The right wine with calf’s head

Young wines are a must

A pairing with an incisive, juicy white wine is the surest bet in my book, particularly in terms of the sauce and white wine’s capacity to manage all the ingredients. The choice requires a simple appellation which emphasizes fruit and freshness – a young wine with its primary aromas is the obvious preference. I would suggest first and foremost a Saint-Véran. A good example is the 2009 Clos de Poncetys from the Guffens-Heynen estate. This wine comes from the gorgeous terroir in the village of Davayé, where the clay component dominates. Despite the power in this solar year, the wine, totally fermented on wood, retains good tension. Its outstanding mineral dimension gives it all the liveliness required to take on the ravigote sauce.

If you want to try a different region, the lovely dry Anjou wine – 2008 Les Rogeries from the Domaine Richou in Mozé also provides a very good pairing. The plot it comes from, planted on a slaty base, and the tingly energy of the 2008 vintage come together to produce a great choice for offsetting the fatty situation at hand. Another recommendation would by the Pinot Blanc from Auxerres, the H 2008 vintage from the Domaine Josmeyer. This wine comes from the slopes by the village of Wintzenheim in the heart of the Hengst grand cru. It is fine and pure, tense and easy to drink. The mineral base provides it with everything it needs to work with multiple textures and ingredients.

And oysters to boot!

I cannot talk about calf’s head without bringing up Roland Durand, the chef at Passiflore (Paris 16^th arrondissement), whose intuition led him to combine calf’s head and oysters. The tastes go together fabulously.  The iodine dimension of the oyster offsets the texture of the calf’s head to perfection. With this dish, I suggest a 2008 Brem Le Haut des Clous from the Domaine Saint-Nicolas, a finely-chiseled Spartan wine whose brilliance and persistency make it a top choice.

And the red wine option?

Red wine is possible, but to my mind solely with fruity wines which are both gourmand and thirst-quenching. To respect the flavor of the calf’s head, the wine must have moderate power – fruit and good acidity are more important. The Gamay grape would be the one to choose. I recommend the Savoy wine 2009 Gamay from Domaine Louis Magnien or the 2010 côte-roannaise Référence 2010 from Domaine des Pothiers, a juicy and lively Gamay grown on granite soils.