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It is Merlot March! To help you celebrate we are offering a 10% discount on all bottles of Merlot for the entire month! We also have an exciting recipe for you to pair with your take home bottle of Merlot.

Cherry Compote Crostini

Ingredients:

12 slices of sweet French bread baguette

olive oil

1 cup dried cherries

1 cup La Grange Merlot

sugar to taste

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a heavy bottomed saucepot simmer red wine and cherries on a low flame for about 20 minutes or until the wine has been absorbed into the cherries and they have plumped up nicely. Let cool, cover and refrigerate. Place the bread slices on a cookie sheet. Brush the slices with olive oil and bake for about 12 minutes, or until lightly golden. Spread or dip the cherry compote with the bread!

On July 16th, 1861 the Battle of First Manassas occurred just a few short miles away from the estate at La Grange. 150 years after this historic battle The Winery at La Grange paid homage to that battle and the Civil War with our Generals Battlefield Red. Initially aged in barrels partially made from fallen oak trees on the Manassas Battlefield this blend and its unique shaped bottle have become a favorite at La Grange.

Now on our fifth bottling (and no longer aged in oak barrels from the battlefield) this wine is still as delicious as ever with aromas of black cherry, violets and smoky oak followed by plum, wild dark fruits and smooth tannins make this a fantastic wine to pair with the beef wellington recipe listed below.

Since 2016 is the 155th anniversary of the Battle of First Manassas we have increased our wine of the month discount on this bottle to 15.5%! Be sure to stop by all month long to have a taste of history!

Beef Wellington

Ingredients:

• One 11×17 inch sheet of frozen puff pastry; defrosted
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 large shallot, chopped
• 1/2 pound button mushrooms, destemmed and finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped; or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• Coarse salt & fresh ground pepper
• 1/4 cup dry sherry
• 4 filet mignon steaks, cut 1 inch think
• 8 ounces mousse pate
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place the pastry on the counter to take the chill off.
2. Heat a small skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of oil and the butter, then add the shallot, mushrooms and thyme. Cook for 4-5 minutes then season with salt and pepper. Add the sherry, cook off the liquid until dry. Remove from heat.
3. Heat a large non-stick skillet over high heat. Drizzle oil over the meat to lightly coat it on both sides. Place the meat in the hot skillet and sear to caramelize. Remove the meat after 4 minutes and let it cool completely.
4. Cut the pate evenly into four, flat 2 ounce portions. Cover a baking sheet with parchement paper. Open the puff pastry dough on the parchment paper. Quarter the dough with a sharp knife. On 1 rectangle, mound one-fourth of the cooked mushrooms. Top the mushrooms with a portion of pate and the beef. Brush the edges of the dough with the egg wash. Wrap the dough up and over the meat, sealing it with egg wash and tucking in the ends as you would a wrapped present. Repeat and arrange the Wellingtons on the baking sheet. Bake until golden, 12-15 minutes.

Our light bodied Classic Cabernet Franc is the perfect red wine for a warm June evening! Styled after the Cab Franc’s of the Loire Valley with silky tannins and soft acidity. Delicate cherry and plum mingle with smoky oak on the palate for a delightful experience. Pairing this the Peppercorn Crusted Salmon will leave your taste buds craving more!

Take an additional 10% off of bottle purchases of our Classic Cab Franc all month long while enjoying sunsets over the vineyard that is now full of growth!

Peppercorn-Crusted Salmon

Ingridients:

• 4-6oz portions salmon
• Vegetable oil
• ¼ cup cracked mixed peppercorns, crushed
• Cabernet Franc-Blackberry Sauce, recipe follows

Instructions:

Rub the salmon with the vegetable oil and then coat with the peppercorns. Heat a saute pan over high heat and add enough oil to lightly coat the bottom of the pan. Add the salmon and cook about 2-3 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of the salmon it may be necessary to finish in a 350° oven for up to 5 minutes. Remove from the pan and serve with the blackberry sauce.

Cabernet Franc-Blackberry Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 2 Tbsp minced shallots
• 1½ cup La Grange Classic Cabernet Franc
• ½ cup blackberry vinegar
• 1 cup blackberries, plus a few extra for garnish
• 1 cup veal stock
• 6 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature, cubed
• 1 tsp salt
• ¼ tsp pepper

Instructions:

Heat the olive oil and butter in a small saucepan; add shallots and saute 2-3 minutes. Deglaze with the Cabernet Franc and vinegar. Bring to a boil and reduce until almost dry. Add the blackberries and veal stock; reduce again by half.

Strain sauce and pour back into the pan. Bring sauce back to a boil over high heat; reduce heat to low and whisk the butter in a piece at a time. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with a few fresh blackberries.

May is a time for joyous celebration and perfect weather which makes it the best month of the year to enjoy our Pinot Gris! This French style wine is light bodied yet has beautiful ripe tropical fruit notes and bright acidity on the finish. We have chosen to pair this wine with a slightly spicy dish to accent those delightful tropical fruit flavors in the wine.

Come visit us all month long to enjoy the view of the vineyard and amazing weather while receiving an additional 10% discount off of bottles of our amazing Pinot Gris!

Thai Green Chicken Curry

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1-2 tbsp Thai green curry paste
• 1 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 lb chicken thighs, cut
• 3 1/2 oz green beans, cut
• 6 kaffir lime leaves, shredded
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• 1 tsp lime rind, grated
• 2 tsp brown sugar
• 1/2 cup cilantro

Directions:

Heat oil in wok, add onion and curry paste and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add the combined cocunut milk and water then bring to a boil.

Add chicken, beans and kaffir leaves and stir to combine. Simmer 15-20 minutes or until chicken is tender.

Stir in fish sauce, lime juice rind and brown sugar unntil well mixed. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve with steamed rice.

We are doing our best to help Spring arrive early this year! To that end our March wine of the month is our 2014 Provence style Rose. Provence is a region in France that produces primarily dry Rose wine. Located in the South East of France it has very demanding grape growing conditions that produce quick ripening wines with bright acidity. To that affect we have paired our 2014 Rose with a baby lettuce, feta, strawberries and almonds salad.

You’ll find watermelon, white flower petal, green apple and a hint of tangerine in the finish of this Rose. To make sure that you have plenty of Rose to pair with this amazing recipe we are giving an extra 10% off of bottles of Rose for the entire month of March!

Baby lettuces, Feta, Strawberries and Almonds Salad

Ingredients:

• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1 small shallot, minced
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar, preferably Banyuls
• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• 12 cups packed assorted baby lettuces (about 6 ounces)
• 1 quart strawberries, hulled—small berries halved, large ones quartered
• 4 ounces feta (preferably French), crumbled (1 cup)
• 1 cup smoked almonds, chopped

Instructions: 

In a small bowl, stir together the mustard, honey, shallot and vinegar. Stir in the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Put the lettuces in a large bowl. Add the strawberries, feta and almonds. Drizzle the dressing over the salad, toss well and serve with our delicious 2014 Rose! 

With the massive snow storm that we just experienced here at La Grange we decided that we needed a big, bold red paired with a nice hearty meal to keep us warm throughout February. In addition to this recipe pairing we are offering an additional 10% discount off of bottles of Norton on February 10th!

February’s Wine of the Month is our 2014 Norton. This wine is true to its North American heritage with big, bold foxy grape flavor supported by hints of black raspberry and cranberry on the palate. All of those fruit flavors pair wonderfully with this recipe and this pairing is sure to keep you warm!

Prime Rib & Oven-Roasted Potatoes with Bay Leaves and Sage

Ingredients:

• 15 dried bay leaves, crumbled, plus whole leaves for garnish
• 1/3 cup coarsley chopped fresh sage leaves
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• Coarse salt
• 1/3 cup finely grated orange zest
• Freshly ground pepper
• 1 (about 7 pounds) three-rib prime rib of beef, trimmed and frenched
• 3 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and halved lengthwise

Instructions:

Stir together bay leaves, sage, oil, 1-1/2 teaspoons salt, and the orange zest in a small bowl. Season with pepper. Rub herb mixture on the roast. Refrigerate roast, covered, overnight.

Put potatoes in a large pot of water. Bring to a boil; add salt. Cook 5 minutes. Drain. Score lines lengthwise in potatoes using the tines of a fork.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Transfer roast, fat side up, to a metal roasting pan; let stand until it comes to room temperature. Roast 15 minutes. Add potatoes; roast 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees. Roast, turning potatoes after 30 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into meat registers 115 degrees. Let stand 20 minutes, and slice. Garnish with bay leaves.

We have a slew of new wines to taste! We have released our stunningly crafted Provence style Rose and intensely rich Viognier along with our traditional Bordeaux style blend, the 2013 Meritage.

Our wine club members can now taste and purchase the 2013 Chenin Blanc and 2012 Tannat. We also have limited quantities of our 2011 Meritage available to club members!

Our 2014 Rose next to our Cabernet Sauvignon vines which are the primary grapes in the blend.