“What hath Wrath wrought?” I thought, as I opened the invite and menu with a sense of gas-headed excitment and genuine anticipation. The April 18th “Pinot Noir and the Chef’s Table” event marked the first of many such tastings highlighting the seasonal cuisine of Wrath Winery Chef Brian Overhauser and the outstanding wines of the Santa Lucia Highlands. This iteration was highlighted by a gorgeous day and a particularly brilliant quadsome of sustainably-driven and totally right-on dishes, paired deliciously with single-vineyard pinot noirs from McIntyre, Tondré, Wrath and Lucienne.
The first, the 2007 McIntyre Vineyards Estate pinot was amazing with a lemon oil dressed mache salad, poached salmon and fresh spring garlic. That garlic accentuated the spice and wet crushed granite in the wine.
It is always telling when a vineyard owner stands up and explains what’s going on in the wine:
Joe Allarid spoke to the caramelized apples and brown sugar in the 07 Tondré Grapefield, saying that the year was difficult, with low crop yields and less than ideal even ripeness. Well, that Tondré pinot was pretty terrific with a deconstructed cassoulet of Sonoma artisan smoked Magret: the richness of the dish foiled the higher alcohol nicely.
My favorite pairing was Morel mushroom and bone marrow flan with Porcini crust,along with the 2008 Wrath San Saba Vineyard pinot noir: I closed my eyes and dove in. Crowd fave 2007 Lucienne Doctor’s Vineyard pinot, oozing raspberry, ginger and lavender, was spot on with spring local lamb and a purée of sweet Gilroy garlic confit. Sweet!
Wrath plans to do more of these pairing events, so stay tuned! Meanwhile, you can enjoy these distinctive wines in your own culinary cosmos.
