Pairings: Wine of the week, Acumen 2015 Napa Valley Mountainside Cabernet Sauvignon, complements beef tenderloin

Our Wine of the Week, Acumen 2015 Napa Valley Mountainside Cabernet Sauvignon ($60), is suave, elegant and a bit bold. It is a regal wine, with appealingly generous fruit. It is not a fruit bomb, though; it is beautifully integrated and well balanced.

Flavor are deep and sultry, with flashes of blackberry, black cherry, black raspberry and black plum, a quality that lends a tad of juiciness to the wine. You’ll notice a bit of black pepper, too, and a suggestion of the floor of a redwood forest after a good rain. It is a stellar example of what Napa Valley does best.

The wine is lovely with the sort of comfort food we want at this time of year. Slow-cooked stews and sauces, braised meats, roasted root vegetables and certain cheeses - Montgomery Cheddar, Italian Fontina and Swiss Emmenthaler, for example - all flatter the wine. Duck, wild game, bacon and sausages are great partners, too. Adding star anise to stews and braises furthers the partnership.

A wine of this price warrants, I think, a special meal. You could go old school and serve it with Beef Wellington, a classic dish of beef tenderloin and duxelles (shallots, garlic, mushrooms and herbs) wrapped in an edible crust. Vegetarians can enjoy it with mushroom risotto, carrot risotto or roasted root vegetables served on a bed of farro, barley, quinoa or other seed or grain.

Today’s recipe, adapted from one in “The Good Cook’s Book of Salt & Pepper” (Skyhorse Publishing, 2015), is inspired by Beef Wellington, though the salt crust is not edible. Its function is to provide an air-tight cooking environment that results in extremely juicy meat, which is exactly what this wine wants. Serve the beef with sautéed wild or specialty mushrooms, potato purée, roasted parsnips or braised carrots. If you prefer your meat very rare, as I do, be sure to remove it from the oven after no more than 20 minutes; I usually pull it after about 16 minutes. It continues to cook in the crust.

Beef Tenderloin in a Salt Crust

Makes 3 to 4 servings

1 1/2 cups kosher salt

1/2 cup minced fresh herbs (rosemary, oregano, thyme, and Italian parsley)

2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 egg whites

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2 pounds beef tenderloin, trimmed

- Maldon salt flakes or other ?finishing salt

- Fresh herb sprigs, for garnish

Put the salt, half of the minced herbs, black pepper and flour in the work bowl of a heavy-duty mixer fitted with its paddle. Mix briefly. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg whites and ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons water until slightly foamy. With the mixer operating at low speed, slowly pour the egg mixture into the salt mixture. When fully incorporated, increase the speed to high and knead until a firm but moist dough is formed, about 3 or 4 minutes. Turn out onto a very lightly floured surface, form into a ball, and cover with plastic wrap. Let the dough rest at room temperature for at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Heat the olive oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat and sear the tenderloin on all sides. Transfer to a plate and set aside.

Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to form a rectangle approximately 8 by 11 inches (adjust the size according to the size of the beef ). Set the beef in the center of the dough, sprinkle the remaining minced herbs over it, turning it to spread the herbs evenly over the surface of the meat, and wrap the dough tightly around the tenderloin, sealing the edges by pinching the dough together. Set on an ungreased baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes for rare beef and 25 for medium rare.

Remove the tenderloin from the oven and let rest for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour before removing the salt crust. Slice off one end of the crust, pull the beef out, and cut it into ?-inch thick slices. (Discard the crust.)

Arrange the meat on a platter, sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper, garnish with fresh herb sprigs, and enjoy right away.

Michele Anna Jordan is the author of 24 books to date, including The Good Cook’s series. Email her at michele@micheleannajordan.com.