Beach Walk Cafe and BYOB Dusky Goose Chardonnay
For special Friday night outing, we dined at scenic Beach Walk Café, Henderson Park Inn, Destin, with its picturesque views of the Gulf Coast beach and off-shore horizon, and the towers of Destin across Henderson State Beach Park in the distance, arguably one of the best views along the Emerald Coast.
While we love the atmosphere, ambiance and menu selections, their wine list is limited, especially for pairing with coastal seafood. this is made up for with a reasonable corkage policy/fee which we prefer anyway, so we can bring our choice of wine for appropriate pairing.
We dined on the deck overlooking the Gulf shore amidst the surf overlooking the beaches, Henderson State Park and the Destin skyline in the distance.
Tonight we brought from our home cellar BYOB this ultra-premium Willamette Valley Chardonnay.
We had with the starter course this delicious Mixed Greens Salad with Mixed Greens, Strawberries, Pecans, Goat Cheese, and Maple Bacon Vinaigrette.
Lyle ordered the Lobster Corn bisque which was also delicious.
The last two times we dined here, we had the Seared Blue Crab Cakes with Mixed Greens and Jalapeño Horseradish Aioli, which was delicious. Tonight, Terry ordered this for her entree with a side of the garlic mashed potatoes (shown).
For dinner I ordered from the menu fresh seafood local catches their signature dish, my favorite selection, Grouper Vince with Pecan Crusted, Crispy Potato Cake, Haricot Verts, Honey Worcestershire Sauce.
Linda and Lyle both ordered the Snapper with Corn Truffle Risotto, Madeira Mushrooms, Matchstick Truffle Fries, Citrus Beurre Blanc
After dinner, we enjoyed the Crème Brûlée and Carrot Cake with Ice Cream for dessert.
With the salad and dinner courses, we enjoyed from our home cellar, BYOB, this Burgundian full flavored Chardonnay which proved to be an ideal pairing with the starters and seafood selections.
Dusky Goose Willamette Valley Chardonnay 2022
This is from producer Dusky Goose, founded in 2002 in the Dundee Hills of Oregon’s premier wine growing region, by native Oregonians John and Linda Carter.
Dusky Goose seeks to craft premium wines that they hope will rival the finest Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from the Old World. In addition to their estate Rambouillet vineyard, Dusky Goose sources fruit from some of the Willamette Valley’s most iconic sites including Dundee’s Lillie’s Vineyard and Yamhill-Carlton’s Fennwood Vineyard.
Dusky Goose winemaking was established by founding winemaker Lynn Penner-Ash, an icon in Oregon wine. Today, Hans Van Dale, a native of Santa Cruz, CA serves as winemaker in her legacy, seeking to craft wines that embody elegance, depth, and a sense of place.
Hans brings a wealth of experience having worked with Pinot Noir in Carneros, Anderson Valley, Central Otago, and all of the Willamette Valley’s nested AVAs. Before joining Dusky Goose, he served as assistant winemaker at Andrew Rich Wines.
Hans oversees the production of both Dusky Goose and Rambeaux Wines at their winemaking facility in Carlton, OR.
This label is 100% Chardonnay, 82% sourced from the Fennwood Vineyard in the Yamhill-Carlton AVA, and the remaining 18% from the Coulee Vineyard in the Eola-Amity Hills AVA. It was harvested in two picks to strike a perfect balance—preserving acidity while developing rich, layered flavors. Whole-cluster pressed, it was aged for 11 months in French oak, 42% new, before bottling.
Winemaker notes - “The nose opens with flinty, waxy aromas, layered with honey and a blend of spices—nutmeg, cardamom, and clove—alongside fragrant orange blossom and honeysuckle. The palate delivers a warm, round entry, lifted by fresh acidity and a crisp, savory-salty finish. Flavors of French toast, caramel, and pear meld with flinty minerality, wet stone, and marzipan.”Case production was 400.
This was rated 91 points by Wine Enthusiast.
Golden straw colored, medium-bodied, full and round with crisp soft acidity, aromas of sweet floral, citrus fruits with flinty wet stone, roasted nuts, cardamom and a clean crisp elegant finish.
RM 91 points.
https://www.cellartracker.com/w?4584471
https://shop.duskygoose.com/product/2022-Chardonnay
https://www.hendersonparkinn.com/dine/beachwalk-cafe/
