This year, for many across the country, spring arrived late, fluttered past and now is waving whimsically goodbye as summer heat quickly approaches.  Gardens which were late to start are suddenly bursting forth with spring lettuces, asparagus, rhubarb and herbs, yet quick to grow zucchini seeds have launched plants and adorned themselves with the first squash blossoms of the summer season.  Before spring leaves us all until next year, let’s hurry out to the garden, gather some spring vegetables and revisit why they pair so nicely with Chardonnay.

Chardonnay is a grape that in the United States is the go-to white wine for many a meal but its style can vary dramatically across the board.  Some prefer the stainless steel, unoaked Chardonnay wines and others crave that exposure to oak barrels that leaves a myriad of rich flavors in the wine.  Brothers Stuart and Charles Smith run Smith-Madrone Winery (Smith-Madrone) which sits upon Spring Mountain overlooking St. Helena and the rest of the valley.  It is here that they grow thirteen acres of Chardonnay and populate the remainder of their thirty-two acres with Cabernet Sauvignon and Riesling.   The vineyard was originally planted in the 1880’s and the property is surrounded by an encroaching forest of Madrone, Douglas Fir and Oak trees.  The vineyards are a true mountain property as they are steep and dry-farmed.  The vines thrive in a vibrant rocky volcanic soil, receiving just the right amount of water and being cradled by cooler mountain temperatures.   The wine that is produced and estate bottled from this vineyard has a definitive structure, intense flavor and longevity.

A bottle of Smith-Madrone Napa Valley Spring Mountain District Chardonnay (“Smith-Madrone Chardonnay”) captures the lovely and lively characteristics of the Spring Mountain District.  The Chardonnay has a wonderful structure, lovely flavors of banana, ginger spice and baked apple, and depending on the age of your vintage will reflect a bit of acidity that makes the palate long for something with sea salt. While enjoyable on its own, the Smith-Madrone Chardonnay begs for pairings with seasonal spring vegetables and if they can be picked from your own backyard garden, that is even better.

When vegetables are in season and picked right from your garden, your food will be at its best and rival that of any fancy restaurant.  To demonstrate this with a few simple ingredients, this week’s menu hosts:

            Braised Asparagus with Pancetta, Garlic, Porcini Mushrooms & Pasta Handkerchiefs

Look at recipes from Tuscany or Provence.  Ingredients in these recipes are simple and few.   Relying on the natural components of the vegetable in the height of its seasonality delivers the most flavor and the most personality.

Here delicious spring asparagus fresh from the garden is braised with garlic and lemon thyme to be combined with bits of fried pancetta, sautéed porcini mushrooms and the soft plush texture of fresh egg pasta sheets.   To garnish, sprinkle some chopped chives picked from the garden and while the dish is still piping hot, I added some bits of soft-ripened cheese from Cowgirl Creamery.  When you combine this plate with the Smith-Madrone Chardonnay, the meal accentuates those wonderful soft, sweet flavors of baked apple in the wine.   The lemon thyme in the dish brings a certain liveliness and spring-compatible perfume.   Thinly sliced pieces of garlic gently braid and create depth to sauce.   The flavors between the dish and the wine are welcome and sweet.

This is a dish that is so simple on its face, but it brings such savory complexity that it shows off the beauty of the spring season and encourages one and all to embrace the bounty of the present season.