One of my favorite; and rapidly increasing in popularity wine regions at the moment is the Willamette Valley of Oregon. The Pinot Noirs coming out of Oregon are some of the best I have ever tasted; tend to be more Burgundian in style, while retaining some of the new world nuances; while being a more balanced and elegant wine.
For tonight’s selection is the 2009 Evening Land Pinot Noir Blue Label. Evening Land has very strong ties with burgundy, and that influence is expressed in the wine. Not only do they make wines in Burgundy; but they also utilize a consultant from the famed wine maker Dominique Lafon, a forerunner of modern Burgundian viticulturists. Mark Tarlov, the proprietor, began his career in the movie industry; however he has always had a passion for food and wine. While visiting burgundy he enticed Lafon in supporting in production. It is now sourced exclusively from Seven Springs Vineyard. Their wines tend to be very food friendly; and some of their wines are made for some specifically to pair with food for some of the best chefs and restaurants in the US; The Modern, Bouchon, Craft, and Gotham.
This is a truly delicious wine, it has the ability to be easily paired with food, but is also very enjoyable on its own; and to be able to find such a quality made Pinot Noir at this price point is extremely rare. Josh Reynolds of Stephen Tanzar awarded the wine 90 points stating: “Ruby-red. Lively, complex aromas of raspberry, cherry, black tea and cola. Suave and silky, with good intensity and depth to its pure red fruit and spice flavors. Shows power without any undue weight and an attractive sappy quality. Finishes with silky, fine-grained tannins. It is quite refined for the price and drinks very well now.”
I am going to pair the wine with Pork Tenderloin. A very versatile meat choice and it works really wonderfully with the Pinot. I begin by trimming the silver skin on the butt end of the tenderloin; try not to trim too much, leave as much fat as possible, it will melt while cooking. I cut the tenderloin in half so I can control the cooking temperature; the thinner end cooks much quicker and can dry out. Coat the tenderloin with olive oil and fresh thyme, season with salt and pepper. Place the larger portion in a pre-heated skillet (cast iron preferably) sear on all sides then follow the same with the smaller portion; throw in 2-3 whole garlic cloves (peal on but smashed) and a tablespoon of butter; allow to brown and baste the tenderloin; place in a preheated oven at 425 for about 8 minutes to finish. Remove from the pan and allow the meat to rest on cutting board. For the sauce: return the pan to the stove and add some white wine to the pan to deglaze, make sure to scrape all the brown bits into the sauce. Reduce down until all alcohol has been removed, remove from heat and stir in 1-2 tablespoons of cold unsalted butter. Sauce the plate, slice the pork, place on top of the sauce, pour yourself a glass of Pinot, and enjoy!
