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With six clones, there are no holes in the wine, which is to say that it fills the mouth and pleases the palate completely, without any blank spaces. The texture is as smooth as satin on silk and as luxurious, with a delicious roundness and no rough edges.

The bouquet of the wine is warm, with whispers of cocoa and vanilla. Deep red fruit, especially black cherries and black raspberries, weaves through the wine as it splashes across the palate, flavors that are enlivened by little sparkles of seductive sweet spice on the wine’s lingering finish.

Overall, the wine is as pretty as a pinot noir can be, which is really, really pretty. Yet it is not so delicate that those who disparage the varietal as wimpy can complain, not at all. The term feminine applies but think Michelle-Obama feminine and not Victorian-fainting-couch feminine. It has an appealing muscular quality, like Ms. Obama’s enviable triceps.

When it comes to pairing the wine at the table, a classic marriage is paella, for which Marimar Torres is widely known; there’s a paella party at the wine makers this Saturday. Catalan shellfish stews, Portuguese sausage and mussel stew, cioppino and similar dishes all welcome this lovely wine alongside. For my favorite paella recipe, which is too long for this column, and my versions of these other dishes visit Eat This Now at pantry.blogs.pressdemocrat.com.

For today’s recipe, I’ve adapted a classic sauce from Marimar Torres’s first book, “The Spanish Table” (Doubleday, 1986). All versions of this sauce call for at least one fresh tomato and I normally never use tomatoes until they are in season locally. However, this sauce is ideal with certain spring foods — especially roasted or grilled spring onions and shallots — and so I’ve selected this version because it requires just a single tomato and no red bell peppers, common in other versions. For the best tomatoes at this time of year, get Parsons at the Santa Rosa farmers market; they are grown locally, in a hot house.

Marimar Torres’ Romesco de Cal Isidre

Makes about 2 cups

1large garlic bulb

3tablespoons olive oil

—Kosher salt

—Black pepper in a mill

1large dense-fleshed tomato

2ancho (dried ripe poblanos) chiles

¼cup whole almonds, toasted and skinned

¼cup hazelnuts, toasted and skinned

1slice (½-inch by 4-inches) white hearth bread

¼teaspoon red pepper flakes

¼cup red wine vinegar

½cup full-flavored extra virgin olive oil

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Put the garlic on a large sheet of aluminum foil and pull up the sides of the foil to make a small container. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil and 2 tablespoons water, season with salt and pepper and crimp the foil together so that the garlic is tightly sealed inside it. Set the package on a small baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes, or until the garlic is tender when pressed. After the garlic has been roasting for 25 minutes, set the tomato on the baking sheet alongside the garlic. Remove from the oven and let the garlic and tomato cool until easy to handle.

Meanwhile, put the chiles into a small saucepan, add just enough water to cover them and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat to very low and simmer 10 minutes. Remove from the heat, cover, and let steep for 30 minutes. Remove from the heat, reserve 2 tablespoons of the cooking liquid and let the chiles cool slightly. Remove their stems, seeds and skins and chop coarsely. Set them aside.

Separate the garlic cloves, discard the root and set the cloves on their sides; use the heel of your hand to press out all the pulp. Discard the skins. Use a fork to scrape up the garlic pulp and put it in a small bowl. Peel and core the tomato, put it in a small bowl and set it aside.

Heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil in a small saute pan set over medium low heat and fry the bread until it is golden brown on both sides. Cool slightly, break into pieces and transfer to the work bowl of a food processor. Add the toasted nuts and pepper flakes and pulse until the mixture is evenly chopped. Add the tomato, garlic pulp and chopped chiles and pulse to form a smooth paste. Season with salt and pepper, add the vinegar and reserved cooking liquid and pulse until smooth.

With the machine operating, slowly drizzle in the olive oil. Transfer to a small bowl, taste, and correct the seasoning. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving. The sauce will retain its bright flavors for 2 to 3 days.

Serving suggestions: With roasted or grilled spring onions, shallots, asparagus and leeks; with roasted chicken and grilled meats; with seafood and shellfish soups and stews, especially those based on tomatoes.

Michele Anna Jordan hosts “Mouthful” each Sunday at 7 p.m. on KRCB 90.9 91.1 FM. E-mail Jordan at [email protected]. You’ll find her blog, “Eat This Now,” at pantry.blogs. pressdemocrat.com/

Bill & Sheila’s Wine

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