For those readers who have been following the Facebook Fan Page and the articles on this site closely for the last month it is not a secret that I and my team are competing in Hall Winery’s Cabernet Cookoff this Saturday, April 30^th, with the hope of winning monies to benefit the Napa Valley Opera House.  Creating a small plate dish for 350 people is no small accomplishment and purchasing ingredients in volume is a constant reminder of the daunting task looming ahead of me.   Yet it begs the question, “why?”  The answer is simple and stems from a combination of altruism and philanthropy. 

Nearly two years ago, this web site was launched for a variety of reasons but one reason in particular was to give a helping hand to family-owned wineries and in turn contribute to my local economy during one of the most trying economic times in Napa Valley since the Prohibition.   Good deeds and charity abound in the small close-knit community of Napa Valley and Markham Vineyards in 2008 also launched a unique way to give back to others.

Markham Vineyards (“Markham”) commenced its own program “Mark of Distinction” to inspire and spark positive change across the United States in which it annually selects two organizations in the country that each receive a grant of $25,000.00.  The purpose of the grant is to assist the recipient organization with the furtherance of its tangible projects with the vision of improving neighborhoods, communities, cities or towns.   To raise further awareness for these projects and causes, Markham has released two special single vineyard bottlings of Cabernet Sauvignon.  These vintages are appropriately named “The Altruist” and the “The Philanthropist” and are respectively dedicated to the organizations that receive the Markham Mark of Distinction Awards.  

In the fall of 2010, Markham released the 2007 vintage of “The Altruist” Cabernet Sauvignon and dedicated the vintage to the 2009 Mark of Distinction winner, Island Sled Hockey, of Lynbrook, New York.   Island Sled Hockey of Lynbrook, New York, is for physically and mentally handicapped athletes and is the nation’s largest and most inclusive sled hockey program.   Turning the bottle around to the back, the dedication to and information about the Island Sled Hockey, of Lynbrook, New York, is prominently displayed.

Furthering charitable initiatives is always rewarding, yet when involving wine there is an obvious additional delicious component.   The Altruist Cabernet Sauvignon does not disappoint on any level.   The 2007 vintage consists of 100% single vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon yet also separates itself from the pack as it hails from Napa Valley’s newest American Viticultural Area (“AVA”), none other than “Calistoga”.   The Calistoga AVA was the 15^th AVA approved in the greater Napa Valley appellation.   The area, located north of St. Helena, is long recognized for its unique attributes as its soil is uniquely volcanic and rocky at the base of Mount St. Helena and has a warmer climate despite sitting at the northern end of Napa Valley.  While being the most recent AVA to be recognized in Napa Valley, winemaking in the region has been present since 1857 when the town of Calistoga was founded.

Fruit for “The Altruist” Cabernet Sauvignon comes from Markham’s vineyard in Calistoga at the base of Mount St. Helena, located in a canyon and surrounded by wild Bay Laurel trees.  While the site was difficult to plant because of its rocky attributes, the lack of water ironically served as a resource in the sense that the vines grown here produce small berries/grapes capable of providing intense flavors in the wine.  Despite the readily perceived struggle for growth, the grapes grown from this estate create a beautifully balanced and more accessible wine.   On the nose, there are floral aromas of violets and bay laurel, coupled with distinct scents of anise spice.  From a fruit profile, smoky rich scents of blackberry chutney drift upwards to greet one’s nose.   Taking a sip of the wine, the palate finds a wine that is smooth as silk which graces it with juicy blackberries, black plum, roasted fennel and caramel-crème kisses on the finish.  

This is a wine that blatantly romances the senses with its distinct sensuality.  While long following readers will remember an early article that I wrote featuring Markham’s Cabernet Franc and mentioned that as a favorite varietal of a certain “wine industry cowboy”, The Altruist Cabernet Sauvignon ranks right up there with him.   When not barbequing in the rain and once the El Dorado is parked safely in the garage, on a Friday night that member of Markham’s hospitality staff likes to take the phone off the hook and make this wine his “Friday night date”.   Open a bottle of the 2007 The Altruist Cabernet Sauvignon on an evening where there is no rush and you will quickly understand why.

Cabernet Sauvignon food pairings typically sit squarely with steak given that the tannins that frequent the palate.   Yet, Cabernet Sauvignon is certainly not relegated to the tradition steak pairing (as I have demonstrated in prior articles).   By selecting a Cabernet Sauvignon from a particular AVA, the consumer has a sense of the standard attributes that are unique to that winemaking region.   This in turn assists with determining what to cuisine to pair.  Taking this into consideration, this week’s menu consists of:

·         Roasted Pasilla Chiles Stuffed With Caramelized Steak, Maui Onion, Garlic and Jack Cheese With a Sweetly Spiced Tomato Sauce

There is a notable (yet not invasive) acidity with The Altruist and given this unique characteristic, this makes this wine a unique Cabernet Sauvignon candidate to pair creatively with naturally acidic tomatoes.   The filling for the pasilla chile is made in stages (jack cheese, caramelized steak, maui onion, garlic, tomato, golden raisin, marjoram and lime thyme) and simultaneously, the tomato-based sauce is simmering on the stove top.   The sauce consists of tomatoes, maui onion, garlic, cumin, cinnamon, golden raisins and almonds. Once the sauce is completed, the chiles are gently placed in the sauce and rosemary is added at the last minute before being tucked into the oven to thoroughly cook the chiles.   Emerging from the oven in a covered pan, the chiles are revealed tenderly cooked in all their savory glory.

Fresh white corn tortillas are toasted in the interim and sliced to create a lattice beneath the chile on the plate.

Pasilla chiles have a mild gentle flavor.   When paired with the wine, aromas of violets and smoke come tumbling forth as rich bright flavor of blackberries merrily greet the acidity of the tomatoes in the sauce.   The food pairing shows off a cheerier side of Cabernet Sauvignon, hinting that the varietal can be fun and flirtatious as opposed to rigidly structured, heavy and burdensomely tannic.   It is easy to see why this wine would turn the head of any wine industry cowboy and make any desperado commit his Friday night to this bottle of wine.

For the rest of us, the brighter side of “The Altruist” Cabernet Sauvignon invokes optimism and a dreamy desire to improve our immediate surroundings.   Knowing that the small berries put extra effort into the wine to concentrate its flavors easily inspires one to want to do more and to be better.

*If you think that this pairing with Cabernet Sauvignon is the limit, attend Hall Winery’s Cabernet Sauvignon Cookoff this weekend to sample my fare and vote for my team.  In order to help my team prepare for the event, Markham Vineyards has generously allowed us the use of its kitchen to prep our potentially winning dish for 350 attendees.  A special thank you to Markham Vineyards and its continued commitment to the charitable acts of others!