This month the French Winophiles are looking at the wines of Beaujolais and I am hosting. You can read my invitation.
This weekend, the group will be sharing articles with pairings for Beaujolais wines. We won't have a chat since I have two live events that weekend. But this is the French Winophiles Beaujolais line-up...
A Burgundian Approach to Beaujolais by Food Wine Click!
Oeufs en Meurette + Domaine Fagolet Morgon Le Janin 2020 by Culinary Cam (you're here)
Roasted Salmon with Beaujolais and Grape Coulis by A Day in the Life on the Farm
Thanksgiving Leftover Dishes with Beaujolais by Our Good Life
2016 Georges Dubœuf Domaine des Rosiers Gamay, Moulin-à -Vent, Beaujolais with… wait, how old? by Wine Predator...Gwendolyn Alley
On another note, Beaujolais Nouveau was released yesterday - the third Thursday of November - and I have three bottles coming. Stay tuned for my thoughts and pairings. I am looking to exploring the ebbs and flows of Beaujolais Nouveau's popularity.
Domaine Fagolet Morgon Le Janin 2020
Since I have already poured a Beaujolais Blanc and a Beaujolais Rosé, I wanted to focus on a red Beaujolais.
There are four main red wine categories from Beaujolais: Beaujolais Nouveau, Beaujolais, Beaujolais-Villages, and Beaujolais Cru. Though they all hail from the Beaujolais wine region, their origins and styles are markedly different.
Wines labeled Beaujolais are also very fruit-forward and made with grapes from the southern part of the region. Beaujolais-Villages is comprised of over three dozen permitted villages where wines are made with Gamay grapes from the northern part of the Beaujolais region. Finally Beaujolais Cru are considered the most complex of the red wines of Beaujolais and can only be grown in ten specific locales whose substrates are granite soils. The ten villages for Beaujolais Cru are Saint-Amour, Juliénas, Chénas, Moulin-à -Vent, Fleurie, Chiroubles, Morgon, Régnié, Côte de Brouilly, and Brouilly.
I found a Cru de Beaujolais from Morgon, the 2020 Domaine Fagolet Le Janin. Domaine Fagolet is located in the town of Vaux where the Girard family has been making wine since 1980.
This single varietal - 100% Gamay grapes - was harvested by hand from 70-year-old vines. In the glass the wine was a vibrant, rich garnet color. On the nose there were aromas of ripe red stone fruits such as cherries and plums. On the palate, this wine is bright and lively with generous fruit and firm tannins.
While this would have been a beautiful match with beef bourguignon or coq au vin, I opted for a slightly more simple dish.
Oeufs en Meurette
This classic Burgundian dish of poached eggs in rich, flavorful red wine sauce is a lot quicker and easier than beef bourguignon or coq au vin. My version is definitely not traditional, I skipped the bacon and the gelatin.
Ingredients
1-1/2 cups stock or broth (I used a beef bone broth)
4 cups mushrooms (I used a mixture of brown crimini and Hon-Shimeji mushrooms)
olive oil
salt and pepper
1 red onion, peeled and diced, approximately 1 cup
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup diced celery
3 to 4 cloves garlic, peeled and pressed
1 sprig fresh thyme plus more for garnish
1 sprig fresh rosemary
2 cups red wine
Also needed: eggs
Procedure
Add a splash of oil to a large pot. Once the pot is glistening, add the mushrooms. Stir until they are fully coated with oil. Leave them alone, without stirring, until the mushrooms are softened and some crisped. Remove the mushrooms from the pot and set aside.
Add another splash of oil to the same pot. Add in the onions, carrots, and celery. Cook until softened, approximately 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, then add in the mushrooms. Pour in the stock and red wine. Bring to a boil. Place the herb sprigs on top. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until the liquid is reduced by half. This took me approximately one hour.
Season to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon some of the vegetables into your individual serving dishes, leaving as much of the liquid as you can. Poach the eggs in the liquid.
Slide poached eggs into the serving dishes and spoon thickened sauce around the eggs.Sprinkle with fresh thyme and serve right away.
That's a wrap on my November #Winophiles offering. The group will be back next month, looking at French bubbly. I am not sure who is hosting, but I can't wait. Bubbles are perfect for every holiday celebration. Stay tuned!