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An Easy Dinner with Anchoïade and Mas Cavalier de Lascaux #Winophiles


This weekend the French Winophiles are heading to Languedoc, formerly Coteaux du Languedoc. It's an appellation in France's Languedoc-Roussillon wine region and produces mostly red wines. I read that 75% of all Languedoc wines are red; and the remaining 25% of the wines are split evenly between whites and rosés.

The typical Languedoc red is medium-bodied and fruit-forward wine. And most of the time, the grape varietals used are Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre, sometimes with hints of Carignan or Cinsaut.


In My Glass...
The vineyards of Château de Lascaux have been in the family for thirteen generations. The name of the domaine, “Lascaux” comes from a limestone specific to the domaine’s vineyard sites. Jean-Benoît Cavalier took over management of the property in 1984. Over the course of the next decade, he consolidated the vineyards, restructured the ancient cellars, and created the official domaine, Château de Lascaux.

A quarter of a century later, the domaine has more than tripled its hectares of vineyards and is completely surrounded by three hundred hectares of forest, filled with deciduous oaks, evergreen pines, and garrigue. Those aromatics are reflected in the wines with notes of laurel, thyme, rosemary, and mint. There is an intriguing balance of freshness and finesse in the Lascaux wines.

I found this deeply hued wine approachable with subtle aromas of fruit with floral undertones. The same fruity richness bathes the palate to make this an easy-drinking Languedoc.


On My Plate...
For my pairing, I decided on a unique salad from Languedoc called anchoïade, a tomato and anchovy salad that is a celebration of land and sea.


I couldn't find the salt-packed anchovies that are traditionally in this salad. So, I used some sustainably fished anchovies packed in water. If I ever get my hands on the salt-packed ones, I'll definitely make this again.

Anchoïade (Tomato and Anchovy Salad)

Ingredients
  • 8 anchovy fillets
  • 1 to 2 large heirloom tomatoes, sliced into thin wedges
  • 2 large eggs, hard-boiled, shelled and halved
  • ¼ C extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 T white wine vinegar
  • 1 t Dijon mustard
  • ¼ C capers
  • freshly ground salt to taste
  • freshly ground pepper to taste


Procedure
Arrange the tomatoes on a platter. Drape the anchovy fillets over the tomatoes and sprinkle with capers. Add the eggs to the platter.

Make the vinaigrette by whisking together the olive oil, vinegar, and mustard. Drizzle the dressing over the tomatoes and anchovies. Sprinkle with salt and pepper

Comments

  1. Looks absolutely delicious! And look the imagery of this vineyard surrounded by forests.

    ReplyDelete
  2. As Nicole says, looks fabulous, and fairly simple- always good to have this type of plate tucked away! How was it with the wine?

    ReplyDelete
  3. I wasn't a fan of anchovies until I went to Spain a few years ago and had them fresh (mostly in tapas). I'm looking forward to trying this! How did it pair with the wine?

    ReplyDelete

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