I confess that when I think about New World Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon, I tend to automatically associate them with the stereotypical big wines characterized by ripe fruit, high alcohol, and perhaps a sometimes overly zealous use of oak. There are certainly plenty of those wines out there. However, place those same grapes somewhere else—somewhere cooler—and the expression starts to change. That’s what we decided to explore this month.
Our Syrah comes from California’s Santa Maria Valley, where cold Pacific air and fog have an unusually easy path into the vineyards. Our Cabernet comes from Chile’s Maipo Valley, where there is certainly no shortage of sunshine, but the nearby Andes help cool the vineyards considerably once the sun goes down. Both are grown toward the cooler edge of where these grapes can successfully ripen, and that doesn’t mean sacrificing flavor or intensity. What you lose is weight. The result is a chance to see a lighter, more elegant side of two grapes we typically think of as naturally big and powerful.
Download Full Club Write-upPresqu’ile Vineyard Estate Syrah 2022
If your picture of California Syrah is enormous and fruit-driven, Santa Barbara County is a good place to challenge that assumption, thanks to its geography. Most of California’s coastal mountain ranges run north to south, but in this part of Santa Barbara County, the mountains take an unusual turn and run east to west. This directional shift creates a fairly unobstructed path for cold marine air and fog to funnel inland from the Pacific Ocean. Presqu’ile itself sits in the heart of Santa Maria Valley, where that cool marine influence has helped shape the style of wines they produce. But geography is only part of the story.
Presqu’ile’s founding winemaker, Dieter Cronje, is actually a cool-climate Pinot Noir specialist. He grew up in South Africa’s wine country, studied winemaking there and later in Bordeaux, and spent time traveling through Burgundy and Champagne. A bottle of Domaine Dujac Clos de la Roche was apparently enough to convince him that he wanted to spend his life making Pinot Noir. Eventually, that pursuit brought him to Santa Maria Valley, where the cool climate felt very much at home with the kind of wines he wanted to create. So what happens when a winemaker with that background turns his attention to Syrah? You get a very different expression of California Syrah.
For this wine, the fruit comes from two Santa Barbara County vineyards: 95% from Whitehawk Vineyard and 5% from Full Circle Vineyard, both with sandy loam soils. Cronje takes a fairly hands-off approach in the cellar, using native yeast and neutral oak. The fruit is completely de-stemmed, and then the wine spends 18 months in neutral French oak.
Splash this wine into a decanter and chill it to cellar temperature. Then look for blackberry, but also dried herbs, lavender, and that slightly meaty, savory character that makes cool-climate Syrah so interesting. There’s plenty of flavor here, but without the heaviness we sometimes associate with California Syrah. The wine feels fresher, more elegant, and at just 12.7% alcohol, considerably lighter on its feet. Drink from 2026 to 2028 with lamb chops or soy-marinated tuna steaks.
Peñalolén Cabernet Sauvignon 2021
Chile may not have originally given us Cabernet Sauvignon, but the country has certainly learned what to do with it. During the years of dictatorship, wine was seen as a strong export category, produced from vineyards at the base of the Andes Mountains. The results were wines that could be produced cheaply from high-yield vineyards that were mechanically harvested. Unfortunately, the quality was poor, and Chile earned a reputation for cheap, low-quality wine. However, a few growers recognized that in Europe, the best vineyards lie on hillsides, and they turned their attention to the slopes above the valley floor.
Such was the case of Ricardo and Isabel Peña when they planted their vineyard, Clos Quebrada de Macul, in 1970. The vineyard climbs the gravelly foothills of the Andes on the eastern edge of Santiago. For years, the Peñas sold their fruit to some of the country’s top wineries, and the quality was so superb that it became some of the most sought-after fruit in the area. Eventually, they decided to keep some for themselves, resulting in Domus Aurea, first made in 1996. Today, it is one of the top wines produced in the country, noted for both high quality and aging potential. Like most families, they want consumers to experience their style but with an affordable and ready-to-drink option—this is Peñalolén.
The vineyards sit close to the Andes, where warm, sunny days are followed by considerably cooler nights as cold air moves down from the mountains. This daily temperature swing gives Cabernet the warmth it needs to ripen while helping to preserve acidity and some of the savory, herbal character that can make Chilean Cabernet so distinctive.
In the cellar, winemaker Jean-Pascal Lacaze doesn’t interfere much. After a long 21-day maceration, 70% of the wine spends 12 months in third- and fourth-use French oak, while the remaining 30% stays in stainless steel to maintain brightness and fresh fruit. There’s certainly oak here, but without a lot of new barrel flavor covering up the wine underneath.
This one benefits from a bit more time in the decanter—say, a half-hour. Once you are ready to pour, it is ebullient, with notes of fresh blackberry and black currants, along with dark chocolate, cedar, and spice. There’s also a distinctly savory side, with dried herbs and a little eucalyptus showing through the fruit. The tannins are firm but fine, with enough acidity to keep the wine from feeling heavy. Drink from 2026 to 2028 with pot roast or this amazing Pork Tenderloin Stroganoff recipe.
Pork Tenderloin Stroganoff
I discovered this recipe from America’s Test Kitchen a few years ago, and it has become a reliable Sunday night, one-pot dinner for my wife and me. It actually makes enough for two lunch portions, too—an added bonus. As luck would have it, we needed to make a slight change to the October wine lineup, and I had a sample of the Peñalolén Cabernet to taste. The combination was superb, so while it was not my original recipe for this feature, the proof is in the stroganoff.
A couple of things about this recipe: seek out the pancetta and make sure to cook it very crispy. The depth of flavor it adds is worth the effort, although I have made this with bacon too, and it is good. I cut the tenderloin into 1-inch circles, then quarter each piece. Their directions make for a lot of unnecessary slicing. Finally, I increase the quantity of sour cream to 3/4 of a cup. Can you really make this dish too creamy?
Ingredients
3 ounces pancetta, cut into ¼-inch pieces
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 (12-ounce) pork tenderloin, trimmed, halved lengthwise, and sliced crosswise ¼-inch thick
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour, divided
1 teaspoon table salt, divided
1 teaspoon pepper, divided
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
12 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced thin
1 large onion, chopped fine
4 teaspoons chopped fresh sage, divided
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons tomato paste
4 cups chicken broth
¼ cup dry white wine
8 ounces (4 cups) egg noodles
½ cup sour cream
2 tablespoons minced fresh chives
Preparation
Cook pancetta and oil in Dutch oven over medium heat until pancetta is lightly browned and crispy, about 10 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer pancetta to large plate, leaving fat in pot.
Toss pork, 2 tablespoons flour, ½ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper together in bowl. Add 1 tablespoon butter to fat left in pot and melt over high heat. Add pork in single layer, breaking up any clumps, and cook without stirring until browned on bottom, about 2 minutes. Stir and continue to cook until pork is no longer pink, about 1 minute longer. Transfer to plate with pancetta.
Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in now-empty pot over medium heat. Add mushrooms, onion, remaining ½ teaspoon salt, and remaining ½ teaspoon pepper and cook until any liquid has evaporated and vegetables have just begun to brown, 7 to 9 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon sage, garlic, tomato paste, and remaining 1 tablespoon flour and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Stir in broth and wine and bring to simmer, scraping up any browned bits. Stir in noodles and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until noodles are just tender, 9 to 11 minutes.
Add pork and pancetta and cook until warmed through, about 1 minute. Off heat, stir in sour cream and remaining 1 teaspoon sage until thoroughly combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with chives and serve.