'M' is for Mourvèdre with Maple-Glazed Duck Legs #WinePW

This month, the Wine Pairing Weekend group is focusing on wines with the letter 'm'. You can read host Lori's invitation: here. But she gave us lots of latitude. We could pick a wine varietal that began with that letter, a vineyard whose name begins with 'm', or even a wine region whose name is M---.

The Other Ms

• Jeff of FoodWineClick! will be discussing 'M' is for Marselan. 
• Jill of L'OCCASION explains MontereyWines For Summertime. 
• Camilla of Culinary Adventures with Camilla enjoyed M is for Mourvèdre with Maple-Glazed Duck Legs.
• Cindy of Grape Experiences enjoyed an evening Wine and Dine: La Mora Favorites with Margherita Flatbread. 
• Lauren of The Swirling Dervish is chatting about Dry Muscat from Málaga and Pork Paella. 
• David of Cooking Chat enjoyed Asiago Lemon Spaghetti with Malagousia Wine from Greece. 
• Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm celebrated In the Merry, Merry Month of May I Met Magistrate Merlot. 
• Gwendolyn of Wine Predator decided M is for Malbec: 8 Wines, 4 Countries, 3 Continents Paired with Empanadas.
• Nicole on Somm's Table is Cookingto the Wine: Recanati Marawi with Black Cod and Papaya-Cucumber Salad. 
• Lisa, The Wine Chef, paired Roast Chicken With Moorooduc Estate Pinot Noir From The Mornington Peninsula - The Best Australian Wine Region You've Never Heard Of.
• DracaenaWines will be posting #WinePW Meets #Winephabet Street; M is for Moscatel.

Mourvèdre Stands Alone, Too

Mourvèdre is primarily a blending grape - it's the 'M' in GSM blends - but is increasingly being bottled on its own. And it's one that has definitely caught my eye...and my tongue. It's plush. Well, this one is. I might need to track down a few more bottles. Just to be sure. But I love this winemaker, his wines, and - truth be told - I was out of time to find any wines to truly compare. Next time...

The grape goes by a few different names worldwide. The grape we know as Mourvèdre goes by the name Monastrell in Spain and Mataro in Australia.  

Winemaker Ian Brand shared that the vines were planted in the 1920s on a north-facing slope with bud wood sourced from the original 1860s planting in the Lime Kiln Valley. The wine was fermented with native yeasts.

Luscious. That's the first word that came to mind when I stuck my nose in the glass. There are hints of berries with a contrast of pepper and sage. This Mourvèdre is richly structured with nuances of floral chaos. Don't get me wrong, I like chaos...I just mean that I couldn't decide - in identifying a floral note - between rose or violet. It definitely has a personality. I thought it would hold up nicely against a robust roasted meat. And it did.

Maple-Glazed Duck Legs

Ingredients

• 4 duck legs 
• 3 large onions, peeled and largely cubed
• 1 t freshly ground salt
• 1 t freshly ground pepper
• 1 t minced garlic
• 1 C chicken stock, preferably homemade
• 1 C white wine
• 4 T maple syrup

Procedure

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a large skillet, place duck legs, skin side down. Turn heat to medium.

Cook for 6 to 7 minutes until the fat is rendered and the skin golden and crisped. Flip to the other side and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes. Remove duck to a plate and place the onions in the rendered duck fat.

Lay the browned duck pieces on top. Sprinkled with salt, pepper, and garlic. Pour in the chicken stock and wine. Cover and roast for 90 minutes.

Remove the cover and raise the temperature of the oven to 450 degrees. Spoon 1 T of maple syrup onto each leg. Spread the syrup over the entire surface. Return to the oven for 10 to 15 minutes - until the duck is browned and the skin crisp.

This was a lovely Friday evening meal.

I served it with mashed potatoes and salad with radishes, tomatoes, and strawberries dressed with a bleu cheese dressing.

Yum and happy weekend. Stay tuned as the Wine Pairing Group looks at Australian wines with Gwen from Wine Predator next month. In fact, she's already posted her invitation, if you want to get ready.