red-purple
nose: blueberries, flowers, cedar
palate: blueberry, pepper, slightly tannic finish
One of my two favorite producers in Crozes, though I typically get the
"Cuvée Louis Belle". Very nice Syrah fruit wrapped up in an attractive
package.

Opened with the mole tonight, I found that the tannins had fully
resolved, the wine had taken on some weight but was still quite primary
but bursting with fruit. It matched the mole very well indeed, with the
food actually accentuating the Syrah fruit and the acids of the wine
cutting through the spices of the mole quite effectively. A definite 4
on the Hoare food-wine pairing scale and a victory for Mr. Bayless's
advice. To see the advice in full, see:
http://www.fronterakitchens.com/cook...optenwine.html
and
http://www.fronterakitchens.com/cook...wineguide.html

Mark Lipton
[1] The lunch was spectacular: we split a goat empanada appetizer, Jean
had a dish of shrimp in a red chile broth and I had a Oaxacan sampler
that had a yellow mole empanada, pork in red mole, Oaxacan chorizo and a
cactus salad. Everything was superbly prepared. If they've lost a step
since their heyday 10 years ago, I can't see it.

I have always had a problem discussing tannins, can you please explain just
what you mean when you used the term, "the tannins had fully resolved".




"Mark Lipton" > wrote in message
...
> Confronted with what to do with 5 lb of leftover turkey meat, I decided
> to make a traditional red mole and did so with some of the breast meat.
> Having recently read Rick Bayless's suggestions for pairing wine with
> Mexican food during lunch at Topolobampo in Chicago[1], I decided to
> take his advice and pair a N. Rhone Syrah with this fairly spicy dish.
> Looking into my holdings, I found some '98 Belle Pere et Fils
> Crozes-Hermitage 'Les Pierrelles' which I had bought at a tasting almost
> 2 years ago. My notes from then we
>
> 1998 Belle Crozes-Hermitage 'Les Pierrelles'
> color: dark red-purple
> nose: blueberries, flowers, cedar
> palate: blueberry, pepper, slightly tannic finish
> One of my two favorite producers in Crozes, though I typically get the
> "Cuvée Louis Belle". Very nice Syrah fruit wrapped up in an attractive
> package.
>
> Opened with the mole tonight, I found that the tannins had fully
> resolved, the wine had taken on some weight but was still quite primary
> but bursting with fruit. It matched the mole very well indeed, with the
> food actually accentuating the Syrah fruit and the acids of the wine
> cutting through the spices of the mole quite effectively. A definite 4
> on the Hoare food-wine pairing scale and a victory for Mr. Bayless's
> advice. To see the advice in full, see:
> http://www.fronterakitchens.com/cook...optenwine.html
> and
> http://www.fronterakitchens.com/cook...wineguide.html
>
> Mark Lipton
> [1] The lunch was spectacular: we split a goat empanada appetizer, Jean
> had a dish of shrimp in a red chile broth and I had a Oaxacan sampler
> that had a yellow mole empanada, pork in red mole, Oaxacan chorizo and a
> cactus salad. Everything was superbly prepared. If they've lost a step
> since their heyday 10 years ago, I can't see it.

sibeer wrote:
> I have always had a problem discussing tannins, can you please explain just
> what you mean when you used the term, "the tannins had fully resolved".

What I mean by that term is that the tannins that I encountered two
years ago, giving the wine a rough mouthfeel with noticeable
astringency, had now softened such that I got no roughness and no
astringency. Instead, there was a certain velvety feel to the wine that
I associate with older tannins.

HTH
Mark Lipton

OK, Belle and ..........Graillot?

DaleW wrote:
> OK, Belle and ..........Graillot?
>

Yup, those are the two Crozes that find their way to my cellar.
Thalabert has its fans, but I've never found it worth the price. Claude
Kolm recently opined that there were many interesting producers in
Crozes, so I might have to prod him a bit for names...

Mark Lipton

Mark Lipton > wrote in news:dmhpu0$6h7$1
@mailhub227.itcs.purdue.edu:

> DaleW wrote:
>> OK, Belle and ..........Graillot?
>>
>
> Yup, those are the two Crozes that find their way to my cellar.
> Thalabert has its fans, but I've never found it worth the price. Claude
> Kolm recently opined that there were many interesting producers in
> Crozes, so I might have to prod him a bit for names...
>
> Mark Lipton

I have had the Graillot and agree on the choice. I am also quite fond of
the Tain coop Crozes for everyday type wines at around $10.00 a bottle.

--
Joseph Coulter
Cruises and Vacations
http://www.josephcoulter.com/

Gilles -Robin gets good mention from folks I respect (Jim Cowan in
particular). Remizières is supposed to have very good terroir, though
they have moved to a more modern style that might not appeal to all.
Claude, the master of terroir, is probably the person to ask.
Apparently Crozes is the largest Northern Rhone appelation, and some of
the more recently added part (I believe in southern part of appelation)
is flatter and with a different soil. Claude probably knows who owns
what.

DaleW wrote:
> Gilles -Robin gets good mention from folks I respect (Jim Cowan in
> particular). Remizi?res is supposed to have very good terroir, though
> they have moved to a more modern style that might not appeal to all.
> Claude, the master of terroir, is probably the person to ask.
> Apparently Crozes is the largest Northern Rhone appelation, and some of
> the more recently added part (I believe in southern part of appelation)
> is flatter and with a different soil. Claude probably knows who owns
> what.
>

The Remezieres wines I've had have been far too modern for my tastes,
but I haven't found any Gilles-Robin yet to try. I've placed a query
with Claude in WT: we'll see if he bites.

Mark Lipton

Mark Lipton > wrote in
:

> DaleW wrote:
>> Gilles -Robin gets good mention from folks I respect (Jim Cowan in
>> particular). Remizi?res is supposed to have very good terroir, though
>> they have moved to a more modern style that might not appeal to all.
>> Claude, the master of terroir, is probably the person to ask.
>> Apparently Crozes is the largest Northern Rhone appelation, and some
>> of the more recently added part (I believe in southern part of
>> appelation) is flatter and with a different soil. Claude probably
>> knows who owns what.
>>
>
> The Remezieres wines I've had have been far too modern for my tastes,
> but I haven't found any Gilles-Robin yet to try. I've placed a query
> with Claude in WT: we'll see if he bites.
>
> Mark Lipton
>

Is one of these the one with a butterfly on the label? There is a Crozes
available locally for me that has a light blue label with a butterfly
andthe usual warning over animals on labels applies.

--
Joseph Coulter
Cruises and Vacations
http://www.josephcoulter.com/

Joseph,
I think Gilles Robin's entry level Crozes is called Papillon, if it's
that one I'd certainly try if it was in my market.