The wines:
- Bonterra Vineyards 2007 Viognier Mendocino County & Lake County, California
- Robert Sinskey Vineyards 2010 Pinot Noir Los Carneros, Napa Valley, California
The pork strips were served with a rice / lentils combo and sautéed Brussels sprouts wilth almonds.
Why two wines? The dish is complicated to pair due to the unusual food composition. Pork, Red Wine, Gorgonzola, ... The combination allows no straightforward decision. I thought that an off-dry white could work so I tried the Bonterra Viognier. It is not really off-dry but my feeling was it could work. On the other hand I tasted at Sinskey last year the Los Carneros Pinot with blue cheese. Wonderful. So I decided to try both.
Due to the Gorgonzola Red Wine Sauce the dish has a strong aroma. The rice with the lentils underlines the aroma where the medium prepared Brussels sprouts with the almonds give a nice counterpart. In total a very interesting dish with a lot of flavours. Both wines work - but on a different level. The residual sweetness of the Bonterra leads to a very interesting experience. Drinking the wine directly after some strips seems to kill the wine a little bit - the Viogner appears to be flat. But if you wait 5 seconds minimum a totally different view. Suddenly the fruity aromas harmonise with the dish. Nice thing.
However the Pinot works better. No difference if you drink directly or wait a little bit. Equal partners. The Pinot strengthens the aromas of the pork strips and vice versa. Another good example that a good prepared Pinot is a wonderful food pairing wine. Unfortunately my last bottle. I will be back to Sinskey during my next US trip definitely.
By the way: Tasting notes for both wines are also blogged.
Sunday, February 9. 2014
Pork Strips with Gorgonzola Red Wine Sauce
2010 Robert Sinskey Vineyards Pinot Noir 89/100
Los Carneros, Napa Valley, California
Organic Grapes
Surprising dark ruby red. Crystal clear, reflective surface with medium colour depth. Pure aroma with good intensity. Typical pinot style but not too much as you can find it today very often in Pinots when the winemaker was over-motivated. Wonderful aromas of dark cherries. Typical for young Pinots. Very, very pleasant. Mild, warm and round with exactly the body needed. Long finish with some dominant fresh acid. This aftertaste acid tone was gone after four hours. Then the wine was nearly perfect. Gives hope for a longer life.
The Carneros Pinot from Robert Sinskey is a wonderful partner for a diner with salmon, not too heavily prepared meat, duck, ham, ... My favourite would be sautéed foods. But if you are looking for a nice glass of wine to drink in a summer evening sitting in the patio refelcting your life... no bad choice. You would be surprised how fast the bottle would be empty.
The wine is still young but very good to drink. I would say that the peak will be in two years to remain for another three or five years.
Organic Grapes
Surprising dark ruby red. Crystal clear, reflective surface with medium colour depth. Pure aroma with good intensity. Typical pinot style but not too much as you can find it today very often in Pinots when the winemaker was over-motivated. Wonderful aromas of dark cherries. Typical for young Pinots. Very, very pleasant. Mild, warm and round with exactly the body needed. Long finish with some dominant fresh acid. This aftertaste acid tone was gone after four hours. Then the wine was nearly perfect. Gives hope for a longer life.
The Carneros Pinot from Robert Sinskey is a wonderful partner for a diner with salmon, not too heavily prepared meat, duck, ham, ... My favourite would be sautéed foods. But if you are looking for a nice glass of wine to drink in a summer evening sitting in the patio refelcting your life... no bad choice. You would be surprised how fast the bottle would be empty.
The wine is still young but very good to drink. I would say that the peak will be in two years to remain for another three or five years.
(Page 1 of 1, totaling 2 entries)