Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/504216
94 / the tasting panel / may 2015 PAIRINGS This Little Piggy Had Merlot ST. FRANCIS WINERY AND COCHON TAKE ON LOS ANGELES by Emily Coleman At the preview for the L.A. stop of Cochon 555's U.S. Tour, Chef Ray Garcia of Downtown L.A.'s upcoming Broken Spanish stands with the headliner of the after- noon: Puerco "El Rey" (pibil rack, carnitas and chorizo). St. Francis Winery & Vineyard's new Reserve Tier port- folio, which consists of 2012 Merlot, 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon, and 2012 Zinfandel, available on-premise starting spring 2015, and a new Sauvignon Blanc, available at retail nationwide. S ustainability. It's a word you hear a lot these days, making it difficult to separate the ones who truly practice what they preach from the imitators who use the term for marketing purposes alone. So, when two brands who walk the walk happen to be in the same room and on the same table, you know you are in for a treat—which is exactly what we received last month when pork-centric food organization Cochon and St. Francis Winery & Vineyard, a California Sustainable Vineyard & Winery, collided at the soon-to-open Broken Spanish in Downtown Los Angeles for a special preview of Cochon's Large Format Feast that would amaze the palates of L.A. foodies the following evening. Our guide, Chef Ray Garcia, who received the title "2014 King of Porc" by winning last year's Cochon 555 competition (he also judged the L.A. leg of the U.S. tour this year), wowed the intimate gathering with four courses featuring heritage-breed pigs—rais- ing awareness for these sustainably-raised swine is the mission of all the events Cochon hosts. During the meal, winemakers Katie Madigan and Chris Louton from St. Francis paired their new Reserve Tier portfolio, which consists of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel varietal wines, with each course. While each dish and wine delighted the palate, a couple of the highlights included the layers of dark cherry and chocolate in the Cabernet Sauvignon against the smoke and spice notes of Puerco "El Rey" (pibil rack, carnitas and chorizo), as well as the blackberry and raspberry of the Zinfandel blending beautifully with an unbelievably delicious Tres Leches Cake with brown sugar meringue and burnt sugar brittle. From the great cause to the wonderful food and wine, the whole event reinforced the old saying, "You reap what you sow." PHOTO: GEORGE YATCHISIN PHOTO: GEORGE YATCHISIN