Corned Beef and Crozes
When I was a kid, we didn’t really celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, despite the fact that I’m a quarter Irish and went to Catholic school. It just wasn’t really a thing. Fast forward to cough cough-odd years later, and every kid in town is trying to trap a leprechaun. I am never one to turn down an opportunity for celebrating with friends or for pulling out the arts-and-crafts box, so I had a few friends over for a St. Paddy’s Day potluck/leprachaun-trap-making dinner last week.
I knew my friend was bringing Corned Beef (here’s the recipe she used), so my wine pairing was the 2018 Ferraton Père et Fils "La Matinière" Crozes-Hermitage. I adore Northern Rhône wines—and a Crozes-Hermitage for $19.99 was an immediate draw! I asked Rhône Buyer Keith Mabry about it, and he said that we are the only retailers for this producer in California, and we’re able to get really close to winery prices. Not only is the pricing for this estate off the hook, but its pedigree is, too: they organically and biodynamically farm their vineyards, thanks to major investment and influence from Rhône giant Michel Chapoutier. For Matiniere, they source top-notch fruit. Critics reap praise and scores on their wines. I had to try one.
And it really delivered! A gorgeous, elegant wine with deep dark berry fruits, floral aromatics, and a touch of peppery spice. It punched way above its price point. The violet notes were the most intriguing for me—a perfect springtime wine with medium-to-full body on the palate and sleek tannins. It had enough of the Rhône unctiousness/bacon fat to stand up to the corned beef. It was truly delicious and made for the perfect accompaniment to our Irish feast.
Ferraton has holdings in Crozes, Hermitage, and St-Joseph, and produces a lineup of single-vineyard bottlings from those villages as well as Cornas and Condrieu. We have their 2018s in stock, but their 2019s are available on pre-arrival, and they should definitely be on your radar, too. 2019 was a powerful vintage resulting from a year of extremes that ultimately produced many exceptional wines. I’ve tasted through the lineup, and I can tell you that they live up to the promise of the vintage. You can find the Ferraton lineup here.
Alas, my children did not catch the leprechaun, and we are not a pot of gold richer—but luckily you don’t need a pot of gold to buy this wine!
