Many people have been asking for recommended pairings of the wines, so we wanted to share a few recipes we have enjoyed along with both the Syrah and the St. Laurent. And honestly who isn’t looking for new recipe ideas right now, right?
2015 Griffin’s Lair Syrah
The bold pepperiness and dark fruit of the Syrah needs something equally bold to stand up to it, which is why we recommend pairing it with steak, pork or lamb. This Ottolenghi recipe is one of our favorites, as the spice combinations are so unique but pair really nicely with the lamb and the pepper from the whole cluster in the Syrah.
Another great pairing with the Griffin’s Lair Syrah is Grilled Hanger Steak with Bacon Chimichurri with roasted potatoes sprinkled with a little truffle salt just before serving. We usually enjoy this along with a simple green salad tossed with aged balsamic vinegar (this is our favorite, but be careful--it's addicting!), olive oil, salt and pepper.
2018 Ricci Vineyards St. Laurent
The bright fruit and acid of this wine pairs nicely with anything rich and creamy. We recently enjoyed the St. Laurent with an Instant Pot Mushroom Risotto with Pancetta, Peas and Mushrooms and our favorite roasted chicken recipe from Ina Garten. If you have never had cooked radishes before you will be amazed at how delicious they are--especially cooked in all the yummy chicken fat!
Serving Tips
We have also been asked about recommendations on aging and decanting. In regards to aging, the Syrah has been aging in bottle for 3 years already, so it is drinking nicely right now. It will continue to evolve, however, if you chose to age it a bit longer as well. In preparing notes for this release, we were opening the Syrah about a couple hours before dinner. Alternatively, decanting for at least 30 min to an hour seems to do the trick.
The St. Laurent is tasting lovely should you want to pop the cork right now. We see it dropping a little fresh fruit as it ages (obviously), but also see the acid and tannin from the stems carrying it quite well into maturity, think more spice and savory notes. We tossed our pre-release tasting bottle in the fridge for just about 10 minutes to get it down to “cellar temp” (~55 degrees) and enjoyed watching it evolve as it warmed back up in our glasses throughout the evening.
