Are the Beaujolais '05's Ready Yet?

Don't know about you, but lately I've been feeling the 2005 Beaujolais itch. The other night I finally decided to scratch. Before I tell you about that, here are the only other 2005's that I drank in the past year:

--A bottle of Desvignes Morgon Javernières, "Upper Tier," $22, Louis/Dressner Selections way back in late January was a lot less closed than I expected, showing great depth of fruit and earth, and seemed to me that it would become something great in time.

--A bottle of Diochon Moulin-à-Vent Vieilles Vignes, $20, Imported by Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant back in late March was unresolved and lacking in clarity, almost muddy. I had this wine several years ago and it was great then, so I have to assume that we caught this one in a closed and weird phase.

Anyway, I'd been itching to check in on the 2005's. One day last weekend I put together a lunch that seemed right, and so into the "cellar" I dug.

2005 Michel Tête Juliénas Domaine du Clos du Fief "Cuvee Prestige," $23, Louis/Dressner Imports. I've probably had a half a case of this wine, but none in the past couple years. The last bottle I drank sometime in early 2008 was raspy and harsh, closed. This bottle was really great and although the wine clearly can continue to age (and probably improve), based on this bottle, I think the wine is ready. The fruit character is soft, without the vivid brightness of youth, but it is equally charming and delicious. Like stewed strawberries as opposed to freshly picked. On the nose there are subtle gamy and earthy notes. It is a soft and alluring nose, very fine. The wine shows very mineral on the palate, with a layer of iron upon which the meaty fruit rests. It is very well balanced and structured, although the tannins are much rounder and softer than they were a couple of years ago. Especially if you have multiple bottles, I think this is worth checking in on - it's drinking very well.

What was the lunch that inspired me finally to crack open another '05 (I have only a mixed half-case in total, you see)? Nothing at all complicated. A kale salad dressed with a very little bit of anchovy mashed into some olive oil and a bit of grated Parmesan cheese. And cauliflower sautéed in brown butter with caraway seeds. Thinking about the iron-y flavor of the kale made me think of Beaujolais - the mineral character of wines from Moulin-à-Vent, Fleurie, and Juliénas often reminds me of iron.

And so, what about you? Checked in on any of the 2005's recently? Any news to share?

Farm Fresh Pork Cutlets and Beaujolais Redux

One night a few weeks ago I forgot to put our leftover baguette in a plastic bag, and the next day discovered how delicious it is to make my own breadcrumbs. Literally, it is as easy as this: break the stale bread apart into chunks and plop them in the blender or food processor. I'll never buy breadcrumbs again, these are so much tastier. And stale bread has now become something to look forward to.

I've used my own breadcrumbs several times now, once to make meatballs, but mostly to make my 2 year old daughter one of her favorite things to eat - breaded and fried chicken thighs. The other night I decided that it was time to use homemade breadcrumbs to make dinner for BrooklynLady. I swapped a couple of Flying Pigs Farm pork cutlets for the chicken thighs. Pounded them tender and thin between two pieces of wax paper and put them in a mixture of milk and egg to soak. I seasoned the breadcrumbs with salt and pepper, grated Pecorino and Parmesan cheeses, and a large three-fingered pinch of dried oregano.

I went with broccoli rabe as a side dish. This very healthy bitter green smells and tastes much better if you very quickly submerge it in a pot of boiling water before cooking it. I then cooked it in good olive oil, coarsely chopped garlic, dried red chili flakes, and a splash of Nuoc Mam (Vietnamese Fish Sauce). I used to use anchovy fillets and melt them slowly into the hot olive oil, but I couldn't ever get them to fully melt, and this tastes just as good.

Mmmm, pork-a-licious.

What to drink with this meal? Many wines would work, but what I thought of was a young Barbaresco, like the 2004 Produttori del Barbaresco, or even better, the 2004 Paitin Barbaresco Sori Paitin that I had at a friend's house the other night and can't stop thinking about. Sadly, we were in possession of neither of those wines. Actually I do have a stash of the Produttori, but it's in offsite storage. So what else would work? I was about to open my last 2002 Domaine du Closel Savennières because I love that wine and I think it goes with basically any food. But in the end I decided to save that bottle, and arrived at what turned out to be a perfect pairing, as it always is...Beaujolais.

2006 Domaine Diochon Moulin-à-Vent Vieilles Vignes, $22, Kermit Lynch Imports. I thought I'd entirely missed out on this wine in 2006, but I found two stores in Brooklyn recently that carry it - Fermented Grapes on Vanderbilt Avenue, and Windsor Wine Shop on Prospect Park West. It's drinking beautifully right now, such a beautiful Beaujolais. Freshness and purity on the nose, showing raspberry coulis, herbs, and iron magnet-minerals. The palate still has some grip - this wine will most definitely improve with 3-5 in the cellar, but it is smooth and approachable now, and entirely delicious with ripe fruit and snappy acidity. I'll make a concerted effort to hold onto my remaining two bottles for a few years to let them develop, but I really cannot promise anything.

Want to know something funny? I was poking around some of my oldest posts the other day and I found something almost exactly like this one, only with store bought breadcrumbs and a far lesser Beaujolais. Things change, and stay exactly the same. So I guess you should check back in two years - maybe by then I will have some sort of new insights into pork cutlets and Beaujolais.