What wine with Beef Wellington?

Bordeaux, Calif Cab or PN, Burgundy, Rhone or something else?

[Robin Garr]

Bordeaux, Calif Cab or PN, Burgundy, Rhone or something else?

Back to the '60s! Can be a great dish though.

With the tenderloin component, any of the above; but to me, the foie gras and duxelles component would throw it in the direction of Pinot - Burg, or at least a New World Pinot that doesn't taste like Syrah.

[James Roscoe]

Barolo? Brunello? Rioja?

I am not disagreeing with Robin. I am just throwing out a few additional contenders, especially the Barolo.

To me, it's the puff pastry that makes this dish such a nightmare to pair. High acid is a must. What about a Loire Cab Franc? Barolo would be another choice, though Valtellina might be better.

[David M. Bueker]

I ignore the pasty in the wine tasting equation. It's not the dominating flavor element (not even in the top 3), so why focus on it.

I like Bordeaux or old school Rioja.

I've never really had beef wellington, so who am I to talk? But I have had each of the components. Somehow, I cannot envision the ability to be able to pick up subtleties in the wine in the face of such disparate components. I would think just about any decent red wine would do. In my fantasies, though, I'm drinking a very well aged Sauternes with the dish, because I figure that the foie gras component must figure considerably into the flavor of the dish, and a caramelized, old Sauternes should not be too sweet for the meat.

burgundy, burgundy and more burgundy

Graves

It's going to be An Occasion, otherwise why go to all that trouble? (Of course, the one time I made Beef Wellington it was to prove I could. That was a sufficient Occasion.)
For an Occasion, why not have two or three wines? I'm with those who prefer high acidity - the dish and its usual accompaniments are very rich. But you could go right out of the box and get a Huge DCV Zin as one of the choices.
For myself, I'd go with a Merlot-heavy Bordeaux or a tart, spare Pinot Noir (Swan Estate, eg) or a Burgundy.

John

I ignore the pasty in the wine tasting equation. It's not the dominating flavor element (not even in the top 3), so why focus on it.

I like Bordeaux or old school Rioja.

It's not a question of the flavor, David, so much as it is of the mouthfeel and richness. I find that many red wines don't mesh well with the buttery goodness of the puff pastry, but YMMV of course.

Mark Lipton

I have made Wellington in the past year. I like Wellington, too! I agree with Mark that the mouthfeel is complicated and the flavors are, too, as the liver and mushrooms and pastry fight it out. But the winner is the beef so that's where the pairing has to work.

If it's between Burgundy and Bordeaux then it's Burgundy. But any rich red with good acidity will work. So, Barolo is a fine choice. A well-aged Madiran will work. Rhone wines tend to be a bit soft for this purpose, though plenty hearty enough, but not my first choice.

Old Sauternes, Barolo, Brunello, Rioja, Graves, Pinot and more....great suggestions and some I would not have thought of. I'm going with Pinot Noir, very likely old world, as this seems to me to have been the favorite. This dinner is going to be an event, at least for Liz and me, and one of the few dinners we have had where I want to impress the guests (I usually could not care less about that). Champagne and Sauternes will no doubt play a role as bookends as well.
Thanks everyone as I value your opinions.

You can argue that other wines might be more appropriate based on their component characteristics, but I go for claret every single time. It just feels right. And by claret I mean not just red Bordeaux, but the kind with a minimum of spoof and a maximum of structure. I drink almost no Bordeaux, but beef Wellington for some reason demands it.

Good luck with the dinner Jon. I'm already impressed.

[James Roscoe]

Old Sauternes, Barolo, Brunello, Rioja, Graves, Pinot and more....great suggestions and some I would not have thought of. I'm going with Pinot Noir, very likely old world, as this seems to me to have been the favorite. This dinner is going to be an event, at least for Liz and me, and one of the few dinners we have had where I want to impress the guests (I usually could not care less about that). Champagne and Sauternes will no doubt play a role as bookends as well.
Thanks everyone as I value your opinions.

I will be expecting my invitation any minute!

[Jenise]

You can argue that other wines might be more appropriate based on their component characteristics, but I go for claret every single time. It just feels right. And by claret I mean not just red Bordeaux, but the kind with a minimum of spoof and a maximum of structure. I drink almost no Bordeaux, but beef Wellington for some reason demands it.

I'm with you, Walt. Something a minimum of 12-15 years old where age has softened edges but made it more complex, while there's still a lot of body for the beef, complexity for the mushroom part and acidity to lift the foie gras and pastry. My other favorite choice would be an aged Barolo.