As the English say. In short: matching food and wine!
You have a fine bottle of Mille Roses on the table and that little question that always comes back: what do I put alongside it so as not to spoil it? That is exactly where it all plays out. Not in theory, on the plate. Because a great wine badly matched is a waste, and a dish with character without the right wine is frustrating.
So let us forget the textbook rules for two minutes. I am going to tell you what I actually do, at home, when we open a bottle.
Balance, not perfection
We are looking for balance between the flavours of a dish and those of our Mille Roses. That is all. Our Médoc reds, our Margaux and our two Haut-Médocs (Mille Roses and L'Enfant), need to be well accompanied… or the other way round!
And that is where many go wrong: you do not serve a Haut-Médoc the way you serve a Margaux. These are two opposite logics.
What is the difference in pairing between a Haut-Médoc and a Margaux?
The Mille Roses Haut-Médoc is a wine of structure: assertive tannins, fine concentration, black fruit aromas (blackcurrant, blackberry), spicy and oaky notes from the ageing, real cellaring ability. It calls for dishes with character that can answer its power.
The Mille Roses Margaux plays on finesse: more floral (violet, rose), ripe red fruits, a silky texture, and a freshness (acidity, though that is a less pretty way of putting it!) that creates tension. With this one, you respect the delicacy instead of overwhelming the dish.
Remember that and you already have 80% of the work done.
The three-question reflex (before opening the bottle)
In practice, before deciding on a pairing, I always ask myself three questions in this order:
- The weight of the dish. Is it powerful (game in sauce) or delicate (poultry)? That points towards the Haut-Médoc or the Margaux.
- The texture. Is there fat, marbling, tannins to soften? Protein and fat soften the wine's tannins.
- The age of the bottle. A young vintage still showing its power is not served like a bottle of a few years that has started to develop.
This grid works across the whole meal. Let us run through it, course by course.
Can you serve a Médoc with the starter? Yes.
People always think a Médoc is "for meat". Not true. With our two Haut-Médocs, though rather with a recent vintage:
- country terrine
- pâté en croûte
- a plate of artisan charcuterie
The fruity notes balance the fat of the charcuterie, and the tannins bring structure to the tasting.
For the Margaux, we move to more delicate starters:
- a salad of confit gizzards
- pan-fried mushrooms
- a thin cep tart
Here it is the floral and spicy notes of the wine that converse with the woodland flavours.
What pairs with red meat?
The most classic match with our wines. And the most obvious, for good reason.
I can immediately taste the marbling of the beef from my butcher and friend Éric Larrazet, in Arsac, where we grow our Margaux vines. What a selection he has, by the way! A well-aged rib steak from his cold room, or the fattened beef he goes to fetch in Bazas every year at the start of the year… Huge.
A Château Mille Roses Haut-Médoc goes just as well with:
- a grilled rib of beef
- an entrecôte bordelaise
- a roast fillet of beef
The protein in the meat softens the tannins, and the aromatic power of each balances out naturally. Cooking the meat rare preserves the best of that pairing.
Game? Excellent choice, and there, bring out the bottles with a few years on them:
- a wild boar stew
- venison in sauce
- a roast duck breast
Our Margaux, for its part, goes admirably with:
- a fillet of beef with morels
- a rack of lamb roasted with herbs
- a lightly pink duck breast
The finesse of the wine respects the delicacy of the meat, while bringing depth and length on the palate.
Poultry and slow-cooked dishes: the Haut-Médoc's playground
At Mille Roses we love that too. The Haut-Médoc in particular with:
- roast guinea fowl
- roast pigeon
- free-range chicken with mushrooms
And with slow-cooked dishes, where long cooking develops deep flavours that answer the structure of the wine:
- a boeuf bourguignon
- braised beef cheek
- a navarin of lamb
For the Margaux, everything above works, and you can add slightly bolder flavours for an original match:
- veal with mushrooms
- a reworked blanquette
The advice I always give: dishes can be lightly spiced, particularly with young vintages of our Margaux. It has the build not to be wiped out!
Cheese: careful, minefield ahead
Everyone repeats "red wine and cheese". That is largely a mistake. Here is where I tread, and where I do not.
The Haut-Médoc, rather with a wine that has some age, works with:
- aged Comté
- Beaufort
- Gruyère
- mountain tommes
- some aged sheep's cheeses
Their complex, slightly nutty flavours go with the wine's developed notes. That said, let us be honest: with cheese I generally prefer a white wine.
For a Margaux, avoid cheeses that are too powerful and would crush its finesse. Stay with:
- a Saint-Nectaire
- a medium-aged Cantal
- a truffled Brie
And here I will allow myself to be categorical: I strongly advise against blue cheeses, camemberts and soft cheeses in general. Unless you like a bitter taste!
And for dessert?
Let us be frank: our wines are less made for the end of the meal. That said, chocolate can sometimes find its place. And if you have a few bottles left… treat yourself.
With an older-vintage Haut-Médoc, still showing its power:
- an intense dark chocolate mousse
- a fondant with a high cocoa content
The roasted and spicy notes of the wine then find an echo in the aromas of the chocolate.
For a Margaux, add desserts made with red fruits and little sugar:
- a raspberry tart
- a cherry tart
Now it is your turn
Do not go looking for the "perfect" match: tonight, just ask yourself the three questions, what weight, what texture, what age of bottle? The rest follows on its own. And do not be afraid to try a spiced starter or main course: a good Médoc has the shoulders for it.
Enjoy your meal and happy tasting!
Oh, one more thing! I was forgetting… Sipping a still-young Mille Roses after the meal, of an evening as the old folk say: I have always found that rather lovely.
