Lamb meatballs with Line 39 pinot noir

The first thing you notice about our Wine of the Week, Line 39 2012 Central Coast Pinot Noir ($11), is its delicacy. It splashes over the palate with the lightest of touches and none of the brashness of youth. It's not a thin wine but it's not heavy, either. Tannins are long, smooth and supple, with a silken texture, a quality that makes this wine very food-friendly.

Sweet spices, especially allspice, clove and star anise, weave through the wine, but with a light touch. Suggestions of black raspberry, Rainier cherries and red currants come to mind, though none dominates. The wine is beautifully integrated from its first sip to its teasing finish.

Those who prefer ponderous pinot noir, the ones that have been over-extracted to attract the cabernet crowd, may dismiss this wine as wimpy, but anyone who appreciates the pretty, subtle spectrum for which the varietal is famous will embrace this wine enthusiastically. And at $11 it's a steal, among the finest inexpensive pinot noirs I've ever tasted.

This wine is a natural companion to duck, especially rare duck breast and grilled duck heart; and mushrooms, from mushroom soup to mushroom risotto and mushroom ragout. When we finally have local tomatoes, serve this wine, slightly chilled, with a BLT sandwich. Roasted eggplant, celery root and parsnips make good companions, too. Lamb welcomes this wine alongside and if you enjoy lamb burgers, this wine is a perfect choice.

For today's recipe, I've taken some of the elements of a lamb burger, especially the Dijon mustard, to make a delicate meatball, perfect as an appetizer on a summer night. You can also enjoy these meatballs in a sandwich.

Lamb Meatballs Dijonnaise

Makes about 20 small meatballs

2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for frying

2 shallots, minced

3 garlic cloves, preferably fresh, minced

- Kosher salt

- Black pepper in a mill

5 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1? pounds ground lamb

1 cup (4 ounces) Gruyere, grated

1 large egg, preferably pastured, beaten

2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves

1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley

? cup all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons creme fraiche, sour cream or plain yogurt

Put the olive oil into a small saute pan set over medium-low heat, add the shallots and saute until soft and fragrant, about 7 minutes. Add the garlic and saute 2 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper, stir in 1 tablespoon of the mustard and remove from the heat. Let cool for a few minutes.

Break up the lamb and put it into a medium mixing bowl. Add the shallot mixture, half the cheese, the egg, half the thyme leaves and the parsley. Season with salt and several generous turns of black pepper and mix thoroughly.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Put the flour into a medium bowl.

Using a small scoop or teaspoon, shape meatballs about 1?-inch in diameter. Drop a few balls at a time into the flour and agitate the bowl to coat the meatballs thoroughly. Transfer to wax paper, parchment or a baking sheet and continue until all the meatballs are formed.

Using a heavy saute pan or nonstick pan set over medium heat, pour in a bit of oil. Fry the meatballs, agitating the pan so that they brown evenly all over. Transfer the cooking meatballs to a baking dish.

When all of the meatballs have been fried, scatter the remaining cheese over them and bake for about 12 minutes, until the cheese is fully melted and bubbly and the meatballs are cooked through.

Meanwhile, put the remaining mustard into a small bowl, add the remaining thyme leaves and the creme fraiche, sour cream or yogurt, stir, taste and correct for salt and pepper as needed.

Serve the meatballs hot from the oven, in the baking dish, with the Dijon sauce and plenty of toothpicks alongside.

Michele Anna Jordan hosts "Mouthful" each Sunday at 7 p.m. on KRCB 90.9 & 91.1 FM.

E-mail Jordan at michele@micheleannajordan.com.

You'll find her blog, "Eat This Now," at pantry.blogs.pressdemocrat.com.