2008 Chateau De Lancyre Rosé

*Bottle #63: 2008 Chateau De Lancyre Coteaux Du Languedoc Pic Saint Loup Rosé
*Price Tag: $19 (coughfreeformecough)
*Running Tab: $849

Mel Brooks has many screenplay hits. One being the mega-movie flop yet enormous Broadway success: “The Producers.” A classic scene unfolds to an ex-Nazi who writes a lovely melody – the favorite of Adolf Hitler’s, to be exact – called “Springtime for Hitler.” That being said, I picture that time of year for Hitler to be similar to our springtime here in Seattle: torrential downpour of buckets of rain with deep and dark thunder-clapping clouds.

And with the corking (synthetic cork :: cringe) of a bottle of the French Lancyre rosé, I went with my personal chimera for the “springtime for Erin” in Seattle on this wet Monday evening.

I am not one to speak French, and when I do, it is shameless, awful and borderline insulting, so I’ll spare you the judgment here and stick to what I do know: wine and food.

This week on abottle/aweek, I am bringing in a new idiosyncrasy to the blog… The inclusion of food! Yes, I am a wannabe Top Chef/James Beard/Anthony Bourdain (please Travel Channel, pick me up) and I write, cook and could easily host a TV show with a charismatic grin and cunning wit (please?!).

Considering the shit weather and my odds of getting discovered by said television channel, I brought the cooking inside. Recipe courtesy of my innovative yet humble chef father, I found crab cakes to be the perfect match for a French rosé.

One thing I do know: seafood and fruit, more often than not, pair amazingly well. So I did the math: wine is grapes, grapes are fruit, seafood and fruit. Done and done. And this is what I did:

1 lb crab
3 cups fresh bread crumbs
2 large eggs beaten
2 tbsp each of mayo, onion, celery, red bell pepper minced
1 tbsp parsley minced
1 garlic clove minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/4+ tsp dried mustard
1/4+ tsp cayenne

Mixed it all together with 1 cup bread crumbs then folded in the crab, chilled for just under 2 hours. Then it got messy whilst I made the cakes and coated with the remaining bread crumbs, splattered on the medium-heated and oiled pan and cook about 5 minutes on each side, until the cakes were crisp, brown and probably flawless. Definitely.

I threw on a pineapple salsa, of no precise measurement, an assemblage of pineapple, red onion, cilantro, red bell pepper, jalapeno, lime juice and honey with a dash (or four in my case) of salt.

Springtime for Erin continues with the wine throughout the cooking process.

The nose of the rosé was full of citrus and flower petals with the quintessential rosé aroma of strawberry rhubarb. As the glass warmed up over time, more aromas were released with the heightening of strawberry rhubarb and the citrus blending into the background. It was like when Destiny’s Child first came out and all of the girls had solos but when the “band” was gaining global superstardom, we all knew it was Beyonce that would come out on top.

The palate was textbook for a springtime day, maybe in San Jose instead of Seattle… Coolingly refreshing and off-dry, the rosé had a good balance of tongue-tickling acid and robust red fruit. Light-bodied, simple and tasty, this Chateau De blee bloo blah was far from the “rose water” comparison that haunted my idea of rosé.

The pairing with the crab cakes was ideal – I am utterly brilliant. The heavy cakes were uplifted by the light yet powerful rosé that helped to emphasize the fruit and natural richness of the crab.

Dish delish. And the wine, for a $20 bottle and all things considered, was exactly what I was looking for to hoist my springtime spirits on a seasonally depressing May day in Seattle. Come on, June.

Score: 8.