Brynn writes:

I’ve had this wine now at least twice and each time I am impressed with how it matches up to the food I’ve paired it with.

I first drank it with a rack of lamb that I prepared with olive oil, rosemary, thyme and sea salt. It was delicious.

Most recently I tried it with a chicken dish. Yes, I said chicken.

I took the recipe from the Junior League of Seattle’s “Celebrate the Rain” cookbook. (I included the recipe at the end of this post). I happened upon the recipe as I was looking for something that, more or less, I could make based on what I had in the fridge.

The recipe suggested pairing a Cab with the dish — I figured why not?

The 337 Cab paired well, primarily because of the strong flavors from the blue cheese. While I was surprised at how well the red went with the white meat (remember, it’s more about the sauce and less about the meat), I was thinking a full-bodied Chardonnay might have done better with this dish.

Regardless, this is a wine that I plan to buy again — mainly because it’s not too complicated. I also like the story of the how the winery chose the name 337.

I’ll let them do the explaining. Here’s what I learned from their website:

Named for the French vine clone, 337 is an alluring expression of a California Cabernet Sauvignon with prestigious Bordeaux roots. The vines are cultivated for structure and flavor in the cobblestones of Lodi’s Clay Station Vineyard, making a wine that exudes seductive aromas of mocha and dark cherry. An explosion of spice and blackberry unwinds to a velvety, luscious finish.

And a little more on cloning vines:

Clones behave best when they are put to work in the type of terroir from which they develop. 337 was born in Bordeaux, and it flourishes in the similar soils and climate of Lodi’s Clay Station Vineyard. The 337 clone has roots that need to ‘reach out’ to create a balanced vine, therefore it thrives in the cobblestones that encourage deep penetration and stability. A warm, sunny climate punctuated by nighttime cooling — like Bordeaux or Lodi — is also a key component to extracting the most value out of the 337 clone.

Here’s the notes on what you can expect to taste when you drink this wine:

The 337 Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 exhibits enticing aromas of toffee, black cherry and currant. Balanced tannins underscore core flavors of black cherry, blackberry, and currant, interlaced with roasted coffee bean and hints of black pepper.

This Cabernet Sauvignon can be enjoyed on its own or matches well with braised meats.

It can be bought in the grocery store, or wine shop. I bought my first bottle at World Market in Silverdale, then again at Fred Meyer in Port Orchard. It runs between $11 and $13.

Here’s the Celebrate the Rain Blue Cheese and Lemon Chicken recipe:

Ingredients:

1 1/3 c. sour cream
6 oz. blue cheese crumbles
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
¼ c. fresh squeezed lemon juice (I substituted Bainbridge winery Perennial Vintners’ Verjus for lemon juice)
3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
½ c. all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons dried rosemary, crumbled
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 c. fresh breadcrumbs
½ c. melted butter
½ c/ fresh grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350
Stir sour cream, blue cheese crumbles, lemon zest and lemon juice, and parsley in a medium bowl. In a separate, shallow dish, combine flour, rosemary, salt and pepper and mix.
Dredge the chicken in the flour mixture, coat evenly and pat with a paper towel to remove excess flour.
In a separate bowl combine the melted butter, breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese.
Heat the 3 tablespoons of unsalted butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until slightly brown. Add the chicken until brown (about 4 minutes each side).
Transfer the chicken to a shallow baking dish that has been oiled to prevent sticking. Spread sour cream mixture evenly over the chicken to cover. Sprinkle bread/cheese mixtures over the top.
Bake in oven until the breadcrumb topping is nicely brown and the chicken is cooked through, about 20 minutes.

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