What wine goes with roast chicken? A Languedoc Wine Pairing Guide

If there's one dish that brings generations together around the table, it's probably roast chicken.

It comes out of the oven, fills the kitchen with its aroma, and everyone eventually gathers around the table. Served with roasted potatoes, a little pan drippings, and a few fresh herbs, it embodies simple, hearty, home-style cooking.

As is often the case with the simplest dishes, however, the choice of wine deserves some thought. Because roast chicken is more flavorful than it seems: the crispy skin, the cooking juices, the herbs, and the garnishes call for a wine capable of providing a bit of structure without ever overpowering the meal.

Our choice: Léon

To pair with roast chicken, our choice naturally falls on Léon.

This cuvée, dominated by Syrah and complemented by a touch of Grenache, belongs to our traditional range. After a long maceration followed by two years of aging in concrete tanks, it develops a beautiful structure while retaining fine, supple tannins.

Its fruit is present without being exuberant. Its subtle notes of garrigue naturally evoke the thyme, rosemary, or bay leaf that often accompany the cooking of chicken.

It is a wine with enough character to complement the dish's flavors, while remaining easy to drink and approachable. A wine that naturally finds its place at the family table.

The next day, too

Roast chicken has a rare quality: it is often just as good the next day as it is the day it's cooked.

Served cold with a rice salad, some raw vegetables, and a light vinaigrette, or simply sautéed in a pan with leftovers from the meal, the last few pieces extend the pleasure of the shared moment.

And if the bottle of Léon opened the night before hasn't been finished, it will naturally find its place at the table again. Its supple tannins, fruitiness, and freshness allow it to pair just as deliciously with the next day's leftovers.

Because the best food-and-wine pairings aren't always limited to a single meal. Sometimes they can accompany several moments in life.

Le Pech d'André: wines we love to share.