The Black Wine of Lot

A Wine Fairytale for Halloween + Roman Style Lamb Braised Lamb

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Once upon a time, in the southwest of France, there was a wine called Cot. Cot’s grapes, large, dark skinned berries in loose bunches, grew throughout the region, making their way into the storied houses of Bordeaux and as far north as the Loire Valley. But its home, where it grew to its truest self, was along the River Lot in the village of Cahors. It was here the vines produced wine so intense and dark, that the English merchants, who bought this wine by the boatload, would call it “the black wine of Lot”.

With its inky color, robust tannins, and rich, fruity flavors, Cot could be found in courts and palaces across Medieval Europe from the sacramental wine of Pope John XXII to the table of Tsar Peter the Great.

War and weather in the 19^th century changed the fate of Cot in Europe forever. After a few bad seasons in Bordeaux where Cot refused to ripen, winemakers turned away from this once indispensable grape, planting instead, Merlot and Cabernet. Meanwhile a naval blockade during the Napoleonic wars forced winemakers to switch from Baltic to French oak barrels, which did not take as well to Cot. Perhaps the final blow to Cot was the phylloxera blight and a catastrophic frost in 1956 that shrunk the acreage of the varietal to near obscurity.

And yet, there is a good chance, dear reader, that you have met this wine, Cot, before. For while blight and war and frost were ravaging vines in Europe, cuttings were spirited away across the ocean to Argentina, first planted by the French agricultural engineer, Michel Pouget in 1868. In the high-altitude vineyards of Mendoza, berries were smaller and clusters tighter. In the New World, this black wine found expressions that ranged from fruity and easy-drinking, to robust and sophisticated. In fact, you might have had this Argentine Cot by the glass at a wine bar (as I did in San Diego just last week) or served at home alongside a grilled steak - for Cot, by another name, is Malbec.

If you come across Cot from Cahors, I urge you to pick up a bottle. One of the best producers, Chateau du Cedre, can be found on Wine.com and from a variety of online shops. In fact, as a testament to what the popularity of Argentinian Malbec has done for the grape, most French producers now list Malbec on their labels. If tasting a Cahors with a few years of bottle age (you want to give these tannins some time to mellow) be sure to decant or open a couple of hours before drinking. Just for fun, try it alongside an Argentinian Malbec (Catena is a great producer, widely available, and well-priced) and consider how you are having the wine of popes and kings, near dead, brought back to life, all it needed was the kiss of Argentina.

Whether you are trick-or-treating with the kids, or just trying to get a nice base of solid food in them before the sugar rush, a braised lamb dish is just the thing. This recipe can be made even a couple of days before, and reheated before you head out. Our family is dressing as all the characters in Peter in the Wolf this year, the idea of our three-year-old who loves the David Bowie narrated Disney version (watch it here). I’m sticking to the theme with this Hunter Style Lamb, also the perfect pairing for a red wine so dark it was once called black.

Recipe

Roman or Hunter Style Lamb

Adding mushrooms is not traditional. You can skip it if you prefer but I like to add them here both to stretch out the dish to feed more people (good lamb is expensive) and because the mushrooms add a nice extra level of flavor. Depending on the size of the lamb shoulder you find, this can serve 4 – 6 people.

• ¼ cup olive oil

• 2 – 3 lb. boneless lamb shoulder, cut into 2 inch pieces roughly the same size

• Salt

• Pepper

• 4 garlic cloves, minced

• 2 T. minced rosemary

• 4 anchovy fillets, rinsed

• ¼ tsp. red pepper flakes (optional)

• ¼ cup red wine vinegar

• 1 cup dry white wine

• 8 oz. cremini mushrooms, large ones cut in half

Heat olive oil in a large heavy bottomed pot (like a Le Creuset) over medium high heat. Season lamb pieces generously with salt and pepper. Working in two or three batches, brown meat on all sides. Remove to a plate to rest while browning the remaining meat.

Once all meat is browned, drain off excess oil in the pan leaving about 2 T. Reduce heat to medium. Add garlic, rosemary, anchovies and optional red pepper flakes. Stir for 2 minutes to break up anchovies and soften garlic. Add red wine vinegar and bring to a simmer, reducing the liquid until thick.

At this point add the meat and its juices back to the pan. Stir to coat with the garlic mixture. Add white wine and increase heat to a boil, then reduce heat low, cover with a lid and let slowly simmer for 1 hour. Stir occasionally.

After one hour stir in mushrooms. Check liquid and add ½ cup water if it is getting too low. Cook for another 30 minutes until meat is tender and mushrooms are cooked. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary with more salt and pepper.

Serve over polenta, with cooked egg noodles, or in a bowl with crusty bread to mop up the juices. A nice sprinkle of parsley would finish the dish off well.