Roasted Cauliflower and Crispy Crimini Soft Tacos + 2020 Columbia Valley L'Ecole Merlot #WinePW

This month I am hosting the Wine Pairing Weekend writers for a scaled back, and even non-sponsored, focus on Merlot. But I couldn't resist reaching out to one of my favorite wineries and was grateful that L'Ecole agreed to send several of the #WinePW a bottle of their Merlot.

We will be gathering on X (formerly Twitter) at 8am on Saturday, October 14th. Follow the hashtag #WinePW and be sure to add it to anything you post so we can see it.

Here's the line-up from the Wine Pairing Weekend crew...

• American Merlot Meets Kashmiri Food by Keep the Peas

• A Redwoods Ride, a Merlot from Santa Cruz, and Pacific Cod Soft Tacos by Culinary Cam

• Bottom Round Roast with Mushrooms and Merlot by Cooking Chat

• Celebrating our Homecoming with L’Ecole Merlot by A Day in the Life on the Farm

• Magical Merlot Moments by Avvinare

• Marvelous, Magnificent, Merlot by Side Hustle Wino

• Merlot and the Common French Fry: Just Do It! by Our Good Life

• Pairing Merlot while the kitchen is out of service by My Full Wine Glass

• Unveiling the Flavors: Blueberry Tart and L'Ecole Merlot by Exploring the Wine Glass

• Vegetarian Italian Fall Fare: Squash Focaccia Wins With Ettore’s Organic Mendocino Merlot by Wine Predator...Gwendolyn Alley

A L'Ecole Ambassador

I have long been a fan of L'Ecole. During 2021 I participated in an ambassador program to learn more about the winery and create pairing with curated shipments from the winery. It was a fun year-long collaboration.

In May 2021 I shared Mid-Week Feasting: Pork Carnitas Tacos with Mango Salsa + 2020 L'Ecole Chenin Blanc Old Vines while June 2021 had me Welcoming Summer with L'Ecole's 2020 Grenache Rosé with Butter Chicken + Homemade Naan with Egyptian Onions. The following month, I paired A Sandwich Mission and a Summer Picnic with L'Ecole's 2020 Walla Walla Valley Luminesce.

2020 Columbia Valley L'Ecole Merlot

For this event, I received a bottle of the 2020 Columbia Valley L'Ecole Merlot. Sourced from Estate Seven Hills, Pepper Bridge, Dionysus, Stone Tree, Estate Ferguson, Summit View, this Merlot is comprised of 82% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc, 2% Malbec, and 1% Petit Verdot. All the grapes were hand-harvested, fermented in stainless steel, and aged in small oak barrels.

The Cab Franc adds a lovely floral note to the otherwise meaty wine. The wine pours an inky crimson with a paler golden rim. On the nose, I jotted down black fruits, tobacco, chocolate, coffee plus violet from the Cab Franc. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied with generous, lovely fruit. But there are woody, earthy notes - think cedar or redwood duff - that make this an intriguing pour.

Roasted Cauliflower and Crispy Crimini Soft Tacos

Clearly I like tacos with Merlot. Ha! I have already shared A Redwoods Ride, a Merlot from Santa Cruz, and Pacific Cod Soft Tacos. To go with the L'Ecole, I made Roasted Cauliflower and Crispy Crimini Soft Tacos on a meatless Monday. Even better: the only cooking involved a sheetpan and the oven. Super simple.

Ingredients

serves 2

• 1 head of cauliflower, trimmed into bite-sized florets

• 2 cups sliced crimini

• 2 Tablespoons olive oil

• 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning

• salt and pepper

• freshly squeezed lemon or lime juice

For Serving

• tortillas (we used street taco sized flour tortillas)

• cotija, crumbled

• salsa

• guacamole

• fresh cilantro

• crema Mexicana

Procedure

Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Place cauliflower in a large mixing bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and add in Cajun seasoning, salt, and pepper. Toss to coat. Turn cauliflower out onto a large, parchment-lined or silicone-lined baking sheet. Drizzle with citrus juice. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes.

Remove pan from the oven and scatter sliced mushrooms over the cauliflower. Stir to coat the mushrooms with oil and seasonings on the cauliflower. Return the pan to the oven and roast for another 15 minutes.

For Serving

Let everyone assemble their own tacos...with the cauliflower, mushrooms, cotija, salsa, guacamole, crema Mexicana, and cilantro.

Stay tuned for more Merlot pairings this weekend. Cheers! And the Wine Pairing Weekend group will be back next month. Andrea of The Quirky Cork has levied the prompt of heritage or traditional varieties.