Marquis des Beys Grand Cuvee
A colleague recently brought two bottles of this 2012 Marquis des Beys Grand Cuvee back from Beirut for me to try. While she prefers the 2010, the 2012 was all she could find but apparently the Marquis des Beys Grand Cuvee is one of her favorite Lebanese wines. Being as she herself is Lebanese I will trust her judgement.
The 2012 Marquis des Beys Grand Cuvee is a 50/50 blend of Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon with 14% abv. Between the hand harvesting and oak treatment the grapes receive you can tell that they care about their wines at Marquis des Beys and if this is any example of the quality of their wines then the 2010 my colleague prefers must be stunning.
There’s quite a complex nose happening with the Marquis des Beys Grand Cuvee. At the top I got quite a lot of black fruits but underneath was baking spice, cedar, and vanilla with hints of tobacco and chocolate.
The mouth was gorgeous with beautiful, velvety tannins and a long finish. Those tannins and the wine’s high acidity will allow this cuvee to age for a good amount of time. I got more fruit on the palate: black currents and blackberries again with tobacco and even a little leather.
So many people make the mistake of cooking with cheap wine. Like any other ingredient, the quality of the wine you use will be reflected in the quality of the dish you make. You should always cook with a wine that you would drink, and if you’re not drinking a wine that’s too precious you could even cook with it. So that’s what I did with the Marquis des Beys Grand Cuvee.
I recently made a gorgeous red wine spek risotto and used some of the Marquis des Beys Grand Cuvee. Not only was the risotto gorgeous, but the Marquis des Beys Grand Cuvee was both a fantastic addition to the dish and pairing.