Windsor Oaks 2008 Malbec Paired with Provencal Lamb Daube

As the winter hours grow shorter, brisk, bracing days and chilly evenings are the perfect time for a warm, aromatic stew, a crackling fire and a glass of rich, ripe red wine.

Here’s a brilliant food and wine match to make that inviting vision a reality: the Windsor Oaks Estate 2008 Chalk Hill Malbec, a Gold Medal winner at the 2012 Sonoma County Harvest Fair, paired with a hearty Provencal Lamb Daube.

 The 2008 Malbec was grown on a unique volcanic mountain block on the Windsor Oaks Estate.  Filled with blackberries, plums and bright acidity, this terroir driven wine is harmoniously layered with baking spices and earthy varietal notes of leather, tobacco and mocha.  The tannins are firm, but well integrated throughout the wine, making it easy to pair with hearty foods.

We just love how the flavors of the wine and stew play with each other. The lamb mimics the earthy flavors in the wine, the herbs and spices blending with the spices in the wine and the roasted garlic creamy grits complimenting the wine’s mouthfeel.   It’s a pairing that makes you stop and enjoy the moment and be glad it’s almost winter.

Provencal Lamb Daube

Ingredients
• 5 lb. lamb shoulder, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2 T salt
• 2 tsp. espelette or cayenne pepper
• ½ lb. slab bacon, cut into ½-inch dice
• 2 small heads of fennel, each cut into 8 wedges
• 5 roma tomatoes, quartered and seeded
• 1 small orange, peel on, cut into thin slices
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
• 14 small Yukon potatoes, peeled
• 5 small carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 medium onion, halved and cut into thick slices
• 4 celery stalks, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 cup taggiasche or other small olives, pitted
• 2½ cups Pinot Noir or similar red wine
• 2 cups chicken or veal stock, or low-sodium stock
• 1 sachet (2 tsp. each fennel seeds, black peppercorns, and coriander seeds wrapped in cheesecloth and tied with butcher’s twine)
• 1 bouquet garni (3 sprigs basil, 1 bay leaf, 2 sprigs thyme, and 2 sprigs rosemary, tied with butcher’s twine)

Directions
Preheat oven to 380°F and place a rack in the center. Season lamb on all sides with salt and espelette pepper. Place a third of the lamb and the bacon on the bottom of a 5½-quart Dutch oven and top with a third of the vegetables. Repeat, creating three layers of meat and vegetables, finishing with vegetables. Add wine and stock followed by sachet and bouquet garni, being sure to submerge them. Cover and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes. Reduce temperature to 280°F and bake for another 2½ hours. Remove from the oven to rest at least 30 minutes before serving.

 This side dish of Roasted Garlic Grits is perfect with our 2008 Malbec , Chalk Hill  and the Provencal Lamb Daube.

Ingredients

• 1 bulb garlic
• 2 T extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 cups milk
• 2 cups water
• 1¼ cups instant grits
• 2 T butter
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F and place a rack in the center. Cut the head of garlic in half horizontally, brush cut halves with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Wrap in aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes, or until the cloves are golden and cooked through. Let rest until cool enough to handle, then squeeze cloves from their skins into a medium saucepan. Add milk and water and bring to a simmer. Add grits in a gentle stream while whisking constantly and cook for another 10 minutes, continuing to whisk. Add butter, season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve with the lamb daube.  Serves 8.

 Culinary pleasures and entertaining with friends and family refreshes the soul, revives the spirit, and makes new memories.

(Daniel Boulud)