2007 Equuleus, Paul Bosc Estate Vineyard

Roasted Ontario Lamb Loin 

Recipe courtesy of Rousseau House, Ancaster

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 2 Ontario lamb loins 
• 1 cup Ricotta
• 1 tbsp preserved lemon (substitute lemon zest)
• ½ cup spinach
• 3 tbsp Kalamata olives, halved
• Pomegranate vinaigrette

Method

Sauté shallot and garlic then add spinach until it wilts. Set aside to cool. In the meantime, butterfly lamb lions. In a separate bowl mix ricotta preserved lemon, cooled spinach mixture and olives. Season with salt to taste. Add ricotta stuffing to lamb almost to one side of loin, roll loin and tie off with butchers twine. Sear in cast iron or sauté pan then roast in oven at 350°F until desired internal temperature is reached (approximately 18 minutes).

Pomegranate vinaigrette

• ¾ cup pomegranate juice 
• 3 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp honey
• ¼ cup olive oil
• ¼ tsp minced garlic

Reduce pomegranate juice to ¼ cup and chill. Add all ingredients to mixing bowl reserving olive oil. Wisk in oil to emulsify. Season to taste

Preserved lemon

• 2 halved lemons
• Lemon juice
• Coarse sea salt

Place a layer of sea salt in a mason jar add halved lemons. Top with sea salt and add lemon juice to cover lemons. Place in refrigerator for 30 days.

Assemble 

Slice rolled loins and serve with roasted fingerling potato and pomegranate vinaigrette. Garnish with pomegranate seeds.

This wine is luscious and full-bodied. Prime rib roast, Yorkshire pudding and root vegetables immediately come to mind but I’ve been known to enjoy Equuleus with just about anything… roasted rack of lamb, BBQ steak, double cut veal chop, etc. This wine deserves a partner with as much oomph and class as it has. 

“Spicy black cherry, blackberry and violets, with flavours of vanilla, plum, blackberry and a hint of licorice. Dense plummy black cherry finish. 91+ pts.”

– Gord Stimmell, “Top 10 Local Wines That Compare With The Best From Around The World”, Toronto Star, December, 2010 

 “…a rare and elegant red Equuleus ‘07, a Bordeaux-style blend that’s made only in top vintages. The wine is a thoroughbred to cellar alongside your collectibles. 94pts.”

                                                                                        – Frank Baldock’s Wine Express, Fall, 2010

“Château des Charmes Equuleus 2007— Wow. The nose is a nice collage of aromatics from cassis and currants to leather, a wild raspberry note, mocha, top grade oak and swirling spice and smoke. It’s rich and flavourful in the mouth, with chewy dark fruits, gripping tannins, waves of cocoa and spice and a long, long finish. This has the stuffing to go on for another 10 or 15 years. 4.5 / 5 stars.”

                                                                            – Rick VanSickle, Osprey Media, November, 2010

“This is the biggest, most complete Equuleus since the 2002 edition, with the heat of the 2007 vintage evident in both the ripe, dark fruit flavours and full, plush tannins. Blackberry and black cherry dominate, with a fine mix of violets, sweet, toasty oak and baking spice. Long finish. Although this is drinking well now, given the structure and depth, this should age nicely for another half dozen years and evolve slowly into the next decade. 91 pts.”

                                                                                                   – John Szabo, The Niagara Grapevine, Holiday, 2010

“…this is the best Equuleus to date. Medium-to-full-bodied...gives off a perfume of cassis, plum, vanilla, spice and smoky tobacco. The mouth is concentrated with excellent length. 90 pts”                                                                                                          – Evan Saviolidis, Tidings, July/August, 2010