The food was delicious. Not that I expected otherwise but the choicest slabs of finely marbled lamb, grilled until the outer edge was deeply crispy, with a mint infused honey and mustard sauce spooned over was mouthwateringly good… Sadly the wine didn’t quiet match.

Benito selected the recipe for this months Combinations; a truly Southern-inspired dish with mint-infused bourbon forming the basis of the sauce. Expecting some sweetness to the dish the wine I hoped would have a corresponding edge of sweet berry fruit to match. But in this particular bottle the tannins were too forceful, the wine as a whole a little too dry. I may have over done the Dijon in the sauce slightly but this flavour jarred slightly with the wine too.

Wine Tasting Note: Ravenswood Lane Off The Leash Red Max, 2005, Adelaide Hills, Australia.
Oddbins £9.99
The splash of Viognier in this amounts to just 6%, the remainder is Shiraz. Peppery, berry fruit with a dry, tannin-led finish. Flavours of raspberry and cherry snuggle around the palate. Medium bodied. Alcohol 14.5%. Without the sauce the wine was a great match with the lamb; to match the dish a little more richness, a touch of sweeter fruit and a softer palate would have helped.
Scribblings Rating – 84/100