Rhett and Link, of Good Mythical Morning, entertain us by asking crazy questions. For example, they dive into the world of smores, choosing various food items such as pizza, liver, and sardines to explore how they pair with chocolate and marshmallows to determine whether or not the alternative food items will “smore.” In the spirit of this fun and inventive YouTube morning show, I am asking a less disgusting but equally inquisitive question: Do empanadas Bordeaux?
Our #winophile challenge this month is pairing any French wine with any cuisine other than French. To be fair, this is quite an easy challenge, only limited by our wallets, time, and imagination. I could easily feature an entire month’s worth of article pairing wines from all over France with cuisines outside of France, but I must control myself. To prepare for this assignment I went through my cellar using the Corkz app that pairs with Cellartracker to determine which French wines in my cellar are ready to be consumed, up poped the 2010 Château Marjosse, a wine I have no memory of purchasing but fear it is past its prime so I am happy to give it a go.
About Chateau Marjosse from Berry Bros & Rudd’s web site:
Château Marjosse is a small Bordeaux property that is fast gaining a reputation as one of the region’s best value wines. It was bought in 1997 by the régisseur of Château Cheval Blanc, Pierre Lurton, a prominent member of the Bordeaux wine dynasty of the same name. In just 3 years he has earned the wines of Marjosse considerable, and much deserved, recognition.
Marjosse is located near the village of Tizac-de-Curton in the heart of the Entre-Deux-Mers region. Its consists of 9 hectares of vineyards, exceptionally well-sited on a clay and limestone plateau around 300 metres above sea-level and planted with Merlot (60%), Cabernet Sauvignon (20%), Cabernet Franc (10%) and Malbec (10%). Pierre Lurton makes the wine in simply-equipped but marvellously functional, two hundred-year old cellars. It is still early days but the future looks very bright for Château Marjosse.
Fun fact about this wine. I actually met Pierre Lurton at another one of his dabblings, Château d’Yquem, in 2016 while enjoying the most exquisite Sauternes in Bordeaux. Here is a photo of our group with him.
Entre-Deux-Mers is a unique region within Bordeaux. The name means, “between two tides.” This region of rolling hills that lies in a triangular shape on the land between the Dordogne and Garonne Rivers is filled with vineyards. It is an area predominately known for white wines; however, reds are produced in Entre-Deux-Mers and sold as “Bordeaux” or “Bordeaux Supérieur.” Wine produced here historically have been designed to enjoy in their youth. However, as of late that is changing. It is my hope with the 2010 bottle I have has been an age worthy wine since I have more or less forgotten about it till now.
2010 Chateau Marjosse Bordeaux France ($17): crafted of predominately Merlot with some Cabernet Sauvignon and a touch of Malbec; clear medium+ garnet; clean soft aromas of dried cherries, currants, blackberries, plums, sweet spice, dried herbs, lavender, fennel, damp leather, smoke, dusty earth, and minerality; dry wine with medium acidity, medium- tannins that still show a touch of grit and edge, medium- body and finish; this wine has more life left than I expected, a pleasant surprise, all the showings of a classic Bordeaux only softened by time.
Bordeaux pairs well with beef, venison, lamb, or any kind of red meat. However, spice is not usually a great pairing with Bordeaux. In decided to head to South America finding beef is easy but my favorite grilled steak is topped with chimichurri. To eliminate the spice I decided to go the empanada route instead. My family loves empanadas and I enjoy making them. Which all leads to the question: Do Empanadas Bordeaux? The Chicken Enchilada Empanadas received mixed reviews as to whether or not they Bordeaux. My husband said so/so, and I said yes. The Beef Empanadas, on the other hand, received total agreement; yes, they definitely Bordeaux!
Check out what my fellow #Winophiles French wine and world cuisine pairings:
- Martin from Enofylz Wine Blog pairs Bordeaux with Cajun and Italian Classics
- Camilla from Culinary Adventures with Camilla will match A Vin de Pays d’Oc Chardonnay and an Edible Mollusc from Monterey
- Gwendolyn of Wine Predator highlights Cross-Cultural Pairings: Mexican Mole with French Wine
- Jane from Always Ravenous takes us to the islands with Chicken Colombo: A Blend of Caribbean Flavors from the French West Indies
- Lynn from Savor the Harvest informs us that Tortilla Española Crosses Wine Borders
- Jill of L’occasion describes A World of Flavors in Marseille
- Peter from The Wine Analyst delves into Food & Wine – Moroccan Chicken Pastilla
- Jeff from FoodWineClick! reports as Loire Valley Wines Take the Spicy Thai Challenge
- Here at The Swirling Dervish we’ll enjoy A Feast for the Senses: Viognier and Indian Spices
My Song Selection: It was a fun and lively evening taking Bordeaux south of the border to pair with empanadas. I love this song pairing because it is a French song with a definite Spanish feel.
Join us this morning at 10CST on Twitter using #Winophiles to share your favorite French wines paired with worldly cuisines.
Get your own bottle of 2010 Chateau Marjosse Bordeaux and let me know what song you pair with it. Cheers!
