Pairings: A carrot side dish to the Katherine Goldschmidt 2016 Alexander Valley Crazy Creek Cabernet Sauvignon

Nick Goldschmidt and his daughter have made another lovely wine, Katherine Goldschmidt 2016 Alexander Valley Crazy Creek Cabernet Sauvignon ($24), our Wine of the Week.

The wine is truly stunning, an absolute beauty and a steal for the price. It can easily hold its own alongside cabernets triple the price, or more.

Fruit - especially blackberry, black currant and Bing cherry - is generous but not overly so in the wine. Hints of black peppercorn, allspice, a forest floor in early fall and smoke from a campfire give the wine a pleasingly sassy character. The tannins are firm and a bit dusty on the edge of the palate, qualities that will resolve with time. But the wine's lush juiciness makes it an easy quaffer now.

Enjoy this wine with all the usual suspects - rare beef, braised beef, duck, venison, bison, lamb stew, halibut, eggplant, lasagna and pasta with rich, slow-cooked sauces.

Today's recipe will make a spectacular side dish with almost any of the meats mentioned above. Be sure to use real whole carrots, not those “baby” carrots that are actually just cut to shape. It can also be served as a main dish, in which case it will feed 3 to 4 people.

Braised Carrots and Lentils with Creme Fraiche & Mint

Serves 4 to 6

1 pound small carrots, preferably pale yellow (known as “white”), trimmed and peeled

3 tablespoons butter

1 small shallot, minced

- Kosher salt

- Black pepper in a mill

1 cup dry red wine

3 cups homemade chicken stock or broth

1 star anise

1 cup black (beluga) lentils

1 thick slice of dry-smoked bacon, cut in 1/4-inch wide crosswise slices

2 tablespoons creme fraiche

6-8 very fresh mint leaves, slivered, optional

Cut the carrots on the diagonal into 2 to 2 1/2 inch lengths. Set aside.

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan and when it is foamy, add the shallot and sauté for 3 or 4 minutes, until limp and fragrant. Do not let it burn. Add the carrots and saute, tossing frequently, for about 5 minutes, until they are lightly browned all around. Season with salt and pepper.

Add the wine, 1 cup of the chicken stock or broth and the star anise, bring to a boil and reduce the heat to very low so that the liquid just barely simmers. Cook for about 15 minutes, until the carrots are tender. Use tongs to transfer the carrots to a plate; set them aside.

Add the lentils, bacon and remaining chicken stock or broth to the pot and return to a boil. Simmer very gently for about 50 minutes, until lentils are tender. Check the liquid now and then and add water if the lentils seem to be drying out; the size of the pan will determine if you need to add water. After the lentils have been cooking for 30 minutes, return the carrots to the pan.

When the lentils are tender, remove from the heat and let rest 5 or 10 minutes. Taste and correct for salt and pepper. Use tongs to find and discard the star anise.

To serve, ladle into soup plates, making sure the carrots are distributed evenly.

Stir the creme fraiche to loosen it and drizzle a little over each portion. Scatter mint, if using, over the top and serve immediately.

You can find Michele Anna Jordan ‘s blog, “Eat This Now,” at pantry.blogs.pressdemocrat.com. Email Jordan at michele@saladdresser.com.