Napa Valley Cabernet is Our Love Language: A Valentine Wine & Recipe Pairing

Vintage after vintage, the ample fruit and velvet tannins of Nickel & Nickel’s State Ranch Cabernet garners accolades. Is it any surprise we’re declaring the critically acclaimed 2018 Nickel & Nickel State Ranch Cabernet one of the most romantic wine picks for February? It's plush, powerful and highly prized, and it marries beautifully with this recipe for Petit Pork Tenderloin and Fricassee of Wild Mushrooms, Plums and Roasted Garlic.

This February, generate some warmth in the kitchen with this date night wine and food menu.

Petit Pork Tenderloin with Fricassee of Wild Mushrooms, Plums and Roasted Garlic

Wine Pairing: 2018 Nickel & Nickel State Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon, 95 Points The Wine Advocate

Serves 4

Ingredients

½ head garlic, roasted

1 ½ ounces portobello mushrooms, diced

1 ½ ounces oyster mushrooms, diced

1 ½ ounces chanterelle mushrooms, diced

2 1/2 tablespoons butter, divided

½ clove fresh garlic, chopped

1 shallot, chopped

salt and pepper

1/8 cup chervil, chopped

1 pork tenderloin

1/8 cup plum brandy

1/2 cup demi glaze of veal (can be purchased at specialty grocery stores)

1 fresh plum, pureed

1 small pinch sage, chopped

Method

Roast garlic in oven at 375° F until soft, then remove and peel the cloves. Reset oven to 400. Place an oven-safe baking dish inside oven to warm.

Clean and dice all mushrooms. Sauté in one tablespoon of butter along with chopped fresh garlic, shallots, salt, pepper and chervil. Remove from pan, set aside and keep warm.

After trimming your whole pork tenderloin to remove any tough, chewy “silverskin,” salt and pepper both sides. Sauté in one tablespoon of butter, on medium-high heat. Sear for about two to three minutes, then rotate tenderloin by one third, sear an additional three minutes, and rotate a third time, until all sides are seared. Remove from pan, place into the warmed baking dish and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches about 145° F.

While pork continues to cook in the oven, deglaze your pan with brandy, add roasted garlic, demi glaze of veal, plum puree and chopped sage. Lower heat to a simmer and reduce sauce for ten minutes, strain, then add remaining ½ tablespoon butter and adjust seasoning to taste.

Presentation

Slice your tenderloins into medallions. Fan medallions like a crown, placing mushrooms in the center. Pour sauce atop meat and serve immediately. Place sliced pork tenderloin on a serving platter, in a crown shape, with mushrooms in the center. Pour the sauce atop the meat and serve immediately. Fill two glasses with Nickel & Nickel State Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon. This plush and balanced Napa Valley wine adds layers of mixed berry and earth flavors, along with an alluring velvet texture, to this warm, romantic menu.

At Nickel & Nickel, Cabernet is our love language. Our new 2018 Nickel & Nickel Cabernets are crafted with excellence ... and made to be savored. Taste the pure, powerful expressions of unparalleled Napa Valley vineyards; discover the full vintage release here.