Recipes
Rack of Lamb with Cabernet & Dijon Reduction
A Recipe to Pair With 2022 SHV Ink Grade Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon
Ingredients
2 tablespoons coarse-chopped fresh rosemary
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon kosher salt
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 rack of lamb (1½–2 pounds), Frenched
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 generous pat of butter
¼ cup Cabernet Sauvignon
1 cup veal or beef demi-glace
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
Preparation
Chop the rosemary and garlic together with the salt, then add the olive oil to make a paste. Rub this mixture all over the rack of lamb, excluding the exposed bones. Marinate for at least 2 hours in refrigerator. Remove from refrigerator and let sit for at least 45 minutes to bring meat to room temperature.
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Place a large, oven-safe skillet on the stove over medium-high heat. Add the canola oil, and when it just starts to smoke, place the rack of lamb fat-side down in the skillet. Brown for 5–7 minutes, or until golden brown, then flip over and place the whole pan in the oven.
After 15 minutes, check the internal temperature with a meat thermometer. When the internal temperature reaches 125°F for medium-rare (this can take up to 25 minutes more), take the rack of lamb out and allow to rest on a cutting board while you assemble the sauce.
Place the pan back on the stove over medium-high heat. When the oil in the bottom of the pan starts to bubble, deglaze pan with red wine. (Always remember to temporarily remove the pan from direct heat when adding alcohol.) Scrape the bottom of the pan with a whisk, and when the wine has reduced by half, add the demi-glace and whisk to combine. When the mixture comes back to a boil, whisk in the mustard, butter, and remove from heat.
Carve the rack into chops, and drizzle copiously with the pan sauce.
Suggested Pairing:
2022 SHV Ink Grade Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon
This Cabernet from high on Howell Mountain leaps from the glass with notes of blackcurrants and fresh cherries over pine and forest floor, underpinned by a note of iron. The palate is fresh, inviting, and lively, broad in shape with fine grained tannin supporting the structure. This is a wine that will age very well and can be enjoyed now.
97 Points, Vinous
Wild Mushroom Gratin
A Recipe to Pair With 2022 Côte Rouge Cabernet Sauvignon
Ingredients
1/2 lb fresh royal trumpet or porcini mushrooms, thinly sliced lengthwise (using a mandolin if possible)
1/4 stick (2 tbsp) melted butter
1/4 cup cream
1/3 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus extra to top
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tbsp each fresh thyme and rosemary, chopped fine
2 tbsp breadcrumbs
Scant tsp each salt and pepper
Mix all ingredients together well in a bowl, then stack flat in a gratin dish. Top with more Reggiano, and convection-roast for 30 minutes at 425 degrees. If doubling the recipe, use 10% less butter, cream, and salt.
Suggested Pairing:
2022 Côte Rouge Cabernet Sauvignon
The Stony Hill Côte Rouge Cabernet Sauvignon, from the highest altitude parcel on our hill, offers so much in 2022, crowned one of the “Wines of the Vintage” by Jonathan Cristaldi in Decanter. This aromatically dense and expressive wine presents with aromas of black cherry, bay, fresh tobacco leaf, and smells of the surrounding forest. A ferrous undertone speaks of the iron-rich red soils of Côte Rouge. Light on its feet, fine and balanced, the inaugural vintage of this wine is not to be missed.
98 Points, Top 11 Wines of the 2022 Napa Vintage, Decanter
96+ Points, Wine Advocate
Espagueti Verde
A Recipe to Pair With 2023 Estate Chardonnay (98 Points)
Ingredients
½ lb (dry) spaghetti or other pasta
3 poblano chile peppers
½ bunch cilantro, mostly leaves
1 small garlic clove, peeled
1 tbsp chicken bouillon powder (Knorr ideal)
2 tbsp butter
¾ cup crema mexicana (ideal) or sour cream
½ cup grated cotija cheese, dry jack, or parmagiano-reggiano
Roast poblano peppers under broiler until skin is blistered and blackened. Place in a paper bag for 10 minutes to steam, then scrape off and discard blackened skin. Slice lengthwise and remove stems, seeds, and pale green veins. Purée peppers with all other ingredients using a blender or immersion blender. Drain cooked, salted pasta and reserve a little pasta water to loosen sauce if necessary. Toss hot pasta with sauce thoroughly and top with grated cheese. Serve hot.
(Serves 4-6 as a Side Dish)
Suggested Pairing:
2023 Estate Chardonnay
98 Points, Vinous
The 2023 Chardonnay is classic in every way: crystalline, pure, vibrant, and unmistakably Stony Hill. The wine comes from our 1988 plantings of heritage Wente Chardonnay, planted at 1,000 feet of elevation just above the residence, where the first vines were planted at Stony Hill.
Aromas unfurl of pear, pomelo pith, underripe white peach, tarragon, and flint. A long, cool year from a classic Napa Valley vintage made a structured and lithe wine that is enjoyable now and will age for many years. This wine was fermented on wild yeasts in 500L puncheons, 15% of which were new Austrian oak. Approximately half the wine went through malolactic conversion.
98 Points, Vinous
“The 2023 Chardonnay is a total stunner. Citrus peel, white flowers, crushed rocks, dried herbs and brisk saline notes stain the palate. A vivid, riveting wine, the 2023 is positively spectacular from start to finish. It spent 18 months in 500-liter barrels, with 15% new wood. In time, the 2023 will take its place as one of the greatest Chardonnays ever made at Stony Hill. It’s as simple as that.” – Antonio Galloni, Vinous
Ribeye Caps Au Poivre
A Recipe to Pair With 2023 Côtes des Pierres Cabernet Sauvignon (98 Points)
Ingredients
For the steaks:
2 ribeye cap steaks, cut 1 3/4 inches thick
2 tablespoons coarsely crushed black peppercorns
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt to taste
For the sauce:
¼ cup dry red wine
¼ cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 teaspoon brined green peppercorns, drained
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
Prepare the steaks: Combine black peppercorns and olive oil, then rub the mixture onto the room-temperature steaks (tied up as pinwheels), and let them rest.
Cook the steaks: Heat olive oil in a skillet, season with salt, and cook until browned. Transfer the steaks to a platter and season again.
Make the sauce: Discard excess fat, add red wine and simmer until reduced. Stir in mustard and green peppercorns, then stir in butter and cream and reduce a little further until a spoon is coated nicely. Remove from heat.
Finish and serve: Return steaks to the skillet to coat with sauce, then plate, garnish with thyme, and serve.
(Serves 2-3 people)
Suggested Pairing:
2023 Côtes des Pierres Cabernet Sauvignon
98 Points, Decanter
Carved out by Mill and Ritchey Creeks, steep and rocky parcels rise from 600-800 feet elevation on our ridgeline that extends down from Spring Mountain. They’re home to blue oaks, native grasses, and madrones, and make a wine that is replete with aromas of sage and wild blackberry, fig, and wet stones. Pure, balanced, and mineral driven, the 2023 Côtes des Pierres Cabernet Sauvignon is classic, showing well now, and can be cellared for many years.
2023 was a stellar vintage. Ample winter rainfall produced healthy canopies after years of below-average precipitation. A long, slow season made harvest a fall activity, as it was historically. Fruit fermented naturally on wild yeasts after a cold soak, and lots were left to gently macerate on skins for just over 30 days. Free run juice was drained off into a mix of new and used Austrian and French oak as the wines underwent malolactic conversion. After the first year of aging, base blends were assembled, and ageing continued in 500-gallon ovals. It was bottled unfined and unfiltered after 20 months.
98 Points, Decanter
“The Côtes de Pierres Cabernet Sauvignon comes from a collection of blocks totalling 4 hectares, planted on volcanic and sedimentary colluvial loam soils at around 180 metres’ elevation. Aged for 22 months in approximately 40% new French oak, it is unmistakably a mountain wine in 2023, defined by an impressively structured tannin profile that is bold, robust and commanding. White pepper and baking spice frame layers of black fruit, stony minerality and graphite, joined by bay laurel, sagebrush and an earthy mineral refinement. Bright and tightly focused, it carries the depth and structural integrity required for long ageing.” – Jonathan Cristaldi, Decanter
