© Sue Stephens
Pauillac Lamb
Lambs that have been been both born & raised in the Gironde area
The raising methods of Pauillac Lamb have been protected by EU GI certification since 2003, where the lamb must be born and raised in the Gironde ("Agneau né et élevé en Gironde").
Lambs are born and raised beside their mothers, and kept with their mothers for 60 days. Consuming only their mother's milk makes them part of the category of lamb called "Suckling Lamb" (or "agneau de lait" in French.) The lambs remain in a sheep pen for the entire time, while their mothers go out to graze in meadows from April to November. In the winter, the mothers are kept in the sheep-pen as well, eating grains and forage.
Lambs will be a maximum of 75 days old when they are slaughtered.
The meat is a very pale pink, and tender, with firm white fat and a rich taste. The kidneys come out plump and round with a firm layer of fat around them (the right kidney is considered better than the left for eating.)
Historically, the sheep were sent out to graze in vineyards during the day, creating a natural manure fertilizer for the land. In exchange the vine growers generally got a few lambs to eat in exchange. The lambs were left back in pens, so they wouldn't cause and un-necessary damage to the vines. This practice of sending them out to graze in between the vines has now died out.
