2022 Starfield Vineyards and Winery Syrah with Slow Cooker Mexican Pulled Pork Street 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
I had reviewed this wine before it was released, and it was excellent and it has only improved. 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. Pricing is expected around $60/bottle.
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, not 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. It was awarded 93 points by Wine Enthusiast.
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 a new recipe called, Slow Cooker Mexican Pulled Pork Tacos. The main meat for the recipe was a boneless pork roast but opted for a large pork tenderloin. The pork tenderloin was rubbed with the ingredients of chili powder, kosher salt, ground cumin, cayenne pepper, ground oregano, onion powder, garlic powder, cinnamon and a small amount of ground cloves. The pork tenderloin was first seared on the stove before placing it into the slow cooker. Used flour small street tortillas and filled with the pulled pork, then added cheddar cheese, sliced tomatoes, diced purple onions and chopped cilantro. Fresh lime juice was squeezed on top of each taco.
One of our new favorite dishes 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 with the Syrah embracing and mellowing each bite of the tacos.
Sláinte,
Michael