In the Adventures Club bulletin from 2011, where I found Chef Chris Lee’s recipe for beef braised with red wine and chocolate, Chris muses that rustic French stews are typically quite soupy and made to be sopped-up with lots of country bread. The French actually have a word for the act of sweeping bread across one’s bowl or plate to capture every last bit—saucer, meaning, “to mop up the sauce.” Needless to say, this word, and what it reveals about the French—their customs and priorities—is unbearably endearing to me; any recipe that requires “saucing” is one I want to make.
     Chris originally created this recipe to pair with a bottle of 2006 Domaine de Terrebrune Bandol Rouge. I thought about other wines that share similar qualities to a mineral-driven Bandol, and ones that evoke elements found in the recipe’s flavorful ingredients—Tellicherry peppercorn, clove, allspice, and dark chocolate—and I began to dream up peppery reds, with velvety dark fruit and bright, bittersweet notes. While there are plenty of reds in the Kermit Lynch portfolio that walk this line between ripeness and freshness, a few growers specifically came to mind.
     Thierry Germain, the Cabernet Franc whisperer, masterfully pulls off this feat of balancing phenolic ripeness with tension and purity. Dominique Hauvette, a mystic in her own right, makes her pure Grenache cuvée in Provence’s Alpilles mountains, resulting in a weightless and high-toned wine that’s perfumed and complex. The wines of Didier Barral in Faugères boast a blend of Languedoc varieties that taste alive with both energy and depth. There are a few great budget-conscious options to consider as well, like the moody Cahors from Clos la Coutale, one of our all-time best sellers, or Massimo Benevelli’s Langhe Nebbiolo. The tannins in his wine are always fine and mature, like a robust powdered cocoa.
     Back in the kitchen, as I’m browning my last batch of beef, it strikes me that by dinnertime I’m going to have a heaping pot of delicious food and will want to share the wealth. I text some friends: “I’m making braised beef and it’s a lot! Pairing it with some wonderful wines in the name of research…can you come for dinner?” A few hours later, my table is full and Chef Lee’s Braised Beef is ready to meet the world. The meat was tender and caramelized, the carrots and shallots were soft and creamy, and a hint of chocolate brought depth and earthiness to every bite. As I sipped the reds I’d opened, I basked in the lingering scent of warm spice coming off the kitchen and thought how nicely the atmosphere in the room mingled with the aromas in my glass.

You can find Chris Lee’s recipe for Braised Beef with Red Wine & Chocolate here.