The leaves are changing quickly in the vineyards in Napa Valley from Carneros to Calistoga.  Each evening the temperature drops a bit lower and in the morning a gust of wind arrives from the nearby bay; autumn colored leaves from the vines drop to the vineyard floor, letting us know that fall is here and that winter’s rains are on their way. 

Afternoons are still warm in Napa Valley but in the evenings, the temperatures quickly drop and for wine aficionados who love complex, interesting dark red wines, a glass of Petite Sirah is a wonderful treat.

Petite Sirah is a varietal whose grape has an interesting history.  Today it is largely grown in California (as opposed to other parts of the world) and while it was originally considered to only be largely traced to the grape Durif, it has recently been tied to Syrah reigniting a long debate regarding the varietal’s origins.   In Napa Valley, there are a number of vintners who excel at making Petite Sirah but Vincent Arroyo takes passion to an art.

Vincent Arroyo Winery, located in Calistoga, is well-regarded for its Petite Sirah wines.  The winery touts that many of its Petite Sirahs are so popular that they are sold out upon release or often sooner as futures while still in the barrel.  Years ago I had the opportunity to cross paths with Vincent and when asked why he focuses on Petite Sirah, his enthusiastic answer (accompanied by a happy-go-lucky shrug of his shoulders) was as genuine as the dusty earth where his Calistoga vineyards grow:  “Because I like it!”

If you can stop in at the winery and taste from the barrel or upon release, you will quickly realize that these Petite Sirah wines are special.  For this week’s article, I opened a 2007 Rattlesnake Acres Petite Sirah (“2007 Rattlesnake Acres”) from Vincent Arroyo Winery.   My bottle was acquired a few years ago and allowed to age.   Presently the winery notes that the 2010 vintage is already sold out.  If you are able to taste either in the spring or in the fall bwhen the winery hosts a new release event, it would be advised to procure a bottle for now and a bottle to age.

 The 2007 Rattlesnake Acres six (6) years later still shows off bright yet elegant fruit.   The wine’s texture benefits from age as it is characterized by silky tannins and is wonderfully smooth.  The nose on the wine shows off ripe plums, blackberries and aromas of dusty Calistoga earth.  On the palate, clear dusty tannins run throughout, bits of chocolate, mocha and coffee intertwine with delicious black cherry and berry fruit.  The combination is beautifully balanced and as distinctive as art.  The dusty nature of the wine plus its inherent slightly tart fruit begs for an introduction to chocolate.

Many Petite Sirah wines pair beautifully with chocolate.  While it may be easy to pair a Petite Sirah with dessert, chocolate can be used in a variety of main courses.   Perhaps one of the most best known main course pairings is the traditional Mexican recipe of Mole Poblano.   In Mole Poblano, chocolate, nuts, garlic, spices and chile blend together to create a carefully blended and balanced sauce that infuses itself into chicken.

Using the Mole Poblano Chicken to create tacos, soft sweet white corn tortillas are carefully toasted, dressed with ribbons of garden picked arugula, topped with chicken, crumbled queso fresco and a dash of crema.  Arugula adds a sense of seasonality as the peppery green is growing in abundance in the garden right now.  Its spicy flavor profile compliments the Mole Poblano sauce in a friendly and intrinsically Californian way . . . giving the meal on the plate a close sense of locality as opposed to being from far away.

Coupling on the plate is a vegetable medley of sauteed zucchini and sweet onion.   While zucchini is a summer vegetable when it is flash-sauteed quickly with a high sear it can be tossed with cumin and garden fresh herbs, such as lemon thyme and oregano. 

The spices of the vegetables and also in the Mole Poblano mirror the slight peppery nature of the wine, the nutty nature of the Mole Poblano accentuates the earthy nature of the Petite Sirah and the Mexican chocolate in the Mole Poblano causes the sweet nature of the fruit in the wine to do a flip-turn and then some on the palate. 

All in all, whether it be a glass of Vincent Arroyo’s lovingly crafted Petite Sirah, a bit of decadent Mole Poblano Chicken or a combination thereof, you are in for a treat.

Each autumn, as the temperature dips, Cabernet Sauvignon falls into wine glasses like an old friend.   Napa Valley typically has warm weather throughout October but just as Halloween approaches, there is always the possibility of a serious rain storm, heavy fog in the morning, chilly temperatures at night or an early chance of frost.   What may seem like standard autumnal weather in other parts of the country are mere flirtations in Napa Valley during October.   Yet with their unexpected arrival, these fleeting weather patterns are celebrated and welcomed.   Yellow, red, and orange leaves adorn the grape vines now, some have fallen to the ground and as morning ground fog hinders visibility, the shorter daylight evening hours are bathed in warm yellow-orange sunsets for commutes home after work.  Once home the sun quickly disappears and the night becomes crystal clear with crisp cool air and twinkling stars above.  Many rush to visit Napa Valley during the height of the summer or early autumn, but I have always advised that the valley holds unspeakable beauty no matter the time of year if you slow down long enough to take it in.

Should you venture on a drive up one of Napa Valley’s mountains famed for wine grapes, you will sense the presence of autumn moreso and with an increased sense of place and immediacy.   Spring Mountain is a cooler climate, located up valley in St. Helena and on the western side of the valley.   Leading west out of town, Spring Mountain is its own wine district in Napa Valley and as you wind and climb the driving route of Spring Mountain, the air becomes cooler and fragrant with various trees and forest growth.   Roll the windows down a bit, pop the sun roof and take a moment to breath in as you drive onward.   This is a sense of place.   Smell the damp soil in the air and the hint of redwood and madrone trees?   All of this influences the grapes here.   Within a handful of moments of leaving downtown St. Helena, you feel like you are a world away and for the estate grapes grown at the inhabiting wineries, something special awaits your wine glass.   At this point, if your windows are still down on the car, you are correct to feel a chill in the air for Spring Mountain is a cooler climate.

Smith-Madrone Vineyards and Winery (“Smith-Madrone”) is a lucky resident to be tucked away on Spring Mountain.   Call first and then wander down a long unpretentious road to park and find yourself with a breath taking view of Napa Valley and surrounded by quiet trees of madrone.   A grove of olive trees older than 120 years await ahead of you but in that big barn sits dry-farmed, estate made wine that is one of the best representatives of the very place upon which you stand.

A bottle of the 2004 Spring Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon from Smith-Madrone is as poetic as the winery’s estate.  Yielding a bouquet of black cherry and rich with anise, the mouth is greeted by a lovely, soft, elegant wine of similar flavors that slips past the palate.   The finish delights with soft chocolate covered cherries.   The descriptor “elegant” keeps coming back to mind over and over as the wine lingers gently on the palate, reminding one of the subtle traditional sense of elegance and style that is representative of Napa Valley.   The cool climate of Spring Mountain is poetic in and of itself, triggering sensations of peaceful quiet,  herbaceous air and wooded acres as far as the eye can see.   Its Cabernet Sauvignons are elegant and gentle.  They are readily accessible in all aspects but do not let that fool you into thinking that the wine lacks sophistication:  far from it.

Despite the hype that Cabernet Sauvignon toutes, I like to pair it readily with a burger.   Yes, this Cabernet Sauvignon would pair fabulously with lamb . . . or perhaps filet mignon . . . or if you were in the entertaining vein, a hot pot of seared quality thin slices of grass-fed beef among guests.   But for you, at home on a Wednesday, open a bottle and linger.   When a Cabernet Sauvignon is softer, it can pair with a leaner cut of beef.  In the case that I paired, a lean ground top sirloin was used.   To the beef, minced shallot, lemon thyme, rosemary, worchestershire and a dash of balsamic vinegar were added.  Herbs invoke the forest floor, shallot mirrors the softness of the wine and once the burger is topped with a slice of smoked provolone, the grill is quickly brought to the plate.  Sauteed porcini mushrooms in savory, lemon thyme, chives, butter, white wine and a dash of Dijon mustard adorn the top of the burger once again bringing you closer to the autumn mountain forest.  Balsamic vinegar in a burger feigns sweetness of catsup and the Dijon mustard in the mushrooms eliminates the need for mustard.

Place this ensemble atop a bed of sautéed spinach drizzled with balsamic vinegar to once again tie the dish to the mountain forest floor and suddenly the burger is transformed into a rich mouthful of flavors, simultaneously entertwining with the ripe rich fruit and spice of the wine.  To finish the plate, garnish the burger a bit with some fresh chopped chives.

This seemingly simple plate mirrors fine dining in a casual, immediate way.   The impressiveness of this is debatable as to where the meal lands:  the rich depth of interchanging flavors between food and wine; the simplicity of the meal’s preparation; or the overriding, indisputable elegance of the 2004 Smith-Madrone Cabernet Sauvignon.

Revisiting the dish, the sautéed spinach really ties the bite together with a bow.  Its classic bitterness wilts beneath the warm burger to embrace the balsamic drizzle and creates an intrinsic degree of flavor depth.   It ties the bite together, bringing out memories of a wooded forest floor, a stone outdoor hearth yielding the glow of a steady fire… smoking … a cloud hanging intermittently among the surrounding madrone tree.   With one sip of the 2004 Smith-Madrone Cabernet Sauvignon, you are right at home on Spring Mountain.

Harvest in Napa Valley is a unique time when the early evening’s sky hosts the final hues of a warm, tired fading orange sun and a delicate papery moon above in a blue, lavender colored sky.  The afternoons yield spikes of heat and the nights dip into a lulling chill encouraging rest.  The air is crisp as if to signify the delicate balance of autumn, farewell to summer and mindfulness of the approach of winter rains. 

The vineyards bustle with activity from grape picking, happy chatter and at times music.   One moment the grapes are hanging from the vines and the next day they are gone, replaced instead with the loud low rumble of trucks hauling the grapes away.

Vegetables and fruits are finishing their seasonality and simultaneously new crops typically associated with late spring elsewhere appear anew.   It is as if every aspect of the valley is working hard during this festive time of harvest and the fruits of labor are apparent everywhere.

From time to time, a grape varietal will dovetail with a season, the weather or an occasion.   Wine is a continual education and often, just when you think that you can know all that you can about a varietal, it will surprise you.   Zinfandel is a red wine that many pour for summer barbeques but it truly shines during autumnal harvest.  

Zinfandel has such a unique personality and it varies dramatically depending on the vineyard which it is grown, the weather and the age of the vine.  In California it is grown widely and is the second widest planted grape behind Cabernet Sauvignon.  Depending on the winery’s production, Zinfandel can be berry-like, smooth like silk, hearty, peppery, layered and most importantly with depth.   It is these characteristics that make Zinfandel fun, if not hard-working, and a perfect fit for harvest.

Benessere Vineyards (“Benessere”), located in St. Helena in the northern part of Napa Valley, is well-regarded for its Italian varietals but it has always produced a wonderful old vine zinfandel wine from wines that are over 80 years old.   Benessere neighbors Kathy and Bill Collins own gnarly zinfandel vines which were planted in 1923 and have lovingly farmed them for the past 40 years.  Benessere has had the good fortune to purchase this old vine zinfandel fruit.  Consistently a wonderful wine, the texture is wonderfully smooth and accompanied by flavors of red sweet plum, soft flavors of licorice white pepper.  The nose of the wine will deliver aromas of warmed red raspberries and bits of vanilla.

For this article, I am featuring two vintages:  2006 and 2007.   While only one year apart, the weather for the growing seasons was so different that the wines have very distinct personalities.  2006 was an abnormally wet and cool spring for Napa Valley with extreme heat for about two weeks in July.   Zinfandel is typically harvested earlier than Cabernet Sauvignon so given the amount of moisture and prolonged cool first half of the growing season, the 2006 vintage is today drinking well but significantly lighter and thinner.   It is elegant but at this stage of its life best paired with light fare or simple starters.   Here prosciutto bows are garnished with bits of microgreens and are paired with a grassy flavored San Geronimo cheese from nearby Nicasio Valley in Marin County and simple slices of juicy strawberry.  Pairing with the wine, the strawberries match the acidity of the varietal and accentuate the thinning fruit flavors in the wine.   The grassy nature of the cheese brings forth similar herbaceous notes in the wine and the saltiness of the prosciutto enlivens the the wine and its pepper notes.

2007 was a very different growing season for Napa Valley as it was considered a textbook year for winemakers.  It was impossible to make a bad wine in 2007 and grapes were in abundance.  The red wines that were made from 2007 grapes were bigger, bolder and frankly, not readily accessible as the 2006 vintage was.   2007 red wines have benefited from cellaring and while the 2007 vintage of Benessere’s Holystone Collins Vineyard Zinfandel has been drinking well for the last few years, it does not disappoint today and can likely continue to age well.   The 2007 vintage continues to have a wonderful structure while maintaining its traditional silky texture.  Bits of red sweet plum linger on the finish and this wine is perfect to pair with a main course. 

This pairing’s menu hosts:

·         Zucchini Lasagne with Baby Garden Greens Balsamic Salad

Greens such as arugula practically grow like a wild weed in Napa Valley.   When young, these peppery leaves deliver a tremendous punch of flavor but here find their balance among young spinach leaves, red and green lettuce, young chard and Asian greens.   Microgreens are clipped from a window sill to glamorize and intensely flavored miniature roma tomatoes are picked from containers on the deck.   The salad becomes a mix of intense flavors, just as Zinfandel often is, and the salad is drizzled with a bit of herbed balasamic vinaigrette.   Each bite is incomparably flavorful.  Growning greens in your backyard delivers immediate top flavor combined with a firm sense of place.  The baby arugula packs a punch that would knock out any store bought flavor.  The mix in this simple salad reflects the intense complexity of flavors that Napa Valley cuisine is known for.   When paired with the wine, the wine becomes incredibly romantic with flavors of lavender and aromas of rose.  Notes of lavender are heady and for anyone who has lived in Napa Valley for any significant period of time, the combination of flavors in this simple salad passionately reflects five-star wine and food pairing characteristic of this area.

Lasagne… noodleless!  When I first started the web site, I did a Zucchini Lasagne but here I elected to make the dish with a different tomato sauce (which I made from scratch):   caramelized onions, garlic, a dash of oregano, red pepper flakes, fresh sage from the garden and old vine zinfandel meets grass-fed ground beef seasoned with purple basil, savory and lemon thyme.  It just does not get better than this.   Zucchini is not soggy but similar to a perfectly al dente noodle with a slight crispness such that it holds its form.  This mix meets its match with the wine.  Zinfandel may seem like a unique choice for this but not a terribly surprising one:  the varietal has acidity necessary to balance a tomato-based dish.  The spunky nature of Zinfandel lets its varietal personalty shine with this red sauce.  The red pepper flakes in the sauce enliven the wine.   A delicious string of herbs materializes as the wine races back to the final regions of the palate.

Zinfandel truly captures the essence of harvest in Napa Valley.   It delivers spice, a bit of heat, liveliness akin to the excitement and energy of harvest and just has enough “edge” to it such that it can convey the hard-working nature of all of those involved in making another vintage “happen” from one of the tope wine regions in the world.  This pairing conveys a sense of time and place that is often difficult to parallel, let alone replicate.  And for those not living in Napa Valley, if your evening weather is tolerable, throw on a sweater and sip this varietal outdoors.   As the fall air drops in temperature, red wine is being served at its ideal temperature and its flavors become more pronounced.

Cabernet Sauvignon is a varietal in Napa Valley that is simply king of the valley.   Certainly there are countless other varietals that do well here, but it is the combination of soil and climate that allows this grape to flaunt its thick skin and show what it is made of. 

The grape is perhaps the best known red wine grape and I have watched around the country and with visitors from abroad that when I am nudged to pick a wine the request is for a Cabernet Sauvignon.  Regardless of the individual requesting the grape, there is always a slight air about the way “Cabernet Sauvignon” is said.  It is said with a certain air of respect, at times snobbery and passionate humility.

What is it about this varietal that draws so many palates to the glass?   For one, it historically in the United States has been the red wine choice in restaurants when wine lists may not be extensive.  This is often due to the wine more often than not being able to deliver a solid structure, easily recognizable fruit, tangible tannins and a detectable lingering finish that leaves the palate either contemplating or simply wanting another glass.   It is the dinner guest at the table that will help command the meal, often no matter the ultimately ordered main course.

Generally speaking, the Cabernet Sauvignon grape has a thick skin, is one of the last grapes to bud on the vine (making it less susceptible to mold or rot if you have a chilly spring) and is ready to harvest late (allowing it to reap the last of summer and at times early autumn lingering heat).   It loves the warmth of the sun and similarly loves to absorb heat from the soil in which its vine sits.   For example, most people would think that Cabernet Sauvignon would then be grown successfully throughout wine regions in California but it does not dominate in such fashion across the board because soil varies depending on your geographical location in the state.   San Luis Obispo County, for example, is known for its calcerous soil with increased amounts of limestone.   Limestone based soils (like clay based soils) are cooler and as such, Cabernet Sauvignon does not find its optimal home here despite the abundant sun and heat that the region receives.   Venture north to Napa Valley and the soil varies throughout the region from alluvial soil to rocky and or volcanic.   Then the soil is warmer, the vine thrives.  If the soil is extremely well-drained (as it often is in Napa Valley), then the Cabernet Sauvignon vine works harder to get water from the soil, making the vine yields less and the grapes increasingly more concentrated in flavor.   Best of all, in this scenario, the grape begins to truly reflect the location where it is planted and it takes individual nuances from that vineyard to the bottle, into your wine glass and conveys them across your palate.   When the mind wraps around this, it is easy to understand why Cabernet Sauvignon rightfully is often thought of as king of the valley.  Of greater interest is that despite understanding this viticultural phenomenon, even without that knowledge, so many palates around the world instinctively recognize this, too.

Over the years, I have found that to write about Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley is a daunting task.   Individual American Viticultural Areas (“AVA’s”), individual vineyards and certain vineyard blocks play such a huge role in crafting the type of Cabernet Sauvignon that will reach your glass.  If that is not enough, when the grape is blended or simply a selection of vineyards of the single varietal are combined to create a Cabernet Sauvignon, then a completely different wine profile emerges.  In other words, bottles of Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley are all different.   From my perspective, while no bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon is the same, I decide to treat them equally and let each review stand simply on its own.  I recommend that you do the same during the course of your exploring various Cabernet Sauvignons from Napa Valley.

Elyse Winery (“Elyse”), a family owned winery located just south of Yountville in Napa Valley, has received number accolades for its wines and including the two different Cabernet Sauvignon wines that it produces with fruit from the Rutherford AVA in Napa Valley.   Without a visit to the actual winery, however, many may be unaware that Elyse also makes a beautiful Cabernet Sauvignon from its own estate fruit on Hoffman Lane.   Reason being, the wine is under the winery’s second label “Jacob Franklin Cellars” (“Jacob Franklin”) which is not sold commercially outside of the winery.   The Jacob Franklin wines are special in that they focus on small production, low yield and specific designated vineyards in Napa Valley.  Due to extremely limited production, these wines are only available through the winery.  For those well aware, the two labels reflect the owners’ children, Elyse and Jake.

I have long been enamored with the Jacob Franklin Hoffman Lane Cabernet Sauvignon.   I have visited the winery for years and gotten to know the good folks at Elyse.   They make such a wonderful array of high quality, award winning wines but only one of those wines comes from grapes grown at the actual site of the winery and small tasting room located on Hoffman Lane.   It is, of course, the Jacob Franklin Hoffman Lane Cabernet Sauvignon.   When you visit the winery, you drive down a quiet lane to the west of Highway 29.   If you know Napa well or are a local, you might come up the road running parallel to Highway 29.  Regardless of your route, you pass by towering eucalyptus trees before you arrive at Hoffman Lane.  The trees perfume the air.   The temperature in this part of the valley floor is warm but not scorching hot.  In the late fall and winter months, rains tumble down over the nearby westerly mountains and the clouds and bits of fog creep over as well.   The location gives a definite quiet sense of place and when you taste a wine from the soil in this area, you begin to recognize the fruit as readily as you do the landscape, wisteria draped gate in the spring and bountiful garden adjacent to the tasting room.  It feels personal and as you get to know the fruit of this wine, you feel like you belong, too.

Awhile back, I was making a special dinner and I wanted to pair an equally worthy wine.  I had been waiting to do something with the 2007 of the Jacob Franklin Hoffman Lane Cabernet Sauvignon and recently, the time was ideal.  The wine in the glass delivers an aromatic bouquet that enchants the nose with aromas of plum, sweet black cherry, bits of pepper, anise, chocolate and bits of earth.  The true love affair for me arrives as the wine opens up and suddenly the nose is brushed with a gentle perfume of eucalyptus and drifts to sweet red rose petals.   It is this very bouquet that over the years draws my nose, quiets my mind and takes me exactly to the winery on Hoffman Lane because this wine is one of the nicest and purest embodiments of a place that I have encountered in my years of on-site tasting.   The palate is not disappointed as the wine slips back and it is rewarded with chewy dried blueberries, cherry and mulberry fruit.  On the back of the palate the finish lingers into hints of smooth milk chocolate with a bit of mint.

To pair this, I had planned to incorporate some fresh produce coming out of the garden along with some of the fancier culinary attributes that allow Cabernet Sauvignon to flash its mettle:

• ·         Peppered Top Sirloin Petite Fillets with Maple-Balsamic Shallot Sauce with Garden Baby Asparagus and Roasted Rosemary-Truffle Potatoes and Pancetta

For those who either attended Middlebury College or were fortunate enough to dine at The Middlebury Inn in Vermont, they will know that there cuisine is a serious affair.  The inn does a peppered filet mignon with a maple-balsamic sauce but its sauce involves a bit of bourbon in its recipe.  Taking inspiration from this entrée, I decided to use a more affordable yet tender, lean cut of beef and to create a sauce not using the bourbon but incorporating some shallots sautéed in the drippings from some fried pancetta.  To make any maple-balsamic sauce or dressing authentic, I used Grade B Vermont Maple Syrup.  This flavor cannot be substituted if you are seeking to create the true depth of a sauce that will match the structure of a Cabernet Sauvignon wine.  In this case, the Grade B Vermont Maple Syrup meets balsamic vinegar to reduce, to be deglazed and join sautéed shallots and whisked butter.   The steaks are peppered and flash seared before being placed in a hot oven to continue to cook yet maintain a juicy, tender texture.  The photographs below will show the sauce to the side of the beef with bits of shallot on top of the steak.

The Maple-Balsamic Shallot Sauce is sheer utter decadence.  It also serves wonderfully to wipe up bits of leftover roasted potato or baked bread (should you have that on the table).  Spice, sweet and rich flavors meet to create a wonderfully flavorful take on steak and when taken with the wine, it pairs neatly alongside the 2007 Jacob Franklin Hoffman Lane Cabernet Sauvignon.   Cabernet Sauvignon in general pairs perfectly with beef due to the balance of drying tannins in the wine versus fat in the beef.  In this case, the tannins are not overwhelming in the wine and thus the wine can pair perfectly with a leaner cut of beef.   Similarly the depth of flavors in the sauce and the rich flavor of the beef parallel the personality of this Cabernet Sauvignon and match the wine’s structure as well.

To add to the plate, baby asparagus is picked from the garden and baby red fingerling potatoes are roasted.

The asparagus is harvested right from the garden to be gently steamed.   If you have not grown asparagus yet, by all means do.  It is so tender and so naturally sweet that you will never settle for that from the grocery store again.   There is absolutely no bitterness whatsoever.  It is so tender that it borders on obscene and so sweet that it melts and lingers in your mouth.   It pairs breathlessly alongside the meal and with the sauce for the steak.  Because of its sweeter nature, it flushes out some of the sweet cherry flavor in the wine.

Baby red fingerling potatoes are roasted with rosemary, cracked pepper and sea salt.  Once roasted, they are tossed with truffle oil, bits of fried pancetta and sautéed shallots. Rosemary and truffle create a symbiotic balance of herbaceous and earthy notes that draw out the finer elements of the 2007 Jacob Franklin Hoffman Lane Cabernet Sauvignon.  The tenderness of the red fingerling potatoes mirrors the soft late evening light of early summer.

This is an instance in which thoughtful preparation can bring a four or five star gourmet dining experience to your table at home.   Doing this at home affords you the leisure to pair a lovely bottle of wine from your own cellar.   The result is art on the plate, at the table, in the glass and in your mouth.   It encourages us to take a moment and savor the beauty that is readily at our fingertips and that crosses our lips.

This year, for many across the country, spring arrived late, fluttered past and now is waving whimsically goodbye as summer heat quickly approaches.  Gardens which were late to start are suddenly bursting forth with spring lettuces, asparagus, rhubarb and herbs, yet quick to grow zucchini seeds have launched plants and adorned themselves with the first squash blossoms of the summer season.  Before spring leaves us all until next year, let’s hurry out to the garden, gather some spring vegetables and revisit why they pair so nicely with Chardonnay.

Chardonnay is a grape that in the United States is the go-to white wine for many a meal but its style can vary dramatically across the board.  Some prefer the stainless steel, unoaked Chardonnay wines and others crave that exposure to oak barrels that leaves a myriad of rich flavors in the wine.  Brothers Stuart and Charles Smith run Smith-Madrone Winery (Smith-Madrone) which sits upon Spring Mountain overlooking St. Helena and the rest of the valley.  It is here that they grow thirteen acres of Chardonnay and populate the remainder of their thirty-two acres with Cabernet Sauvignon and Riesling.   The vineyard was originally planted in the 1880’s and the property is surrounded by an encroaching forest of Madrone, Douglas Fir and Oak trees.  The vineyards are a true mountain property as they are steep and dry-farmed.  The vines thrive in a vibrant rocky volcanic soil, receiving just the right amount of water and being cradled by cooler mountain temperatures.   The wine that is produced and estate bottled from this vineyard has a definitive structure, intense flavor and longevity.

A bottle of Smith-Madrone Napa Valley Spring Mountain District Chardonnay (“Smith-Madrone Chardonnay”) captures the lovely and lively characteristics of the Spring Mountain District.  The Chardonnay has a wonderful structure, lovely flavors of banana, ginger spice and baked apple, and depending on the age of your vintage will reflect a bit of acidity that makes the palate long for something with sea salt. While enjoyable on its own, the Smith-Madrone Chardonnay begs for pairings with seasonal spring vegetables and if they can be picked from your own backyard garden, that is even better.

When vegetables are in season and picked right from your garden, your food will be at its best and rival that of any fancy restaurant.  To demonstrate this with a few simple ingredients, this week’s menu hosts:

            Braised Asparagus with Pancetta, Garlic, Porcini Mushrooms & Pasta Handkerchiefs

Look at recipes from Tuscany or Provence.  Ingredients in these recipes are simple and few.   Relying on the natural components of the vegetable in the height of its seasonality delivers the most flavor and the most personality.

Here delicious spring asparagus fresh from the garden is braised with garlic and lemon thyme to be combined with bits of fried pancetta, sautéed porcini mushrooms and the soft plush texture of fresh egg pasta sheets.   To garnish, sprinkle some chopped chives picked from the garden and while the dish is still piping hot, I added some bits of soft-ripened cheese from Cowgirl Creamery.  When you combine this plate with the Smith-Madrone Chardonnay, the meal accentuates those wonderful soft, sweet flavors of baked apple in the wine.   The lemon thyme in the dish brings a certain liveliness and spring-compatible perfume.   Thinly sliced pieces of garlic gently braid and create depth to sauce.   The flavors between the dish and the wine are welcome and sweet.

This is a dish that is so simple on its face, but it brings such savory complexity that it shows off the beauty of the spring season and encourages one and all to embrace the bounty of the present season.