It is winter throughout the United States.  For many it involves more time spent indoors with ample opportunity for contemplation.  In the last week Napa Valley at long last received anticipated rainfall.  While many folks have enjoyed a warmer than average winter, I envision many a vintner watching those long overdue raindrops and wondering what the 2012 growing season will bring. 

Their contemplation is merited and not unlike that of many Americans.  Just as the economy has been a slow project of improvement and most look longingly at 2012 with the hope that things will once again flourish, 2010 and 2011 for the Napa Valley grape growing community has been challenging, at best.  Thus, with two difficult back to back harvests in the cue, it is readily understandable if vintners are doing a rain dance or two this year.

Despite the fact that the wine industry is glamorized and romanticized, our favorite vintners are farmers.  And just like any crop in agriculture, a winery is a business faced with its own set of challenges. 

Two years ago I sat down on a random Monday with the head of a major winery to chat and taste older vintages of a certain varietal.  The Napan in question has long been in the wine industry and part of its growth and success in the 1970’s.  As fascinating and entertaining as this conversation was, one realistic note resonated and it was this individual’s lament that so many Napa Valley wineries rush to release their vintages, long before they are ready.

For the economic oriented, this is not a shock as vintages aging on the books of wineries are inventory and inventory can be expensive to store (particularly wine).  Nevertheless, this man’s statement was a sobering point and reality that accompanies me when I visit wineries and seek to select wines to feature.  Yet despite this, when it is discovered that a winery has the tenacity and business planning to wait and hold back vintages, such discovery is a gem.  When it is discovered at a family-owned winery, it is all the better.

Elyse Winery (“Elyse”) has such tenacity.   The economy is far better today than it was in 2009 or 2010 and people are feeling a bit more confident about making wine purchases.  While many wineries rushed to release 2007 vintages in the last year or so, Elyse continues to patiently wait.   For those who have also waited patiently to “splurge” on wine, finding the 2007 vintages is a terrific find.  2007 was a perfect textbook growing season in Napa Valley and there was generally a large surplus of wine due to bountiful harvests.  2007 was the best year for grapes in Napa Valley in a very long time and there has not been another equal harvest since.  For the patience extended by both the public and by Elyse winery, both are symbiotically poised to reap the benefits of a wait that was well worth it.

Presently, Elyse is still selling its 2006 Tietjen Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon.  If you cannot wait for the release of the 2007 vintage, this wine vintage after vintage shows a wonderful consistency due to the quality of its Rutherford Bench located vineyard.   The 2006 vintage is highly enjoyable and bears the stamp of its harvest well.  Rated 90 points (or above) by most professional wine rating publications, picking up a 2006 vintage today would be a worthy purchase.   For some, however, the 2007 vintage has been made available and after tasting it, a sneak preview for the reading community is more than merited.

Pouring the wine into the glass, the coloring of Elyse’s 2007 Tietjen Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon wine flaunts a beautiful rich, deep garnet color.  It is easy to get lost while admiring the coloring, as it is deeply colored, contemplative and indicative of the strong year from which the historically concentrated grapes came.   The wine offers a seductive rich nose characterized by delicious aromas of red raspberry preserves coupled with smoky anise and a candy like tease.   Taking a sip, rich roasted fennel races past, leveling a distinct path for roasted black raspberry fruit to follow.   Deliciously rich roasted fennel warms the soul on a January day whether you are housebound due to snow, sleet or rain.  The finish of the wine is sweet, yet smoky and returns the flavor of berry preserves, sprinkled with bits of toffee and chewy roasted cherries.  At the moment that you believe that the wine has finished, roasted fennel revisits the palate and encourages that next sip.  Unique to this vintage (and setting it aside from most other wines), when the wine glass is empty, the bouquet of the wine still resides prominently in the glass.   Deep aromas of anise, toffee, cedar and cherry linger forth to almost replicate the finish of the wine itself.   While the 2007 vintage is readily enjoyable today, it will still go far in aging.   A sip of the wine quickly confirms that the palate has only begun to experience all that this vintage has to offer.  

This week’s menu simply holds the beauty of pairing a steak, cheese and roasted mushroom Panini with Elyse’s 2007 Tietjen Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon.   This is not that difficult to understand as an entire city in the United States became known for its steak and cheese creations.  Understated as it may be, however, much can be said for the straight-forward pairing of bistro styled cuisine.  It is further a welcome reminder to one and all that when pairing food at home that sometimes straightforward and simple is what one wants.   As winter continues to limit the sun’s hours, it is easy to feel like the day escaped us before it truly well began and a simple wine and food pairing is merited.

Thick slices of bakery bread encourage Panini sandwiches and in the winter, few can resist melted goohey cheese, leftover roasted mushrooms, shallots and herbs.  Thin slices of steak are flash-seared and simmered in Kentucky Bourbon Sauce before being added to the ensemble.  The result is simple, savory and delicious.

Pairing the sandwich with a Cabernet Sauvignon or any other Bordeaux varietal shows the wine’s natural inclination towards cozy bistro fare and encourages warm casual comfort creations.    It is a truly guiltless way to enjoy a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon.   Perhaps the day after you have opened a bottle, sit back and reflect on the natural attributes of the varietal and the places that increased aging may take it.   You can certainly let your Cabernet Sauvignon age, but when you have a winery as attentive as Elyse, why not enjoy a vintage once they have released it?   Sipping it, anyone will set economies aside and easily surrender to the romance for which the Napa Valley wine industry is so well-known.