TBD future wine dinner
Five courses with Five wines.
WINE & FOOD MENU
Canape served with a Sparkling Wine Toast
Roederer Estate Brut Anderson Valley Mendocino California
Jeb Dunnuck 95 Rating
As with previous releases, the NV Brut is a 60-40 blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir with a refined mousse and dry, crisp, lengthy layers of green apple, citrus, and a bite of brioche. With 10-12% reserve wine from cask, it represents from five to seven vintages in one bottle, from two to seven years old, the style of the house. The reserve aged in oak adds texture and length, broadening the Chardonnay’s natural citrus-driven notes and lightness of being. Disgorged April 2024, the amount of dosage has gone down year to year and is around 9 grams per liter this time around. Drink now and for the next 8-10 years.
1-course: ???
served with Platt Vineyard 2023 Estate Reserve Chardonnay West Sonoma Coast California
Antonio Galloni 100 Rating
The 2023 Chardonnay Estate Reserve is magnificent. Tangerine peel, hazelnut, spice, menthol, baked apple tart and pastry are some of the many nuances that open in the glass. The Reserve offers a captivating mix of vibrancy and textural viscosity. Creamy, resonant contours wrap up the plush close. There’s striking richness and mind-blowing overall balance to match a long finish that reverberates for an eternity. The Reserve is a blend of sections within three blocks on the property, planted mostly with variations of older Wente selections that are distinguished by longer hang times. It is one of several wines I have tasted from this part of the West Sonoma Coast that suggests Chardonnay may ultimately hold more potential than Pinot Noir. What a wine!
2-Course: ???
served with Hartford Court 2015 Pinot Noir MacLean’s Block Vineyard Russian River Valley California
Jeb Dunnuck 96 Rating
From the Green Valley portion of the Russian River Valley, from two separate blocks in the vineyard, the 2015 Pinot Noir MacLean's Block offers ample black cherries, exotic darker fruits, some toasty oak, medium to full body, and a lush, rounded, deep style on the palate. This cuvée sees a touch of whole cluster inclusion and is aged in 29% new French oak. Give this savory, rich, concentrated (masculine even) Pinot Noir a few years and enjoy over the following decade.
3-Course: ???
served with: Domaine De La Janasse 2020 Chateauneuf Du Pape Chaupin Southern Rhone Valley France
Jeb Dunnuck 99 Rating
I was blown away by the 2020 Châteauneuf Du Pape Chaupin, a 100% Grenache release that comes almost exclusively from the Chaupin lieu-dit in the northern part of the appellation. It's never as inky-hued or powerful as the Vieilles Vignes but always screams Grenache with its sexy, ripe, seamless, and remarkably elegant style. The 2020 offers a translucent ruby/purple hue as well as incredible aromatics of blackberries, black raspberries, peppery garrigue, herbes de Provence, and flowers, and it opens up nicely with time in the glass. Full-bodied and concentrated on the palate, it has silky tannins, no hard edges, and a great finish. I finished my note with “a Grenache lover's dream.” This is up with the finest vintages produced and will evolve for 15+ years.
4-Course: ???
served with: K Vintners 2022 Syrah M.C.K. Motor City Kitty Yakima Valley Washington State
James Suckling 98 Rating
This is an extremely complex, smoky, terroir-driven syrah that offers crushed wild berries and plum skins layered with hints of white pepper and cured meat. Broad, mouth-filling and full-bodied, it has a mineral, peppery edge and dusty, very fine tannins. Long and persistent, showing hints of crushed herbs and ashy soil in the end. Drink or hold.
5-Course: ???
served with: Chateau Les Carmes Haut-Brion 2018 Red Pessac-Leognan Bordeaux France
Jeb Dunnuck 100 Rating
The 2018 Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion is a rock star of a wine and is based on a unique blend of 37% Cabernet Franc, 34% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 29% Merlot that was brought up in 80% new French oak. Offering a deep ruby/purple color as well as a thrilling bouquet of blackcurrants, smoked tobacco, chocolate, violets, damp earth, and truffle, it hits the palate with a full-bodied yet almost understated, building style that carries ripe, supple tannins, gorgeous amounts of smoky black fruits, and an endearing, layered, multi-dimensional texture that keeps you coming back to the glass. A dead ringer for a great vintage of Haut-Brion, it is far from unapproachable today yet needs 7-8 years of bottle age for the fireworks to develop and will have 50-years or more of longevity! Hats off to Guillaume Pouthier for a magical, seamless, singular beauty!
Questions? Text me at 941-404-9685