The Pork and Pears Problem

The most enjoyable and rewarding aspect of this job is discovering these really amazing ways that wine and food can work together. Finding a delicious wine is easy. Cooking an amazing dish is more challenging and more impressive. But nailing down a winning combination between a composed dish and a profound wine is like the moment of orgasm in the best sex you've ever had. No offense to my wife...

So, Kara was off and decided she was going to make this fun little recipe we've made a few times over the years: Pork Chops and Pears in a Port Wine and Mustard Sauce. I immediately begin thinking of Riesling since it's the classic pairing for pork. But, the dish is based in red wine. So, red then? What about something white, but really full-bodied, like a Roussane/Marsanne blend? Winemakers say those grapes are practically like drinking a red wine.

Gonna have to try them all, I think!

Such begins a typical Saturday night at home. I served a Watermelon and Jonah Crab salad with a half-bottle of 2005 Dr. Loosen Bernkasteller Lay Kabinett Riesling. It was perfect. The wine is showing a lot of honey tones these days which isn't a perfect match, but adds another interesting layer. Perfect sweetness level, though.

We allowed the Riesling to blend over into the pork course. In addition, I opened a Tablas Creek 'Esprit de Beaucastel' Blanc 2006, a Sine Qua Non 'Body and Soul' Roussane/Marsanne 2007, and an Alta Maria 'Bien Nacido' Pinot Noir 2005. We lined them all up in front of us and went to work.

On first pass, the Riesling was my favorite. The delicious sweetness and ripe fruits made a cornucopia of flavors come to life in my mouth. But, while delicious, the truth was that both things were just delicious on their own and weren't really hurting or helping each other. Ultimately, I had to knock it down to second place.

Wine #2 was the Tablas Creek. This is an odd little wine. I respect that they are really trying to mimic white Rhone, but this is almost too a fault. The oxidative notes are still there, giving a nuttiness on the finish, but the nose seems wildly overripe in the way an apricot can be bruised and left on the counter a few days too long. Orange marmalade flavors and honeysuckle are interesting. With the dish, it lost that weird flavor profile, but essentially just tasted like a glass of white flower juice. Not a winner on either count here.

Wine #3 was the Sine Qua Non. Whoof! Talk about dry dessert in a glass. The nose is every dessert you can think of: we got Pineapple Cake, Apricot Tart, Bananas Foster, etc. But on the palate, the wine is totally dry. This was intense and delicius on its own, but there was no pairing anything to this wine. It was as if Arnold Schwarzenneger walked into the room and nobody could talk about anything else. Kara and I both went back to it a time or two, but only because the wine was delicious and we really wanted to drink it.

Wine #4 was the Pinot Noir and ultimately both of our picks for the best pairing. This Pinot is a little weird on its own: tart red fruits in the way of pomegranete arrils and sour cherry. Hints of cola and herbs. Not really the sort of wine I'd choose to drink on the patio in the afternoon. But it completely fell into balance with the Port Wine Sauce and the acidity of the whole mustard grain. What a surprise! It became a black/red cherry combo and led into riper cranberry flavors, still colored by the herbal component. I don't know if we'll ever get around to drinking the rest of this bottle because there isn't anymore pork, but it was great at the time!

Check this recipe out online if you're bored and try it yourself. It was in a Bon Appetit magazine in the 2000's (not sure which year/month). Pretty easy to make and something different and fun. Grab a nice bottle of Santa Barbara Pinot, too!

Lewis Cellars 'Mason's' Cabernet Sauvignon 2003

I remember my first taste of Lewis Cellars wine... I was at the Pasadena Convention Center in a room full of about 300 wineries (each pouring on average five wines apiece). The event had been going for four hours and was just wrapping up. Of course, my palate was shot. AND these were back in the days when I thought I was invincible and didn't have to spit! My friend Johnny came bolting up to me with a glass and said, "You HAVE to try this!"

I don't even know what varietal or year it was, but I was sold immediately. I began my crusade for Lewis Cellars wines.

Palates and preferences change over the years. At the time I tasted that wine in Pasadena, I was still really finding enjoyment in those Parker-ized Aussie Shiraz wines. Lewis' style is definitely exctracted in that way, so it makes perfect sense that I dug it. But as I have grown as a sommelier, my preferences tend more toward European-styled reds.

However - there has always been one wine from Lewis Cellars that has NEVER disappointed: Mason's Mt. Veeder Cabernet 2003. It was the only time they ever made this particular wine and the only time they ever got fruit from this vineyard source. We were fortunate enough to pour it by the glass at Sterling Steakhouse back when it was first released. Naturally, I kept a few for the cellar.

So, my good friend Dennis, Randy and Debbie Lewis' son, mentioned that he thought the Mason's was going into its decline. I was mortified. I had it a year ago and thought it was still awesome. I had to crack another one out! The biggest tragedy of my life would be letting one of these bottles pass on without being enjoyed!

I grabbed a bottle out of the cellar and took it to Jar where I could share it with some others.

She was singing beautifully. I see where Dennis is coming from on his thoughts of decline. The alcohol is showing a touch more prevalently than it used to and, while still a monster of a wine, there are moments on the palate where some of the colors are just a little faded. But the delicious chocolate-covered currant and cherry, mocha, and jamminess are all still intact. And what has always been my favorite part about this wine is that it's the only one I've ever had from Lewis that has a Bordeaux-like pencil lead mineral on the finish. I have come never to expect that from California, much less Lewis.

I'm so happy I have a few more of these. I may put them on the 6-month rotation now instead of the full-year, but I'd be happy to drink them all over the next few nights. If you spot this wine out there somehow, please do yourself a favor and try it. You won't be sorry. It's decadently delicious!

The Wines of Argentina

No photo - Sorry! I was too busy enjoying the wines and Suzanne Goin's food..

What a day! I drove to Hatfield's here in LA for a 12pm lunch about Argentinian wines with Master Sommelier Evan Goldstein. I walked in and asked to be directed to the lunch, but the host had no idea what I was talking about. I promptly recalled that I was slated to have lunch at Hatfield's with Evan next week and discovered that I was in the completely wrong restaurant. I've been confusing the location of these two lunches for a week now. Naturally, I should do so on the day I arrive there. Hopefully, you've never done this. So, after donning my red cape (stained with wine, of course), I flew over to Lucques where the lunch was actually occuring.

We opened the gates on the wines with a Graffigna Centenario Pinot Grigio 2009 from San Juan. Very typical flavors of PG: Orange, peach, red apple, hint of banana and almond skin. Quite delicious and a far cry from the watered-down schlock that we have come to find massly-produced from Italy. I'm actually considering pouring it by the glass at Jar for awhile. Cool to find a delicious Argentinian Pinot Grigio!

For the first course, we enjoyed a wonderful summer dish of Local Apricots and Avocados with Arugula and Pistachio Alliade. Totally fit the outdoor patio/summer/European mood! To pair: a duo of Torrontes from Maipe and Tamari, and Valentin Bianchi's Chardonnay. I was highly surprised at how much I enjoyed the Chard with the dish. The weight of the Chardonnay with the avocado and apricot totally worked - and the baked pear/pineapple added a whole new wonderful dimension to the dish that just gelled for me. And I'm not a HUGE Torontes fan in the first place, so not a surprise they weren't my favorite pairing.

Second course: Romesco-grilled Chicken with Crispy Potatoes, Chorizo and Membrillo. To pair: 1) Bodegas del Fin del Mundo Pinot Noir 2) Xumek Syrah 3) Alamos Seleccion Malbec 4) Alto las Hormigas 'Colonia Las Liebres' Bonarda. All of the wines played in interesting wines against the dish, which was VERY rich. On its own , I wasn't taken with the Pinot - I don't think it had much focus on what it wanted to be. Not exciting with the dish, really, either. The Syrah was delicious, with high-toned raspberry and blueberry, meatiness and pepper - totally fit with the chorizo in a way that didn't accentuate the heaviness (my personal pick as best pairing). The Malbec was tasty, but nothing special: it offered more complexity and interest on the nose than the palate really delivered. The Bonarda was a cool find! Delicious and rustic. Perfect for a stew or slow-cooked meat. Very rustic, but ripe. Like a Languedoc red on steroids. AND - DIRT CHEAP!!!

Third course: Braised Beef Short Ribs with Baked Ricotta, Dandelion and ChimiChurri. To pair: 1) Rutini Malbec 2) Benegas Estate Malbec 3) Luigi Bosca 'Icono' 4) Kaiken Ultra Cabernet Sauvignon. Here was the real "bruiser flight" of big dogs. The Rutini was wonderful - just the style of Malbec that I really enjoy drinking: boysenberry jam and violets, but well controlled and not over-the-top. Chalky tannins that come across as cocoa, complicated by anise, black tea and fresh herbs. More importantly, it feels so wonderfully fresh, but still has body and structure. Benegas Lynch Malbec was a little more heavy-handed and lacked the balance that I like. The 'Icono' was an example of what Argentina should not be doing. At $150 a bottle, it was so overly oaked with American Oak that one could barely taste the fruit they spent so much time growing. I could sell it to Silver Oak fans, but at twice the price, would they thank me or hate me for it? The Kaiken was also good, in the straight-forward way the Cabernet Sauvignon often is. No surprises here. The dish actually made this a much better wine.

So, long story short - Argentina's real forte is its value wines. It might take a little searching to find the ones you really like, but there are very few regions in the world where I would be comfortable spending under $15 without having tasted what's in the bottle first. This is one of those regions. The commitment to try it is so little that part of the fun is the pleasant surprise of quality.

Back in the Saddle!

I KNOW!!! I KNOW!!! I've been MIA for awhile. I'm SORRY!!! You see, every 6 months to a year, I go on a "no drinking, eating healthy" kick to snap off a few pounds and give the liver a break. Sadly, it's a period that doesn't give me many topics and a dark one in my general enjoyment of life. But, here we are again:

Tragedy struck last night as I decided to open one of the very first bottles of Burgundy I ever bought. It was a Dominique Laurent V.V. Gevrey Chambertin 2003. I can't tell you how many times I've skimmed my inventory and thought: No, just wait a little longer. Last night I was ready to pull the trigger. What better time than over a delicious plate of Beef Bourgignon?!!!

Corked! It's not that I'm surprised that the wine is corked. It's just the amount of time that this useless bottle took tying up valuable space in my cellar that bothers me. These are the moments that teach you not to get too attached to your "children".

So, rather than an old vines Village Gevrey, Kara and I shuffled off the disappointment and came back hard with a Charmes Chambertin 2003 by Domaine Tortochot. It was pretty smokin' with the meal. It had candied/sweet tones to the fruit, but maintained elegance and balance. Gorgeous nose - floral and meaty with iron/mineral. By no means a profoud Burgundy, but I will be happy to check in with it again in a few years. It's showing well now and I found myself licking the Bourgignon juice off my fork just to keep some on my palate as I drank the last of the wine.

Just another day on the rollercoaster...