January 12, 2015 Grilled Rack of Lamb and Roasted Vegetable Medley with Châteauneuf du Pape

January 12, 2015 Grilled Rack of Lamb and Roasted Vegetable Medley with Châteauneuf du Pape

We felt really low today and wanted a really good dinner with a really good wine so we chose to grill a Costco rack of lamb ($10.99/lb. minus $2.00 per package) and I filled a ceramic baking dish with cubes of one large potato, three carrots, one onion, six or seven cloves of garlic, 2 Tbsp. of fresh rosemary and ½ lb. of Brussels sprouts tossed with olive oil and sea salt and roasted covered with aluminum foil for an hour until the vegetables cubes were very tender but still intact.

Suzette soaked two sprigs of rosemary in water for a few minutes and then sprinkled sea salt and pepper on the rack of lamb and grilled it on the sprigs of rosemary for about fifteen minutes. 

I opened a bottle of 2010 Le Fiacre du Pape Châteauneuf du Pape, blend of 60% Grenache, 15% Mourvédre, 15% Cinsault and 10% Syrah (Trader Joe’s 18.99) that had been sitting in the cellar for a year.  The wine was silky smooth with no bitter after tastes.  There are 13 grapes designated for use in Châteauneuf du Pape.  Château Beaucastel is the only Châteaunuef winery that I know of that uses all 13 varieties of grape and it usually costs over $100 per bottle.  The four grapes in this wine are the main four grapes grown in Châteauneuf.  I will buy this wine again or try other Châteauneufs.  Again this is a Southern Rhône.

This simple meal was so delicious I could hardly believe it.  Proof that a delicious wine combined with a delicious meal makes for a great dining experience, no matter how simple.  

I have found that aging in a cellar will benefit a good wine but not overcome the weaknesses of a bad wine.  

Bon Appétit