Ragoût Fin "Mother's Style"

Two or three times a year I want to prepare a Ragoût Fin like my mother did in the past. This means that some kind of meat (veal, pork or turkey) is chopped in very small slices and cooked together with white mushrooms in a special way. Main indicator here is to cook the ingredients without any cream and to work mainly with the meat, the mushrooms, some stock, pepper and salt. In addition some herbs can be used depending on the flavour you want to have.

We bought some freshly prepared Vol-au-vents from our favourite bakery and decided to use veal for the ragoût. The usage of veal makes the dish richer and so the pairing wine needs to be strong enought to handle this. I decided to test two totally different wines: A 2008 Malterer from Bernhard Huber in Baden and a 2009 Château La Truffe from the Pomerol. My assumption was that the very strong Malterer would be a real partner for the dish whereas the Merlot-dominated Pomerol would more go "into discussion" with the ragoût.

But first of all the wines were tasted alone.

2008 Bernhard Huber "Malterer" (90/100)
Malterdingen, Baden, Germany
Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay, Freisamer
13.5 % Alcohol
Tasted 2014-12-29

What the hell is "Freisamer"? Freisamer is a variety crossed by Silvaner and Rulaender approx. 90 years ago in Freiburg (Southern Germany). The name of the variety is based on the names of the city "Freiburg" and the river "Dreisam". Bernhard Huber grows this variety on soil of worn Muschelkalk (the nice German word for this: Muschelkalkverwitterungsboden...).

The wine offers a beautiful golden yellow colour and gives the impression of a very heavy liquid in the glass. Aromas of pineapple, papaya and mango paired with some toffee notes provide the evidence of a perfect maturity. In the mouth a whole basket of tropical fruits where at the end citrus notes of the pineapple but also lime are dominating. Very long finish - incredibly good.

The wine is absolutely on the top. Pretty much better than four years ago when I drunk it in one of my favourite restaurants in Baiersbronn - one of Germany's culinary important centers. And even then the wine was great. It will hold this amazing quality another three years minimum. By the way: The name "Malterer" has its roots from a reeves family living in the Middle Ages (13th Century) in Malterdingen.

2009 Château La Truffe (87/100)
Pomerol, Bordeaux, France
90 % Merlot, 5 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 5 % Cabernet Franc
13.5 % Alcohol
Tasted 2014-12-29

I selected a Pomerol Bordeaux due to the high Merlot percentage. Decanted 45 minutes before dinner.

Medium purple red colour. Aromas of unsmoked tobacco, wet leather and wild blackberries. Somewhere in the background is a scent of red roses. On the palate a touch of sourness like eating unsweetened blackberries or red currants. Then it is changing to a more velvety style paired with dark chocolate. Medium to long finish.

This Pomerol is just at the beginning but already very well drinkable. It will hold this level for another five years.

Together with the Ragoût Fin both wines could convince. The Malterer had a very harmonic relationship with the dish whereas the La Truffe was improved (you could say ennobled). It is a different approach. If you are looking for a perfect partner for the dish, take the Malterer. If you want to drink a bottle of the La Truffe and you are looking for a suitable dish, the Ragoût Fin is a very good selection.

We liked both combinations.