With the rerelease of our 2013 Schoolhouse Block as part of our cellar aged program, cellar door manager Phil finds the ultimate veal dish to match.
There’s always something fun about being able to bring back a wine into the cellar door once it starts to show some signs of maturity. When 90% of bottles of wine bought in Australia are drunk on the very night they are bought, it’s encouraging to know that we’ve done the hard yards in maturing the wine and can offer it to you, our loyal customers, just when it’s starting to get interesting.
Schoolhouse, for us, is one of the two wines that really epitomise our winemaking philosophy (see: The Crus of Glenguin). Very high quality fruit from the Schoolhouse Block (in some years, the highest quality), then put to rest in French oak from very particular cooperages in Burgundy for at least 12 months and finally bottle aged at Glenguin for four years, the Cellar Aged 2013 Schoolhouse Block Shiraz is only just starting to realise its potential.
It starts with a deep ruby colour and aromas of smoky bacon fat, at once savoury and sweet, with hints of red and black fruits that still persist five years on. The mouthfeel is generous – soft, dusty tannins, lashings of dark fruits with just a hint of dark chocolate for good measure. Add to that a somky, charred wood character from the 25% new oak and you get a complete wine that has all the hallmarks of classic Hunter River Burgundy of years past.
All in all a delicious ensemble where youthful flavours persist and mature characters start to make their presence known. Gorgeous now, but if you have the patience the next 5 to 10 years won’t be unkind.
So it’s only fitting that a wine of such character and complexity deserves a meal to match. Red wine and red meat is a classic, but when the meat is a rack of veal, with garlic and thyme and a red wine jus it becomes heavenly.
Ingredients
- 1kg rack of veal ribs (enough for 2-3 people)
- 1 garlic clove, finely diced
- Handful of thyme, leaves removed
- olive oil
- salt
- pepper
Red Wine Jus
- 150ml good quality beef or vegetable stock (beef stock will make a richer sauce)
- 200ml red wine (where possible, always cook with the wine you’re drinking)
- 1 French shallot, finely diced
- 50 grams of buter, cubed
- salt & pepper to taste
Method
Preheat oven to 190 degrees celsius
Place the garlic, thyme leaves, olive oil and a good pinch of salt and pepper into a bowl and mix to combine. Spread over the veal rack and massage mixture into the meat, ensuring an even covering.
Place rack into an oven tray, roast for 20 minutes per 500gms of meat. Veal will be medium rare when internal temperature reaches 45 degrees celsius.
Once cooked, remove from oven, cover with foil and rest for at least thirty minutes.
Heat a small saucepan or small frying pan on a medium heat and melt a couple of cubes of butter.
Sauté the shallots until translucent, then add half of the stock and half the red wine.
Reduce by one half, then add the remaining stock and wine. Reduce by half again, until it has reached a consistency of a medium-thick sauce
Once reduced, gently whisk in remaining butter, one cube at a time.
Add salt and pepper to taste, set aside and keep warm.
Carve the veal into portions, plate and drizzle the red wine jus over the meat. Serve with steamed greens and carrot glazed with butter.
Our Cellar Aged 2013 Schoolhouse Block Shiraz can be purchased via our online cellar door
