Oregon Pinot noir and Mushroom Risotto

Reserve Pinot noir Club Food & Wine pairing

Mushroom Risotto

From Brittan Vineyards

Ingredients

1 oz. Dried Porcini Mushrooms (Oregon Porcinis are great, and much less expensive than the Italian imports)
½ cup boiling water
1 lb. assorted fresh mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped (or 1 large shallot)
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
4 Tbsp olive oil
1 ½ cups Arborio Rice
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme
¼ cup dry white or red wine
6 – 8 cups low sodium chicken broth
½ cup finely grated Parmesan Cheese
¼ cup heavy cream (optional)
Salt and Pepper

Instructions

Pour the boiling water over the dried Porcinis and let steep for at least 15 minutes. Heat the broth and keep warm over low flame. Meanwhile, melt 1 Tbsp of butter and 1 Tbsp of olive oil in a large sauté pan and sauté the mushrooms until they give up their liquid and start to brown. Remove from pan and set aside. Drain the porcinis, pour the soaking liquid through a fine sieve and add it to the hot broth. Chopped the Porcinis and add them to the sautéed mushrooms and set aside.

Using same sauté pan, heat the remaining 1 Tbsp of butter and 3 Tbsp of olive oil and add the chopped onion. Cook onion over medium heat for 2–3 minutes, until translucent (do not brown onion) then add the garlic and sauté one minute longer. Stir in the rice and cook over medium heat until the rice is coated with oil and starts to brown. Then add the wine and fresh thyme.

Stir until the wine evaporates, then add 2 ladles of hot broth and continue stirring until all the liquid is absorbed. Continue adding one ladle of hot broth at a time, stirring between each addition, until the rice is al dente, about 15 to 20 minutes total. Then stir in the mushrooms and all their juices and add the grated Parmesan. Stir in the cream (optional), then add salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately with extra Parmesan to add if desired. ENJOY!

Serve with:

Brittan Vineyards
Gestalt Pinot noir $45

The Brittan Vineyards Gestalt Pinot noir 08 has rich flavors of raspberries, blueberries and dark chocolates with a hint of allspice. The soft tannins are perfectly balanced with the acidity and the wine displays a long lingering finish of plums and sweet spice. – Avalon

About the Winery

Avalon knows which Oregon wineries have a special presence greater than the sum of their parts – a gestalt. With his Brittan Vineyards Oregon Pinot noirs, Robert Brittan is creating a gestalt of experience and viewpoint, sun and soil, adding up to more than their parts.

Robert Brittan spent 16 years as Winemaker and Estate manager for Stags’ Leap Winery in Napa. He is considered possibly the most knowledgable winemaker on Petit Sirah in the world. Robert created his famed Ne Cede Malis (Never give in to Misfortune) at Stags Leap.

We’re betting that he’ll create Oregon Pinot noirs that gain as much fame…

at right, Robert Brittan, harvest 2009

This is the third vintage of Brittan Vineyards Pinot Noir. Robert Brittan has always had a passion for Pinot Noir; a love affair that began in the 80’s when he made several vintages under his Britt Hill label. In 2004, Robert decided to leave Stags’ Leap and start a Pinot Noir project in the cool climate of the North Willamette Valley.

After a long search, he and Ellen purchased a 128-acre parcel Southwest of McMinnville. Robert selected this mountain site for its rugged, broken basalt, glacial deposits and volcanic soils on the edge of the Coastal Range in the McMinnville AVA, convinced that from this site he would be able to make wines that speak of his unique place.

The Basalt block comes from the parts of the vineyard that have the heaviest concentration of broken basalt, resulting in low yielding vines that produce intense flavors and layers of complexity. – the winery