Winophilia

The Wine:  Juslyn Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 1998

Somewhat earthy, with moderate acidity and soft, smooth tannins that frame the flavors of leather and spice complicated by hints of dried cranberry, blackcurrant and herbs. Long and lush at the end.

The Dish: Fresh Pasta with Truffle Oil, Garlic and Herbs

Wide linguini noodles provided a perfect launch pad for fragrant truffle oil enhanced with thyme and tangy garlic. Gruyere cheese added an earthy component that seemed to blend well with the truffle oil; we used it instead of grated Parmesan. Cooking doesn’t get much easier.

One thing that drives most of us winemakers (especially California winemakers) absolutely crazy is the wholesale dismissal of so many great wines by a few silly sommeliers –and a few writers as well—who look at a label and pronounce with great authority that a wine is too high in alcohol. God forbid we winemakers should weigh in with a beautifully balanced wine at 14.5% alcohol. No matter; some folks seem to taste with their eyes more than with their palates. They’re missing out on some awesome wine experiences, like the one described below.

Another thing that drives this winemaker completely nuts is more food-related:  too many ingredients or flavors in a dish can simply annihilate what’s in our glass. It seems to be a common enough theme, especially among young, inexperienced chefs who are trying to pack too much “complexity” into their work. Fortunately, many of these same chefs grow into a more measured approach—one that highlights simplicity and purity of flavor instead. It’s a good thing, too, for those of us who love a good bottle of wine with our meals.

The other night, my wife Jodie and I were reeling from several days sequestered in our kitchen, where we were testing recipes for a new cookbook. Believe it or not, we were still hungry. But we wanted something simple and easy, like fresh pasta. (No, we didn’t make it ourselves; we just bought some at the store.) Then we tossed it with some olive oil, garlic, thyme and sea salt; and garnished it with a little Gruyere cheese and truffle oil. For our wine glasses, I rummaged around in the cellar and found a bottle of 1998 Juslyn Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley. The pasta and the wine were an amazing match.

OK, let’s admit that the wine was bit “bretty” (as in brettanomyces)—the mark of a pesky little spoilage yeast that gives so many wines a hint of rusticity.  But the so-called “barnyard” effect wasn’t overpowering. It just gave the wine a hint of earthiness, which joined forces with the pasta’s pungent truffle oil and Gruyere in a marvelous manner. Together they formed seamless, complementary pairing components. The wine’s acidity and tannins had softened considerably with age, making it soft and lush—kind of like the pasta, too. Leather, spice, a bit of fruit and herb flavors were framed in the smooth-textured wine, and again, the earth tones and herbs in the pasta matched up beautifully.

All in all, it was an amazing dining experience—and quite an unexpected one. (I wish I’d made more pasta.) The simply prepared noodles had enough substance to hold their own in the face of a fairly complex, aged wine. Ultimately, the food’s complementary qualities highlighted and reinforced the wine’s lovely, aged character. And the shared earthiness of both food and wine turned out to be a real palate pleaser. Not surprisingly, we finished the wine with a soft, earthy Brie cheese and passed out for the night. (After all, a balanced-tasting 750-ml. bottle of wine at 14.5 percent alcohol can still make two relatively thin adults pretty groggy. That’s what they invented bedtime for!)

Author and winemaker Jeff Morgan’s food and wine articles have appeared in many major publications throughout America. He lives in Napa Valley, where he makes Covenant wines and also writes cookbooks.