Rosemary/Thyme Pork Loin

Rosemary/Thyme Garlic Crusted Roast Pork Loin with Butternut Squash Polenta and Wilted Kale Greens - Serve with 2003 Chameleon Zinfandel Napa Valley

Serves 6

Pork Loin:
5 large garlic cloves minced
3 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 2 ½ -pound boneless pork loin roast, well trimmed

Sauce:
½ cup light to medium bodied red wine
pan drippings

Preheat oven to 400°F. Line 13 x 9 x 2-inch roasting pan with foil. Mix first 5 ingredients in bowl. Rub mixture all over pork. Place pork in prepared roasting pan. Roast pork 30 minutes. Turn roast over. Roast until thermometer inserted into center of pork registers 140°F, or to desired degree of doneness, about 15-25 minutes longer. Remove from oven; let stand 10 minutes.

Pour any juices from roasting pan into small saucepan, add wine; set over med-high heat and simmer until sauce is reduced by half. Cut pork crosswise into 1/3-inch-thick slices. Arrange pork slices on plate with a spoonful of polenta and a small bunch of wilted kale. Drizzle 1 oz of sauce over plate.

A note on the wine pairing: This dish has a lot of different flavors playing on the plate. You have the fragrant herbs and garlic on the roast paired with a creamy, sweet polenta and bitter greens. A complex dish needs a wine that won't overcome the flavors of the food.
I would serve this with a red that is light and fruity but one with enough backbone to stand up to the flavors of the rosemary and the rich, creamy polenta.

The 2003 Chameleon Zinfandel Napa Valley features a wealth of rich black and red fruit aromas in the nose and on the palate.  The flavors of blackberry and raspberry are draped in velvety tannins, while excellent acidity supports the voluptuous mouthfeel.