2020 Robert Foley Charbono

Our friends came back from their winter sojourn to Florida so we had them over for dinner. My husband made his stuffed pork chops. We had a side of wild rice and a simple green salad. The wine that we chose to pair with dinner was a 2020 Robert Foley Charbono. Our friends were curious about the wine since they had never heard of Charbono before so we told them the story of visiting Robert Foley and tasting his Charbono. We all liked the wine very much! The alcohol level was 13.2% which is the sweet spot for a red wine. The Charbono paired perfectly with the stuffed pork chops. I tasted ripe purple grapes with blackberries in the Charbono. It had very soft tannins, but a good backbone of acidity. This is the wine that inspired Robert Foley to become a wine maker.
In Robert Foley's own words:¹
Charbono is one of the lost grape varieties – almost. Recent reports indicate there are only about 80 acres of this variety in California. The original cuttings were imported to Calistoga in the Napa Valley from the Savoie region in the French Alps in about 1880. Its original name was Doux Noir, or “soft black,” later called Charbonneau (carbon water). Subsequently, Charbono was wiped out in Europe by the Phylloxera root louse infestation.
Some believed it to be the Italian grape variety Dolcetto but this was proven not to be the case through genetic testing. After repeal of Prohibition in the U.S., Charbono was used by Inglenook for blending with their new Cask Cabernet wines and small amounts were bottled as varietal wine. I tasted the 1968 Inglenook Charbono from cask in 1969 and was inspired to become a winemaker with that taste.

The stuff pork chops that my husband makes is always a wonderful meal. Take a pork chop that is between 3/4 to 1 inch thick and cut to make a pocket. In the picture above, my husband used wilted spinach, grated gruyere, dried cranberries and garlic flavored croutons for the stuffing. He seared the pork chops in a pan and then put it into a 300 degree oven, to bring the internal temperature of the pork to 140-150 degrees. During the time the pork chop is in the oven, my husband takes the pan drippings and makes a sauce. You can stuff the pork chop with a stuffing of your choice.
Charbono and stuffed pork chops! Bon appétit!
References:
1. Robert Foley Vineyards.