The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

I t's raining again, so what's new? Okay, it's good for the garden and the farmers and the wild things that fly and creep, but sometimes you just want to feel free of an umbrella. Am I the only person in the Touchet Valley who wants spring to be here now!?

Funny I ask that. My cousin Betty called. She's getting a divorce. What does that have to do with spring? Nothing, but after that call, instead of moping about spring, I began to feel utterly sorry for the Betty and Bart calamity.

Bart called me right after Betty; to say neither he nor Betty is unhappy, rather they are filled with anticipation for the new lives ahead of them. Betty is moving to New York in a few weeks to paint a mural for the Smithsonian, and Bart has transferred to the fire department in Seattle and heads out this week to join up with his union brotherhood.

And here I am, in the wine aisle at Albertsons looking for that one perfect bottle of wine to share with Wine Guy, who's coming home tonight from California. I am making his favorite steak and mushroom dinner and want to pair this meal with a wonderful bottle of Cabernet.

I couldn't find what I was looking for at the supermarket, so I drove out to the airport and stopped at Buty Winery. Both Wineguy and I love the Buty '08 Cabernet Sauvignon- Cabernet Franc, a blend of two potent varietals. Its velvet mouth and rich aromatics make it a young and sophisticated, sumptuous wine with well-balanced tannins.

The Buty '08 was created by Caleb Foster, one of Walla Walla's true visionaries in maverick wine making. He and wife, Nina, have a vision that truly won't quit, and if you haven't tried a Buty wine (that's right B-U-T-Y wine) you simply must. Dear Caleb, because your visionary sense is much bigger than your ego, because you have a mystical way with the earth and its properties, and because you ride a big fat Harley and work endlessly at making your winery shine, your '08 Cabernet Sauvignon-Cabernet Franc has earned 98 points from Wine and Country Living!

Congratulations to you, Nina, and the entire staff at Buty Winery. You readers might try pairing this incredible wine with the recipe below and until next week, "Eat Art, Drink Imagination! "

Sauvignon Steak Sauce Serves 4

2-tablespoons butter

2-tablespoons olive oil

1-clove minced garlic

1-cup finely sliced mushrooms

1-teaspoon onion salt and cracked black pepper

3-tablespoons balsamic vinegar

3-tablespoons cabernet sauvignon wine

1-teaspoon tomato paste

2-cups beef broth

Method: In a skillet over medium-high heat, add butter and oil; when shimmering, add mushrooms, onion, salt, pepper and minced garlic and sauté until tender. Deglaze pan with wine and balsamic vinegar; stir and cook for 1-minute. Add flour while stirring and when sticky, add remaining ingredients; stir and reduce all by half. When sauce begins to thicken, turn off heat and hold warm until service.

Ladle sauce over steaks just as they come off the grill.

Hear Judith Speak! @ www.chefjudithenderson.com