Twists on Burgundy
When one mentions "Saint Laurent," images of high-end fashion or luxury accessories often spring to mind. However, today we're steering away from runways and into the realm of a lesser-known delight: a captivating red wine you might not have heard about before. The grape we refer to as Saint Laurent is also called Sankt Laurent in Germany, or Svatovavřinecké in Czech.
Saint Laurent
Originally hailing from Austria, Saint Laurent actually has DNA linked to the illustrious Pinot Noir of Burgundy fame. And just like its famous parent, Saint Laurent has now spread its roots across various countries, from France, Austria, Germany, Italy, and the Czech Republic. It is thought that the name comes from “Saint Lawrence’s Day” on August 10th, which is more or less when the grape begins its veraison. And while it does share certain traits with its renowned relative Pinot Noir, Saint Laurent possesses its own distinct allure, with a more “beefy” character that sets it apart, like a richer color, firmer texture and more tannins. These characteristics may stem from the grape's finicky nature. However, the vines can actually thrive in less fertile soils, and all of this combined can often produce lower yields and thus more concentrated fruits.
This is U Chlupa on Thaya’s estate in Moravia Czech Republic which is used to make their single vineyard Saint Laurent, with the national park in the background.
When discussing Saint Laurent, it is worth considering in its Czech context, after all, it is the number one most planted red grape variety in the Czech Republic. For this, we turn to Thaya in Southern Moravia. Crafted by the skilled hands of young winemaker Jakub Smrka, who we interviewed discussing Thaya and his journey in wine, Thaya’s Saint Laurent wine actually comes from vines from a single vineyard with south east exposure and calcareous clay soil in the area designated U Chlupa on Thaya’s estate, bordering a national park. Organically farmed, and fermented with native yeasts, the Thaya Saint Laurent is then aged in oak, a mixture of new and used, large and small, French oak barrels. The partial usage of previously used oak barrels allows them to keep in check the super vanilla-y notes while still having a healthy dose of fruity flavors stay in the wine. In fact, the wine has a delightful full body, yet with relatively low alcohol at 12.5%, it still maintains a slim profile, thus pleasing both those that like bold wines yet prefer a low alcohol wine.
When you have this wine, it’s a real delight, starting with it gorgeous dark ruby hue with just a hint of purple on the border, aromas of violets, berries, spices, and chocolate are abundant in the complex bouquet.
What does the wine taste like? It’s a harmonious medley of spicy oak undertones and luscious fruitiness are reminiscent of indulgent plum cake. It is fruity and fresh, with just the slightest hint of tannins to give an interesting texture, it makes us think of a cool-climate Pinot Noir… with a kick.
And given its familial ties to Pinot Noir, Thaya’s Saint Laurent presents a fun alternative for wine enthusiasts seeking something new or out of the ordinary. While an obvious comparison is to Pinot Noir, it could also be an expansion for Cabernet Sauvignon lovers. It’s a great way for Pinot lovers and Cab lovers to meet in the middle with something unique.
Saint Laurent pairs well with a classic French dish like Beef Burgundy.
Food Pairing
Saint Laurent is fun wine to work on your pairing wine and food skills (brush up on that from our previous article). Its robust yet versatile character makes it a good companion to a wide array of dishes. For a classic pairings, consider trying it with roasted or grilled meats, such as beef tenderloin or lamb chops. Additionally, especially with the Thaya Saint Laurent, its spicy oak nuances make it an excellent match for aged cheeses, hearty stews or pasta dishes with rich tomato-based sauces.
In fact, a little obvious given its parentage of Pinot Noir, it works well with most Pinot Noir pairings, and even some. Thanks to that extra body and fullness, as a younger wine, it handle bigger bolder dishes than your typical Pinot Noir of the same age, especially those Pinots from cooler climates. That is why today we thought it would be interesting to see how it matches up to the pinnacle of Burgundian cuisine: Beef Bourguignon.
Beef Bourguignon
Beef Bourguignon, also called beef burgundy, seems to date back to the 1800s. However, it isn’t until more modern memory in the 1900s that it really became popular and became heavily associated with the famous wine region of Burgundy. Part of this is thanks to celebrity chef Julia Childs who in staple cookbook Mastering the Art of French Cooking, called beef Bourguignon “certainly one of the most delicious beef dishes concocted by man.” Today, it is a fixture of Burgundian menus, alongside escargot.
And we can see the love for the dish… essentially a braised beef and red wine stew, beef burgundy is a mixture of tender melt-in-your-mouth beef bites cooked in a rich red wine sauce with vegetables and mushrooms. Delicious all around right? And while sometimes it may seem daunting to take on such a classic French dish (anyone remember the scene in Julie and Julia where she falls asleep and burns the beef bourguignon?), however with the help of Thaya winery, we have today a great and easy recipe for beef burgundy to try out!
Ingredients to make your own Beef Burgundy, including the Saint Laurent!
As a quick side note, while this does require a long cooking time (you can’t rush tenderizing the meat!), you can make this dish a little more “weeknight friendly” by prepping it, and at Step 3 below, place it instead into a slow cooker or crockpot for beef burgundy in a slow cooker. It will take a little longer to cook, but it won’t need to be attended quite as much as the stove and oven recipe.
Get Ready to Cook and Pair
All right… ready to ditch your typical Pinot Noir and expensive Burgundy wines to try out a new version? Then look no further than a bottle of the Thaya Saint Laurent and the easy recipe for beef burgundy below.
You can find the Thaya Saint Laurent and so many more wiens in our curated portfolio of small production, hard to find natural wines. Add a really good organic extra virgin olive oil as well to drizzle on top.
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Beef Bourguignon - Beef Burgundy
Cooking and Prep Time: 3-4 hours
Portions: 4 portions
Ingredients:
3 lb beef tenderloin in chunks
½ lb lean bacon, in strips
3 cups red wine St. Laurent
2 cups beef broth
8 oz small mushrooms
1 carrot, chopped
1 onion, chopped
5 garlic cloves, crushed
3 tablespoons tomato sauce
10 shallots
2 tablespoons Flour
4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
3 tablespoons butter
Salt and pepper, to taste
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (Il Nostro Oro, Febo, Aurinia, or Caletra)
Wine Pairing Example:
Thaya Saint Laurent Natural Red Wine Organic Late Harvest Single Vineyard
Procedure:
1. Boil the bacon for 10 minutes, then pat it dry and fry in a spoonful of oil in a skillet. Remove the bacon and brown the beef in the same skillet until brown. Transfer the meats into an oven safe pot and set aside.
2. Add a tablespoon of butter to the skillet and sauté the onion and carrot until soft. Add the vegetables to the pot, season with salt and pepper and sift the flour over the top, shaking to coat everything evenly. Place the pot in a 400 degree oven for 4 minutes.
3. Remove and reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees. In the hot pot, pour in the broth and red wine so that the meat is submerged. Add the tomato sauce, garlic, thyme, and bay leaf. Cover and put back in the oven for 3 hours, stirring every hour.
4. Meanwhile, peel the shallots, leave whole and begin to sauté in 2 tablespoons of butter. After a few minutes, add the mushrooms. When cooked, set aside.
5. After the 3 hours cook time, strain the finished meat and vegetables, placing the juices back in the pot. Remove the bay leaf and thyme. Now either loosen the juices with stock or reduce by gently simmering until the desired thickness.
6. When done, add meat and vegetables back, season with salt and pepper to taste, lay the mushrooms on top, and serve with a glass of Saint Laurent.
Need to Order Wine Online to Pair?
From the Thaya estate winery in the Czech Republic, this single vineyard 100% Saint Laurent, which is called Svatovavřinecké in the Czech language and is a descendant of pinot noir, is from the U Chlupa vineyard with dusty loess and clay soils and which is in a national park. It has an inky deep purple color, a pretty nose, of violets, milk chocolate and spice. It is fresh with chaulky tannins, dark fruit taste, a harmonious and balanced wine. The wine was made naturally and fermented with native yeasts. It aged for 18 months in oak barrels of assorted sizes and types of toasting. It’s what’s called a “beefier Pinot Noir.”
Pair Also with Extra Virgin Olive Oil
From the hills of Abruzzo near the Adriatic Coast of Italy, comes this Organic EVOO, or Extra Virgin Olive Oil, farmed and made by the Febo family. Farmed sustainably and organic, this natural extra virgin olive oil is also vegan and, like all evoos, a first run - cold press olive oil, the best kind of olive oil for you.
The 2024 harvest is still made from a blend of olives like leccino and 500 year old trees, but now it is mostly the dritta cultivar.
Farming & Winemaking Highlights: Regenerative Agriculture | Sustainable Farming | Biodynamic | Vegan | No additives | Unfiltered | Organic
Fun Facts: The dritta cultivar is a rare one being saved by Davide Febo who is trying to save and rehabilitate it.
This is a woman made, limited production first cold press organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil from the Maremma hills of Tuscany made from a blend of four Tuscan cultivars. Buttery deliciousness with a bitter kick at the end, thanks to its polyphenols. It has won gold medals in a competition which judges the best extra virgin organic olive oils from around the world.
Farming & Winemaking Highlights: Regenerative Agriculture | Sustainable Farming | Biodynamic | Vegan | No additives | Unfiltered | Organic | Metodo Corino
Fun Facts: The natural farming method that produced this extra virgin olive oil, the metodo corino, is actually patented by La Maliosa woman winemaker Antonella Manuli after she helped to develop it with natural wine legend Lorenzo Corino of Case Corini.
A prestigious first cold press monocultivar organic extra virgin olive oil from the Maremma hils of Tuscany which has won best organic extra virgin olive oil from Tuscany! Its polyphenols which are used to determine how good an olive oil is, are exceptionally high!
Top awards include extra gold, as best Tuscan organic EVOO by Biol Novello which evaluates the best olive oils in the world. In the past this olive oil has also won Best in Italy, as well as Gambero Rosso 3 leaves (their highest rating).
Its aromas of grass, green pepper and mint lead to an intense hot pepper taste and a long finish with black pepper lingering in your mouth. Even just a little drizzled over a simple lettuce salad will bring it to life with flavor.
Farming & Winemaking Highlights: Regenerative Agriculture | Sustainable Farming | Biodynamic | Vegan | No additives | Unfiltered | Organic | Metodo Corino
Fun Facts: The natural farming method that produced this extra virgin olive oil, the metodo corino, is actually patented by La Maliosa woman winemaker Antonella Manuli after she helped to develop it with natural wine legend Lorenzo Corino of Case Corini.
This is an olive oil, super food for super foodies. This is small production organic & vegan extra virgin olive oil made primarily from a rare local cultivar from the area of Macerata Italy called Piantone de Mogliano. The buttery flavors and taste of this organic EVOO so inspired the family behind Quercia Scarlatta farm and winery in Le Marche Italy to name it ‘our gold’, or Il Nostro Oro.
Hand harvested and milled at the family’s farm, a first run, cold press evoo, this olive oil’s aromas remind you of stepping into a garden full of fresh green beans with a whiff of black pepper. Likewise, tasting it is like having fresh green beans with black pepper and butter, thanks to its buttery texture. Black pepper continues on the finish.
This organic extra virgin olive oil comes in a 3 liter container, made for following the Mediterranean diet to a tee!
