Buena Vista Carneros Pinot Noir 2006

Buena Vista Carneros is fitting place to begin this new spotlight on Sonoma County wines: here is where it all began. Following attempts at growing grapes from Wisconsin to foggy San Francisco, the tirelessly entrepreneurial Hungarian immigrant “Count” Augoston Haraszthy finally found his spot in the sun in the town of Sonoma. With characteristic enthusiasm, Haraszthy imported thousands of vines from Europe and founded the area’s first commercial winery in 1857. Today, Buena Vista Carneros maintains Harasthy’s historic stone winery and releases premium varietals from the wind-swept hills of the county’s southernmost wine region.

I first encountered this wine at the 2008 Sonoma County Harvest Fair, where it was awarded Best of Class. Pinot Noir from Carneros often tends toward lighter color and body, and I thought this one stood out with its rich black cherry and earthy clove aromas more typical of the Russian River Valley. Classic baked strawberries, smoke and wild forest notes-like blackberry leaf tea-make this an aromatically enchanting wine; yet it’s simple and silky on the palate, with only a touch of drying tannin and scintilla of sweetness, and would go well with a variety of foods. This recipe for grilled, braised pork belly sounds like something the “Count” might have enjoyed back in the day-excepting the Dr. Pepper.

Dr Pepper® Braised Pork Belly

Chef Janine Falvo

3 #	Raw, uncured pork belly, whole
1 TBL	Paprika
1 tsp	Cayenne
¼ cup	Brown Sugar
2 TBL	Salt
2#	Cherry Wood Chips
24 oz	Dr Pepper ®
1	Onion, large dice
3	Garlic Cloves
½ cup	dried cherries

Soak wood chips in water for at least an hour.

Place the pork belly on cutting board fat side up. Score the pork belly across the top. Combine all the spices in a bowl and rub liberally all over pork belly.

On an outdoor grill, smoke the pork belly on low heat for about twenty minutes.

In a roasting pan, place onions, dried cherries and garlic on the bottom. Place pork on top of the onions. Pour Dr. Pepper in pan covering the pork halfway. Cover roasting pan and slowly braise in a 300 degree oven for 2 hours.

Remove from pan, allow to cool. Slice and enjoy!