Los Vascos 2013 Sauvignon Blanc with Rack of Lamb

Los Vascos Wines of Chile by Lafite.

What? Lamb with white wine? Yes, yes, yes! Discover the wonderful aspect of pairing lamb with a crisp white wine. Savor how the wine slices through the flavors of the lamb - enjoy lamb, enjoy wine, repeat. You do need a suitable wine, recipe and cut of lamb to pull this off. The Los Vascos Sauvignon Blanc does, plus I've included the recipe below.

Los Vascos 2013 Sauvignon Blanc

My first exposure to Los Vascos wines was two years ago when I enjoyed their 2009 Grand Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. This month I have had the pleasure of enjoying some of the other wines produced at the Viña Los Vascos Estate in Chile. The Los Vascos wines are distributed widely around the world. They are producing some tasty wines in Chile and I will be reviewing more of their wines soon.

Tasting Notes 2013 Los Vascos Sauvignon Blanc:

Color: Pale gold/silver with green highlights.

Nose: Super tropical, mango, kiwi, lemon, coconut party!
Palate: Lemon, smooth, melon, coconut, acid shaped around gums, gentle on tongue, full in the mouth, clean finish with mango and kiwi hanging out. Not an acid monster, friendly tart with that tropical finish. Thinking ceviche, fish tacos, coconut shrimp and steamed Dungeness crab.

Day Two: Mineral and citrus with coconut nose, gobs of crisp grapefruit with Meyer lemon. It cut through the lamb and fat of the rack of lamb. It was an amazing palate cleanser and flavorful compliment to dinner. Friendly tingle on the gums. Expressive wine on day two. Big like and recommended. Drink now.

Thoughts: A classic Sauvignon Blanc. Reminded me of a restrained Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc on day one. More my speed on day two and wonderful with the lamb. Start drinking this wine now and over the next couple of years. Searched online for pricing information, you should be happy when you find this wine. Well done.

Blend: 100% Sauvignon Blanc

ABV: 13%

Closure: Screw cap
Production: 25,000 cases average
Sample provided by Pasternak Wine Imports

Rack of Lamb Recipe - Greek Style:

Influenced by summers with my Greek step-grandfather, I enjoy the flavors identified with the Mediterranean isles. When I think lamb, I think of garlic, oregano, lemon juice and white wine. This lamb recipe hits all my buttons.

Marinated rack of lamb.

1. Marinade: I prepared the rack of lamb with a wet rub of oregano, salt, honey mustard, diced garlic, lemon juice and olive oil. The lamb marinated the in the fridge for four hours. An hour before cooking I removed the lamb from the fridge and allowed it to sit at room temperature. There are no precise measurements for the marinade, I like all of the ingredients, so I season to taste.
Note: If you are in a rush you can cut the marinade time to 2 hours at room temperature.

Browned rack of lamb.

2. Sear: Seared both sides of the lamb on the stove top at medium+ heat. This will give the lamb a nice crust, cook off some of the fat and leave nice browned bits on the pan for making the reduction sauce later. Five to seven minutes per side.

Cover exposed bones with foil.

3. Cook: I use the same pan for searing and cooking. You can adjust cooking time to your preference, I like my lamb cooked. Pre-heated oven to 350 F and cooked lamb for an hour (turning over half way through). Cover the exposed bones with foil to protect them from burning in the oven.

Cooked rack of lamb.

4. Rest: Moved lamb to a separate plate and let it rest covered in foil on the counter. 

Poured wine in pan to make reduction sauce.

Reduction sauce finished.

5. Reduction Sauce: Sauce...not only does the reduction sauce add a wonderful flavor component to your dish, it also helps to clean the pan you cooked in. You want this. The pan was placed back on the stove, heat set to medium, carefully poured some of the wine into the pan and used a fork to scrape off the brown bits in the pan. Cooked off the alcohol and was left with a delicious brown sauce. Reduce heat to low while finishing lamb under broiler.

Plated lamb after broiling.

6. Slice and Broil: Set oven to broil and slice chops in pairs. Brush olive oil on chops to keep them from drying out. There may be enough drippings from the plate the lamb was resting on to use instead of oil. Finish under the broiler before serving, about seven minutes.

Dinner is served.

7. Plate and serve. Yum, and yum. Plated with baked potatoes and used a strainer to screen out the sauce, kept bigger bits out of the meal. The lamb with glorious reduction sauce paired well with the Los Vascos wine. This meal disappeared fast. Let me know if you try out this recipe and wine pairing. Enjoy.

Viña Los Vascos

Camino Pumanque KM 5
Peralillo
VI Region
CHILE
Tel : +56 72 350900
Fax : +56 72 350967
losvascos@losvascos.cl

DOMAINES BARONS DE ROTHSCHILD-LAFITE took over the Los Vascos estate (Los Vascos meaning The Basques, in honour of its Basque origins) in 1988. Los Vascos is one of Chiles oldest wine estates. Yes, on the label is the Rothschild logo, the five arrows symbolizing the five sons of original patriarch Mayer Rothschild.

“I could not resist being a pioneer in Chile and giving a challenge to my team. We chose the place for its unique location and land” 

- Baron Eric de Rothschild

The largest vineyard in the central Colchagua valley, at the foot of Mount Cañeten. The 640 hectares under vine are planted with Cabernet Sauvignon (85%) Carménère (5%), Syrah (4%), Malbec (1%) and Chardonnay (5%). Given that there was major replanting at the beginning of the 1990s, the vineyard is divided between a group of 15-year old plots and another group of 40 to 50-year old plots. The oldest grapevines are 70 years old. The Sauvignon Blanc and some of the Los Vascos Chardonnay comes from vineyards under long-term contracts in the cooler regions of the Pacific coast (Casablanca and Leyda) or the foothills of the Andes (Colchagua Andes).

Cheers!