With Labor Day under one’s belt, near-autumnal breezes whispering at the ear and fleeting warm afternoons at hand, there is no better time than to welcome back Cabernet Sauvignon to the table.   Summer months generally prove far too warm for me and my guests to appropriately appreciate the offerings that Cabernet Sauvignon sets forth in a wine glass.   While I am personally remiss to see summer go, I am enthusiastic to review the various bottles of Cabernet Sauvignon which have sat patiently in my wine collection.

Now five years post-release, I have lovingly pulled a bottle of Elyse Winery’s (“Elyse”) Tiejen Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon.   While the winery is sold out of the 2005 vintage, those who have it in their collection (or who are fortunate enough to track it down at a restaurant, a wine shop or in someone else’s wine cellar) are in for a treat as this wine has turned the corner in aging and is starting to strut its proverbial Cabernet stuff.   Consisting of 96% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Petit Verdot, the wine’s nose offers gorgeous rich aromas of anise, smoke, roasted black cherries, a breath of raspberry and a wisp of cinnamon.   The 2005 Tiejen Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon is dark in color and the wine coasts forth to offer flavors of blueberry, plum, cassis, allspice and herbs.   Sophisticated tannins provide a notable structure without overly drying out the palate.  This wine ages spectacularly as I have also had the opportunity to enjoy the 2001 vintage.

For years I have listened to my father ruminate over memories of countless evenings on the back patio in Claremont sipping wine with my childhood best-friend’s father.   Our parents met while our mothers were pregnant, carrying my childhood friend and me.   While our mothers were not enjoying wine at this time, our fathers were and soon found that each had a wine companion for that last trimester.    As lore has it, our fathers would sit down on the patio with their Cabernet Sauvignon, some hard rolls and perhaps some cheese.   And that is it.   No big steak on the grill, no over-the-top red wine reduction sauce to drizzle over potatoes and no big involved meal to pair alongside.   I have heard this tale nearly every time I share a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon with my dad or take him wine tasting.   Perhaps it is the dreamy far-off look that my dad gets in his eye that piqued my interest and inspired this week’s food pairing.   Some may skeptically say that look in his eye may just be the wine talking; instead I know, as a Cabernet Sauvignon enthusiast myself, that my dad is fondly remembering just how good this varietal can be on its own.

Knowing that I cannot possibly entertain you with a few baked crusty rolls and a slab of cheese, I decided instead to go the vegetarian route and come up with an appetizer which most would not readily think to pair:

·         Kristin’s Tricked-Out Caramelized Onion Dip Served with Grilled Potato Slices atop Fresh Spinach

Before my Cabernet Purists gasp in horror and shock, extend a little faith and remember that Cabernet Sauvignon does not have to always be paired with a glorious meal full of fanfare.   Often, yes, it is best enjoyed that way, but depending on the AVA, the actual vineyard, the vintage and the vintner’s style, good Cabernet Sauvignon can be enjoyed with far simpler fare.   In addition, depending on the fare served, such pairing may also allow the wine to truly stand on its own merits in all of its glory.

The Tiejen Vineyard, for example, sits on the famed Rutherford Bench in Napa Valley.   Its soils are gravelly and its location on Niebaum Lane provides a unique microclimate to produce grapes characterized by mass and intensity.   When produced by Ray Coursen in a wine, these Cabernet grapes reflect balance in the glass and the fruit-forward flavors of the wine can be enjoyed as simply or sophisticatedly as one should desire.

Choosing to take the path of simple enjoyment, I chose to create an onion dip that would showcase the merits of this Cabernet Sauvignon specifically.   This is not to say that the recipe for my Tricked-Out Caramelized Onion Dip lacks culinary depth or involvement.  On the contrary, this recipe was carefully thought out and in the end, I elected to follow the advice that a certain highly regarded Napa Valley chef has been known to say, “Sweat the details.”

For anyone who has had caramelized onions, they will know what I am talking about.  To truly reap the benefits of the succulently sweet caramelized onion, it takes time and patience at the stove top.   To further diversify my recipe, I used a total of four (4) different onions:  vidalia, shallot, spring and chive (the latter not caramelized).   All four are from my garden this year which sends flavor roaring to the forefront in this dip.   Caramelized at various stages with finely minced garlic and fresh thyme (also from the garden), the flavors are sweet, herbaceous and rich.

Once caramelized, the onions are folded into an already whisked combination of light sour cream and young chèvre, chives, pepper, sea salt and topped accordingly.   To serve, the dip is placed upon big luscious fresh leaves of spinach and surrounded by… low and behold, thin slices of red potato coated in light olive oil and sea salt which were being grilled at the same time out on the deck.

But how is it that a creamy dip can go with Cabernet Sauvignon?    The chèvre cuts the tannins:  pure and simple.   The chèvre basically has the ability to wipe away the tannins without dismantling the wine’s structure.   The result is that you are able to enjoy all of the pronounced fruit and spice flavors in the wine.   The caramelized onions add a sophisticated sweet flavor which in turn makes the wine offer flavors of roasted bing cherry compote.   There is really only one word for this:  delicious.    Whether it is the wine or the dip or both taken together, the simple reaction is pure satisfaction and mumbled mouthfuls of “delicious” are heard.   To create the ultimate bite, a bit of fresh spinach is torn off to be placed atop the dip and potato slice creating an exciting flavor combination that pops and explodes in the mouth.

Sitting back on the deck on a September evening with that cool near-autumnal breeze blowing, the warm late rays of sun on one’s face and a glass of Elyse’s Tiejen Cabernet Sauvignon in hand give a new meaning to lingering and doing so in the most lovingly of wine pairing ways.