24 Days of French Wine: Languedoc-Roussillon

Today we have a Languedoc-Roussillon. This means that it's also from the Languedoc region, like the Corbières we had earlier, but from a different area with its own appellation. It's still a Mediterranean wine coming from a warm, sunny area that tends to produce rich, full bodied wines with higher alcohol. Often recommended for pairing with pizza or bolognese.

~The details~
Name: Chateau de Sau
Year: 2012
Region: Thuir, in the foothills of the Pyrenees
Appellation: Côtes du Roussillon Appellation d'Origine Protegée
Grape/Cépage: Syrah, Grenache Noir
Alcohol: 13.5%
Serving Temp: unlisted. Default to a cool room temperature.
Serving ideas: Grilled red meat, poultry/guinea fowl in sauce, mature cheeses
Special notes: Bottled at the chateau.

What we did: Spaghetti bolognese.

Ok, we eat spaghetti bolognese a lot in this family. It's one of the few meals we all enjoy. And whenever I'm searching "what to drink with spaghetti" I keep seeing Roussillon. Roussillon. Roussillon! So it seemed natural to set this wine aside for a spaghetti night.

Notice that "pizza" is not one of the suggested serving ideas! I'm wishing I'd followed the bottle's recommendation here.

I really think this 2012 bottle would have been better with something richer. With the bolognese, this wine sometimes reminded me of latex paint. I had some Ossau-iraty cheese with the wine afterwards and it paired much better.  In the future I think I'll look for a younger Roussillon for our bolognese dinners.