Paired Up: Cabernet Franc and Honey-Glazed Pork Chops

In our Paired Up posts, we review a wine and the food we wisely (or foolishly) paired it with.

The Wine

2008 Mount Baker Vineyards Cabernet Franc Proprietor's Limited Release (Yakima Valley)

Rather than stick with the rule of thumb and grab out a Chardonnay to pair with pork, we decided to test out a Cabernet Franc. Cab Franc is more delicate than its Sauvignon cousin, so the thought was that it wouldn't overpower the food.

We picked this bottle up a couple days ago from Market Cellar Winery, where Mount Baker Vineyards and Winery currently has a tasting room set up, which we visited Saturday. We decanted the wine (in our brand-new decanter!) for 30 minutes while cooking the meal.

The Food

As eluded to, we had pork. More specifically, we had honey-glazed pork chops and squash. The recipe came from Everyday Food.

We modified it a bit in that we used boneless pork chops and less squash than called for. We've been a little hesitant on squash since our first experience involved an acorn squash that may have been more suitable for carving a jack-o-lantern than serving with a dinner for two. And there were two of them.

Hunter's Gatherings

The color is a nice, deep ruby-red. It's fairly aromatic, with the strongest components being dark cherries, grilled meats and peaty leather, but also showing a touch of plum. The wine has a sharp attack of fruit before mellowing out a bit to a smooth, earthy mid followed by a quite long finish that really digs in and bites at the end. The second glass saw some of the bite toned down, so further decanting is probably a good idea. 88

The honey glaze (especially with the red pepper) brought out a smoother caramel taste and feel that took the bite out of the finish, and the meat smoothed out the attack. Meanwhile, the wine played differently with each part of the meal and made an otherwise somewhat uniform dish more interesting. Great pairing!

Katy's Take

Has a red-garnet hue in the glass with medium depth. The dark, sultry nose is great and belies the grapes along with chocolate, smooth caramel, filet mignon and dark fruits. The taste is a surprising acidic sour apple and lighter fruits with some earth. It tastes very young and punchy and is crisp and refreshing. The second glass, however, was smooth and connected. The taste and effect was much more delicate - spicy and sweet. I kept going back for another sip to see how it was evolving. Decanted for 30 minutes, and should have gone longer. 90

Paired with a meat with fat that softened out the highs and lows, and a naturally sweet veggie that brought out the smoother sweet flavors. The honey glaze and sweet pepper brought out and showcased the caramel tones of the wine while the fat of the pork really took the edge off the middle of the taste. The food really helped tie the glass together with a pretty, modern, aromatic bow.

The Conclusion

The wine showed very well in the tasting room, and that character started to show through more after decanting for an hour or so. Our hunch that the less demanding flavor of the Cab Franc would pair well and not overwhelm the pork was rewarded in this meal. Just how well the wine went with the honey glaze was a bit of a surprise, and made this a pairing we can highly recommend!