Everybody loves a good wine and food pairing, especially if it includes bacon and cabernet sauvignon.

With International Bacon Day and Cabernet Day falling right around Labor Day weekend, there was a lot of celebrating going on in Napa Valley, and a lot of bacon being enjoyed. I had found out through Twitter (thank you social media) that St. Supéry was going to be holding a bacon and cabernet sauvignon pairing.  I immediately jumped on the chance to enjoy a chef’s perspective on this pairing.

St. Supéry Estate Vineyards and Winery is located in the Rutherford region of Napa Valley. Their wine is sustainably farmed and 100% estate grown. They also grow fresh produce, some of which we enjoyed in our pairing. The winery is known for their Cabernets, Sauvignon Blancs and estate red and white blends.

St. Supéry was remodeled in the past few years. Downstairs is the main tasting room and upstairs is a very modern space where we enjoyed our food and wine pairing. Chef Britny Sundin created this lovely bacon pairing with four stunning Cabernet Sauvignons.

This array of appetizers was so sophisticated that I am afraid I wasn’t able to get every little detail that was so elegantly presented to me. I did my best to try to acquire as many details as possible. The following explains each of the four pairings.

Wine & Food Paring One – St. Supéry Garden Marble Potatoes wrapped in Applewood Smoked Bacon, St. Supéry Garden Herbed Crème Fraiche paired with 2013 St. Supéry Napa Valley Estate Cabernet Sauvignon.

The Estate Cabernet Sauvignon is 100% estate grown and has a production of 15k cases. It is a blend of both Rutherford and Dollarhide fruit. This was the easy drinker out of the four cabernets and was heavy on the dark fruit. The bacon wrapped appetizer had a delightful combination of smoke, sweetness in the potato and coolness in the creme fraiche. It rounded out the bold wine to make it more approachable.

Wine & Food Pairing Two – Beehive Cheese Company ‘Barley Buzzed’ Aged Cow’s Milk White Cheddar Cheese, Blueberry Cabernet Compote, Cocoa Rubbed Applewood Smoked Bacon on Grilled Baguette paired with 2012 St. Supéry Napa Valley Rutherford Estate Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon.

This was probably my favorite out of the four appetizers. The Rutherford Cabernet was a beast and this appetizer balanced out the cab. The grill on the baguette pulled out the smoke from the ‘Rutherford Dust’.  Rutherford Dust is a term used to describe the distinct earthy quality that comes only from Rutherford soil. The tart blueberry compote and aged cheddar were a nice combination and the cocoa rub on the smokey bacon was definitely unique. The acidity in the blueberry goes nicely with a big wine. This cabernet is the winemaker’s favorite and I could think of many food combinations that would go nicely with this cab, such as a New York strip steak or an herb crusted lamb chop.

Wine & Food Pairing Three – Applewood Smoked Bacon Jam, Sautéed Mushrooms, Shaved Parmesan Cheese, St. Supéry Garden Onions Caramelized in Port, On Cranberry Currant Toast paired with 2012 St. Supéry Napa Valley Dollarhide Estate Vineyard Elevation.

At first glance, I thought this wine was probably my favorite as a stand alone wine. Consisting of 88% cabernet and 12% malbec, this was a fruit driven wine with hints of blueberry and black plum. There were also notes of  spice and mocha. This Dollarhide cabernet comes from the Elevation vineyard which is some of the oldest vines owned by this property. This wine would go well with steak, ribs or even a french dip. The bacon jam was sweet while the onions caramelized in port and mushrooms gave it a kick. Parmesan cheese topped it off. I found that this appetizer really balanced out the wine.

Wine & Food Pairing Four – St. Supéry Garden Figs, Stuffed with Bleating Heart ‘Buff Blue’ 4 Month aged Water Buffalo Milk Bleu Cheese, Juniper Berry Rubbed Applewood Smoked Bacon paired with 2012 St. Supéry Napa Valley Dollarhide Estate Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon.

For two months I have been on a blue cheese kick. This water buffalo milk blue cheese is phenomenal. It was melted perfectly into the fresh fig. The saltiness of the juniper rubbed bacon pulled out the pretty, delicate aspects of the cabernet, hidden behind the bold masculine tannins in this wine. I wish I had more time to spend on this particular appetizer but unfortunately the tasting was winding down.

I could have done this wine and food pairing three more times. This was quite a complex pairing. Four outstanding appetizers complimenting four exciting cabernet sauvignons. I can’t think of a better way to  celebrate Cabernet Day and Bacon Day in one exciting way. I highly recommend calling ahead and trying one of St. Supéry’s other food and wine pairings, offered on a regular basis.

Enjoy… Wine Ho