Pairing: Noisettes d’Agneau à l’Estragon (Boned Rib Lamb Chops with a Tarragon Sauce) Paired with a 2012 Leeuwin Estate Cabernet Sauvignon from Australia 

Food: As a family we have enjoyed this lamb dish for almost fifty years, most recently to help celebrate my birthday. The recipe comes from Craig Claiborne‘s cookbook, The New York Times International Cookbook. In our household, this dog-eared, heavily stained, falling-apart-at-the-seams kitchen treasure is a well-loved companion dishing out culinary wisdom with a wealth of wonderful mealtime ideas. Noisettes d’Agneau à l’Estragon is quite simple to prepare, but elegant and delicious for that special meal. Quickly sear the boned lamb rib chops, keep them warm, and sauté a chopped shallot in some butter, deglaze pan with some white wine, add a little beef stock, reduce over medium heat, add a generous spoonful of tarragon, and pour the sauce over the lamb. The complementary flavors of lamb, tarragon, wine, and butter is fantastic. We like it with asparagus and roasted red potatoes.

Wine: The Margaret River wine region of Western Australia is famous for its Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, and Chardonnay, oftentimes favorably compared with their European counterparts, notably Red Bordeaux and White Burgundy. The Leeuwin Estate winery has a well-earned reputation as among the best wineries in all of Australia and with strong international accolades as well. Although we see ourselves as mostly locavores and our lamb comes from the farm down the road from us, it’s fun to drink a wine that comes from arguably the most distant location from us here on planet Earth.

Tasting Notes:  Beautiful gemstone garnet color. Multi-tiered aromas of black currant jam cooking on the stove, fruit leather, and cowhide leather. Concentrated flavors of chocolate and black and red currant. Surprisingly light for a cabernet sauvignon. None of the harsh tannins and very gentle cedar. “I just got a flavor that is so remarkable … but I don’t know what it is!” says my wife. Like good French cooking … you often can’t discern all of the individual ingredients. The chocolatey-ness drifts you along on the lovely finish. Just perfect with this lamb.

Other Wines That Pair Well with Lamb Chops and Tarragon:  Shiraz (Australia), Red Bordeaux (France), Merlot (Italy), Zinfandel (California)

Other Food That Pairs Well with Cabernet Sauvignon:  Beef (Grilled or Roasted), Venison, Game Birds, Roast Duck

View the Beautiful Margaret River Wine Region:  margaret river wine region

A Source:  www. klwines.com