2022 Starfield Vineyards and Winery Syrah with Slow Cooker Birria Tacos
Photo ©Michael Kelly
The Winery
Photo from Starfield Vineyards
The winery was founded in 2012 by Tom and Rob Sinton with plantings of 31 acres on the hillsides east of Placerville, California in El Dorado County. They are located at 2759 Jacquier Road.
Map courtesy of https://uscountymaps.com/el-dorado-county-map-california/
The naming of the wines, especially their new labels starting with the 2023 vintages, highlight the history of region from the Gold Rush with wine names as Miner’s Inch and Rising Hope. These two are for a nearby mine.
The winery produces 17 varieties of wines comprising of mostly Rhone varieties (66%) and Italian (30%) and a few Spanish varieties. The vineyards have been farmed using sustainable and fish-friendly farming since their inception.
Photo from Starfield Vineyards
The wineries name Starfield refers to “Star Fields”, sites where in their words “fruit develops the optimal balance of aroma, flavor and texture”. They also consider what they refer to as Sierra Spice, the aroma and taste characteristics that come from the western facing forests surrounding the vineyards. The local trees are Ponderosa Pines, Cedars and Douglas Firs and their oils provide earthy and woodsy forest aromatics from their oils.
The Wine – “Wine is bottled poetry” – Robert Louis Stevenson
Photo ©Michael Kelly
This was sent to me as an advanced barrel sample as it is not released today. This wine was aged in 30% new French oak and 70% in neutral oak for 18 months. It is 14.5% alcohol with 269 cases produced. It is made with 97% Syrah and 3% Grenache. It will not be released until 2027 and pricing is expected at $60/bottle. Can hardly wait to taste this aged wine in 2027.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
This wine on the eyes was an inviting red brick color with medium viscosity. On the nose, soft and subdued fruit with violets waft into the senses, no slapping one in the face with dripping sweetness. Stoic and respectful best describes this wine on inspection. On the palate, the wine swirls with blackberry and black pepper. On the finish, minerality and freshly plowed earthen fields complement the fruit for a smooth and lasting sip.
The Food and Wine Pairing – “Food without wine is a corpse; wine without food is a ghost. United and well matched, they are as body and soul: living partners” – Andre Simon
Photo ©Michael Kelly
Selected to pair this Syrah with one of our favorite wintertime foods, Slow Cooker Birria Tacos. The ingredients for the slow cooker included chuck roast (fat cut off), yellow onions, garlic cloves, garlic powder, onion powder, dried oregano, cumin, chili powder, cinnamon, chipotle in adobo, crushed tomatoes, beef broth, white vinegar, kosher salt and bay leaves. Two Flatiron Pepper Company mixtures were added to the sauce: Hatch Valley Green and Dark and Smoky.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
The beef pieces were first browned and then transferred to the slow cooker. The broth was then added covering the meat and slowly cooked for eight hours.
Each tortilla was fried and then the beef placed in each taco with freshly cut purple onions and shredded Monterey jack cheese. A side bowl with Birria sauce was for dipping!
One of our favorite and warm dishes as the evenings start to cool down with warmth and spiciness. The wine with its subdued fruit and earthiness was a great counterbalance for the dish. A very good food and wine pairing this evening.
Sláinte,
Michael
https://californiawinesandwineries.com