Bastide de Beauvert 2007 Cotes du Rhone

I forgot there was steak in the fridge. I had spent all day parked on the futon outlining Criminal Law, and it occurred to me that dinner would eventually need to be eaten. Miraculously, I finished my outline right around dinner time, and decided to celebrate with a little red meat and red wine. I pounded out a top round steak, rubbed it with a black pepper/grain mustard blend, and roasted it in the oven with sweet potatoes, onions and asparagus. All of this went over egg noodles with butter and the Grana Padano cheese leftover from last weekend. Of course Caitlin joined me for dinner, and we opened a bottle of Cotes du Rhone I took a liking to at wine tasting a few weeks ago.

The wine was a $10 blend of 70% Grenache and 30% Syrah. I strategically selected it for the spice in the Syrah and the sweet balance the grenache contributes. While this wine is classified as a Cotes du Rhone, about 90% of the grapes actually come from a region known as Cotes du Rhone Villages Laudun. A small amount of wine from the actual Cotes du Rhone appelation is added, allowing the wine to take that name. The difference in the regions lies in the soil; the Villages Laudun area is mostly limestone, while the Cotes du Rhone is sandy. The less acidic limestone soil produces a softer aromatic wine than a traditional Cotes du Rhone.

I guess it's not really like opening a present if you already know what's inside. Whenever I open a bottle that I've brought home from wine tasting, I pretty much expect that nothing gross is going to come out of it. But I must say, I was quite proud of the food pairing. By itself, this French blend was fruity up front, with a light but flavorful body and tangy dry finish. With the buttered noodles and sweet potato, the wine's dry kick softened and the sweetness in the butter and potato emerged. All the sharp edges rounded and it was like someone coming home to her lover after a day off hustle and bustle. Nestling into the peppered mustard and red meat, the Cotes du Rhone unraveled and shed its tangy bite in favor of a sweet kiss. Corny? Yes. Delicious? Yes.